England earned a commanding 4-2 victory against Croatia in a statement World Cup opener on Wednesday evening.
Three Lions fans had their eyes on the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium as Thomas Tuchel’s team got their campaign up and running.
It was all square at half-time after a blockbuster first 45 minutes with a Harry Kane brace matched by goals from Martin Baturina and Petar Musa.
England were pegged back twice after Kane opened the scoring with a retaken penalty.
Two minutes after the restart, Jude Bellingham put England in front with a clinical finish after a scintillating run.
Marcus Rashford applied the finishing touch to the 4-2 win after a sweeping England attack in the 85th minute.
Three Lions supporters were very vocal during the game, including loudly booing the mid-half drinks breaks.
FIFA said it was unaware of any supporters entering the stadium without tickets after eyewitnesses claimed scores of fans breached security and entered the venue without checks.
The official attendance announced for the game was 70,389, just under the 70,649 official capacity confirmed pre-tournament by FIFA.
Outside the stadium, England fans were in a jubilant mood following their side’s victory.
Cambridge United supporters Chris Barrett, 37, and Craig Roberts, 36, said they believed England have a good chance of going all the way in the tournament after watching inside the air-conditioned venue.
Mr Barrett said: “We’ve always got the chance of going all the way.”
Mr Roberts, who described the AT&T Stadium as the best he had ever been in, added: “Semi-finals minimum we should be looking at – if you play France and Spain that’s a 50/50 game and you need a bit of luck because they’re good teams.
“But I think we should beat everyone, we’ve got a pretty good run if we top the group. So I think we should beat everyone up until the semi-finals and, as I say, it’s a coin toss from there, but we’ve definitely got it in us.”
Fans who endured scorching temperatures in queues outside the stadium were rewarded with a commanding display.
A light breeze did nothing to lessen the strength of the Texas sunshine as many fans tried to make the most of what little shade trees provided.
Commenting on how they’ve coped with the scorching temperatures, Mr Roberts told the Press Association: “The air-con definitely helps, it’s boiling out here. Stepping out here you get a gust of it and you really feel it. Inside it’s still warm but it’s much better than out here, it makes a massive difference.”
Mr Barrett added: “The beers, they do you wonders.”
The pair said they planned to attend the Three Lions’ final group game against Panama in New Jersey.
Asked if they would be coming back if England progressed far in the tournament, Mr Roberts said: “I think I’d have to sell my house.”
Mr Barrett added: “We’ll see what happens. We’ll see what the Mrs says.”
An Englishman who lives in Missouri said England’s performance was “one of the best” he had seen.
Stoke-on-Trent-born John Bath, 46, who attended the game with his wife Chelsea Bath and their two children, said: “That was a solid performance today.
“I think that was one of the best performances England has put in for as long as I can remember – five to 10 years at least.
“They passed the ball around well, they looked sharp, (Marcus) Rashford getting a goal at the end.”
Chelsea, a 42-year-old American citizen, said she had “converted completely” to supporting England alongside her family.
She said: “It was amazing, it was incredible, 4-2. It’s a good way to go home, we’re happy. I’ve converted completely – 100%.”
Before the game, fans arrived hours before kick-off and queued in the scorching Arlington sunshine.
A Texas-based England fan, Tammy Murphy, said she was “melting” with the rest of the Three Lions fans in the queue ahead of the game.
The Chelsea supporter told PA: “Oh it’s miserable for us too – it’s miserable, the humidity out here… even though you guys are melting, we’re melting with you. Nobody likes this.”
One England fan who waited in the queue to get into the stadium said he paid £6,000 for two front-row tickets to the match.
Martin Mulholland, originally from Rugby, Warwickshire, but who now lives in North Carolina, said: “I think we bought tickets at a really, really bad time.
“We’re in the front row, so we’ve got good ones, but it was £6,000 for two tickets.”
In a post on X, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described the victory as a “fantastic result against Croatia and a performance to be proud of”.
He added: “On to the next one.”
