The astonishing 25 minutes that showed England are different under Thomas Tuchel at 2026 World Cup

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The first half of England's 4-2 win over Croatia on Wednesday was a chaotic, breathless affair. But in the first stage of the second half, it was hard not to have the feeling that the momentum had completely swung towards The Three Lions and that they'd taken control. The numbers back it up.

Tuchel told England players they had 'nothing to fear' before sparkling second half against Croatia

Video credit: SNTV

In the first 45 minutes of the game, England and Croatia traded blows, perhaps not like two heavyweight fighters, but like two medium-sized hyperactive animals - you never quite knew what was going to happen next as the teams went into the dressing rooms level at 2-2.

During the half-time break, the question was, could either team actually wrestle control of this match and shut the other down?

Thomas Tuchel's side answered that question emphatically with a 25-minute spell at the start of the second half that completely knocked the stuffing out of Croatia.

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Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham scored England's third a couple of minutes into the half, but it was much more than just the goal.

England dominated in such a manner that it felt as if Croatia had no answer at all, despite the incredible wealth of experience at their disposal.

Want further proof of just how impressive England were? We've got the data to prove it.

Where England took control

First let's look at England's attacking stats for the first half, but then split into half. You've probably worked out what's happening here. It's an American World Cup so we're going to talk about quarters!

England stats	0–25 mins	25 mins–HT
Goals	1	1
xG (exc. penalties)	0.19	0.4
Shots	5	4
Shots on target	1	1
Touches in opp. box	9	6
Passes played into box	6	5
Successful passes	94	86
Successful passes, ending in final third	7	12

*Opta split data in this alternating 20/25 minute segment rather than 22-and-a-half minutes to accommodate for added time at the end of each half.

So here we have some pretty comparable stats. Some differences here and there, but for the most part, England were the same team throughout the first half.

Now have a look at those same stats, but with the first quarter (sorry) of the second-half thrown in next to them.

England stats	0–25 mins	25 mins–HT	HT–70 mins
Goals	1	1	1
xG (exc. penalties)	0.19	0.4	1.19
Shots	5	4	10
Shots on target	1	1	7
Touches in opp. box	9	6	16
Passes played into box	6	5	10
Successful passes	94	86	135
Successful passes, ending in final third	7	12	17

Yes, the goals are the same across the board, but look at the dramatic increase we see from the other stats.

England had more shots in that period than the first half combined and, astonishingly, over three times as many shots on target.

They also had more touches in the Croatia box than in the first half combined, and increased their number of passes into the opposition area.

The numbers for the fourth quarter drop back down to more closely resemble what we saw in the first-half.

England stats	0–25 mins	25 mins–HT	HT–70 mins	70 mins–FT
Goals	1	1	1	1
xG (exc. penalties)	0.19	0.4	1.19	0.64
Shots	5	4	10	3
Shots on target	1	1	7	2
Touches in opp. box	9	6	16	6
Passes played into box	6	5	10	4
Successful passes	94	86	135	91
Successful passes, ending in final third	7	12	17	13

What this goes to highlight is the level to which England stepped up a gear during that 25-minute period coming out of half-time. It was very impressive.

Croatia unable to respond

By way of comparison, let's take a look at Croatia's stats for the corresponding time period.

First up, here are their stats for the first half alongside England's. Croatia are on the left and England on the right.

First-half stats	CRO 0-25	CRO 25-HT	ENG 0-25	ENG 25-HT
Goals	0	2	1	1
xG (exc. penalties)	0.17	0.2	0.19	0.4
Shots	1	3	5	4
Shots on target	0	2	1	1
Touches in opp. box	3	5	9	6
Passes played into box	4	4	6	5
Successful passes	62	141	94	86
Successful passes, ending in final third	2	24	7	12

You can see how Croatia started slower than their opponents, but actually then started to try and take a bit of control themselves as the half wore on.

With Croatia getting the equaliser just before the break, the momentum was certainly with them as the teams went into their dressing rooms.

However, this is what happened in the third quarter. Once again we have Croatia on the left, and England on the right.

Third quarter stats	CRO HT-70	ENG HT-70
Goals	0	1
xG (exc. penalties)	0	1.19
Shots	0	10
Shots on target	0	7
Touches in opp. box	2	16
Passes played into box	2	10
Successful passes	45	135
Successful passes, ending in final third	1	17

Yes, you are reading that correctly. England didn't allow their opponents to have a single shot in this period.

England had eight times the touches in Croatia's box as Croatia did in theirs. They played 90 more successful passes and had 17 times the amount of successful passes that ended in the final third.

Speaking in his press conference after the game, Tuchel explained that he didn't make any major tactical tweak - it was more about giving the players the freedom to express themselves.

"I think I was sitting down with the players, I gave them quiet time for themselves, told them to calm down, we just conceded a goal, to calm their nerves and encourage them to do it our way," he said.

"I told them that my perception of them and of the last 17 days will not change of this result, no matter what the result is, but I want them to do it their way, our way.

"I want them to be brave, courageous, intense and on the front foot and do it together and just go for it and try to take it and be active.

Kane: Tuchel told England to 'let the shackles off' during half-time team talk

Video credit: SNTV

"I encouraged them with words, which were short, were calm and if they say it helped, even better. But I think that was the main message, to just encourage them and tell them that we trust them and there is nothing to fear. You want to go for the win and be active."

At international tournaments, it is not always necessary to be the kind of team who can dominate a game from start to finish, match after match.

But it is vital to be the kind of team who can step up through the gears when needed to really try and take a game away from the opponent.

In previous years, England have often suffocated games, rather than dominating them, and against high-ranking sides they often lost themselves entirely.

As Opta pointed out after the game, this is the first time since David Beckham's penalty beat Argentina in 2002 that England have beaten a top-15 side at a World Cup, a run of nine games without a win.

To play like they did, and to do it against a team like Croatia, should have fans very excited indeed.

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