KANSAS CITY, Missouri, June 18 (Reuters) - By the time the Daily Star had crowned them the "Dallas Wow Boys", England had already lived up to their World Cup billing, and it was a few pointed words at halftime from Thomas Tuchel that helped turn promise into something far more emphatic.
"Even if we lose, we do it our way," the England manager told his players with the game 2-2 against Croatia, a contest that had threatened to drift into the uncertainty that has so often held England back at major tournaments.
What followed in the second half of England's thrilling 4-2 victory at AT&T Stadium -- normally home to the NFL's Dallas Cowboys -- was less a tactical tweak than a shift in mindset.
It resulted in one of the most decisive results of the World Cup so far.
Players described a speech that urged them to unshackle themselves, to accept risk, to lean into the intensity Tuchel had promised since taking the job.
"He told us to take the shackles off, calm down and go," captain Harry Kane said. "What's the worst that can happen?"
The effect was immediate. England, so often associated with structure over spontaneity in recent tournaments, emerged for the second half with a new clarity and aggression.
The tempo lifted, pressing sharpened, and the attacking play became fluid rather than staccato.
By the end, four goals and a statement victory had followed, a performance as notable for its intent as its execution.
It also underlined a philosophical shift. Under Tuchel, England appear willing to embrace uncertainty rather than guard against it. Where previous iterations of the side prized control above all, this team looked liberated, ready to impose themselves rather than contain.
HEY JUDE
Jude Bellingham, who was a topic of pre-game conversation with some saying Morgan Rogers should start over the Real Madrid man, scored England's decisive goal, and appeared to fight back tears when the thousands of England fans belted out The Beatles song "Hey Jude" after the final whistle.
"For me personally, it was nice to put some of the noise aside and just show my country and my team-mates how committed I am to help us try to win football matches," the 22-year-old told the BBC.
England's final two group games are against Ghana on Tuesday followed by Panama four days later, which on paper at least should provide less of a challenge than Croatia did, giving Tuchel a chance to rotate some players.
There were injury concerns on Wednesday around midfielder Declan Rice, who limped off in the second half.
"I'm good as gold," Rice, whose pinpoint corner kick in the first half led to Kane's second goal, told ITV.
"It's just what I've been nursing in the second-half of the season with Arsenal, little neural pains here and there.
"But it was just a precaution and I'll be back out there against Ghana."
There are, of course, caveats to England's resounding win. It is one game, one half even, and tournaments are rarely won on early flourishes alone.
But the mood around England seems to have shifted, the "Wow Boys" perhaps rediscovering a sense of freedom on the biggest stage.
Whether that approach proves sustainable against stronger opposition remains to be seen. What is clear is that, on a sweltering night in Arlington, Texas, a few simple halftime words helped unlock a performance England had long been waiting to see, and perhaps pointed toward what this World Cup campaign could yet become.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Toby Chopra)
