10 Talking Points From The First Round Of World Cup 2018 Group Games
3. England Did Well
For the first time since 2006, England fans were able to celebrate an opening game win for their side. The Three Lions owe a great debt to the heroics of Harry Kane, but to say that Kane won the game single-handed would be doing a disservice to many of his teammates.
England looked a little sluggish and bereft of ideas for large periods of the game, but there were also several very exciting passages of play, with Harry Maguire, John Stones, Kieran Trippier, and Jordan Henderson among the better performers on the pitch.
Trippier actually set a record for creating the most chances (6) of any player in the first round of games, and England could have been out of sight within the first twenty minutes had the forward players been a little more clinical.
There are still doubts about this England side, but there were plenty of positives to take from the team's performance overall. This was the first time we'd seen England score twice in a World Cup game since 2006 and Harry Kane was also the first English player to score two goals in a game since Gary Lineker way back in 1990!