England delivered one of their most emphatic away victories by defeating Croatia 7-0 in Rijeka, handing their opponents the heaviest single-match defeat in their history.
Thomas Tuchel’s side overwhelmed a Croatia team led by Luka Modric, with Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka scoring twice each. Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon and Morgan Rogers were also on target in a result that significantly strengthens England’s position in Nations League Group A3.
England made their dominance count after only eight minutes. Kane burst through the Croatia defence and finished high into the roof of the net after being supplied by Bellingham.
Gordon was denied in a one-on-one soon afterwards, but England doubled their advantage in the 21st minute. His creativity helped create the opening for Bellingham, who finished to put the visitors firmly in control.
Gordon continued to pose a threat and added the third in the 39th minute, heading in a superb cross from Jarell Quansah. Quansah’s inclusion ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold had attracted some attention before kick-off, but the Bayer Leverkusen defender justified his selection with an important contribution.
Bellingham then turned provider again, setting up Saka for England’s fourth just before half-time. Croatia had one opportunity to respond when Mateo Kovacic missed an almost open goal, but England’s four-goal lead accurately reflected their superiority.
The 100 away supporters permitted inside the stadium witnessed a memorable first half, while Croatia’s players struggled to cope with England’s speed, strength and technical quality.
Croatia showed greater aggression after the interval, but England soon produced another excellent team move. Elliot Anderson’s cross found Kane, who stretched to score his second and make it 5-0 in the 53rd minute.
Saka claimed his second in the 69th minute after Kane created the chance, before Rogers completed the scoring three minutes from time. Gordon, Kane and Alex Scott were substituted in the 70th minute, with Eberechi Eze and Garner among those introduced. Scott had started for England for the first time.
Croatia’s Franjo Ivanovic went down in the penalty area in the 83rd minute, but the referee waved play on. Nikola Vlasic later struck the side netting, while Croatia had earlier seen Martin Matanovic shoot wide and Modric leave the field in the 56th minute.
The result provides a major boost for Tuchel after the opening defeat by Spain and a narrow win over a Czech Republic side reduced to 10 men. England’s Nations League sequence concludes with a home match against Czech Republic on Tuesday.
Spain, the World Cup winners, currently have a perfect record, meaning qualification for the last eight in the spring could be highly competitive. This victory, however, takes England a significant step closer to securing a place in the knockout stage.
