Marcus Rashford scored his first goal of the 2026 World Cup after replacing Anthony Gordon as England beat Croatia 4-2, giving Barcelona a neat early tournament storyline through two of their English forwards.
Barcelona’s official matchday-one round-up said Rashford came on after 72 minutes, taking Gordon’s place with England leading 3-2. The forward then sealed the result in the 85th minute, cutting back to beat his defender before curling beyond Dominik Livakovic, according to FC Barcelona’s own update.
The club also noted that England were one of only two national sides featuring Barcelona players to win their opening group game, alongside France, who had Jules Kounde involved in a 3-1 victory over Senegal.
Rashford gives Barcelona the early scoring note
For Barcelona, the key detail is not just England’s win. Rashford is currently the only one of the 16 Barcelona players called up for the tournament to have scored, while Gordon started the same match before making way.
That gives Hansi Flick’s squad a positive attacking thread before England’s next group test against Ghana on 23 June. Rashford’s finish underlined his ability to affect games from the bench, while Gordon’s start showed that Barcelona have two forward options already trusted on the World Cup stage. For supporters, it is an early tournament note with direct club relevance.
