Baturina stuns England with long-range equaliser on World Cup debut
Martin Baturina's 36th-minute drive from outside the box leveled Croatia with England on his World Cup debut. England still won 4-2, but the scare exposed their lead-management flaws.
Martin Baturina's long-range equaliser briefly punctured England's early control and exposed how fragile their grip can look once a lead is in hand. The 23-year-old Croatia midfielder, making his World Cup debut, struck in the 36th minute at Dallas Stadium, also known as AT&T Stadium, in Arlington, Texas, to make it 1-1 after Harry Kane's penalty had put England ahead.
The goal landed in front of 70,389 spectators and changed the tone of a Group L rematch that carried added weight because it revisited the teams' 2018 World Cup rivalry. Baturina, who plays for Como 1907 in Serie A, took the chance from outside the box with the sort of clean contact that can punish any moment of hesitation, and for a brief stretch Croatia had England under real pressure.
England recovered to win 4-2, but the equaliser offered a sharper measure of where the side still stands in tournament conditions. If the opening goal suggested control, Baturina's response showed how quickly that control can be disrupted when the game opens up and the defensive line fails to close down space fast enough. For a team expecting to advance deep into the World Cup, that kind of lapse remains the warning sign.
Baturina's strike was also a personal breakthrough. Before this match he had 18 senior Croatia caps and one senior international goal, and Como's records listed him with six Serie A goals in the 2025-26 season, across 29 appearances, 17 starts and 1,569 minutes. At 23, he arrived in the United States with a reputation as an attacking midfielder capable of contributing from range, but the finish against England gave that profile a global stage.
For England, the lesson went beyond the scoreline. A lead against elite opposition still has to be protected with conviction, and Croatia's equaliser showed how a single strike can expose defensive uncertainty and test composure before a match settles again. England left with the victory, but Baturina's moment was the one that revealed the questions they still must answer about their World Cup readiness.
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