Bukayo Saka said England’s 7-0 victory away to Croatia in the UEFA Nations League group stage was an “extremely memorable night” after scoring twice in a dominant display.
Speaking to ITV, Saka praised England’s intensity, teamwork and finishing as the visitors produced a performance full of attacking pressure from the opening minute.
“We showed great competitive form from the first minute, dominated the pitch completely and played at the highest level,” said Saka. “We displayed energy, fighting spirit and teamwork, and decisively punished our opponents in front of goal.”
England’s four attackers all found the net, with their movement and positional interchanges creating repeated problems for Croatia. Saka said the understanding between the forward players had been a major feature of the performance.
“That kind of chemistry is special, and playing this type of football is enjoyable,” he said. “We injected energy into the game and were very efficient in front of goal. That clinical finishing made the crucial difference and widened the scoreline.”
Saka’s two goals added to an impressive individual contribution and gave him further reason to celebrate a memorable international evening.
“Scoring two goals for England always feels great, so I’m very happy with tonight’s performance and goals,” he said.
The Arsenal forward also highlighted the mentality England had shown throughout the match, saying the team had combined its desire to win with the quality available in the squad.
“Tonight we fully demonstrated our hunger for victory, our passion and the quality our team possesses,” Saka said. “Our overall performance perfectly combined all the elements we’ve been pursuing as England, so it’s very satisfying.”
England’s strong finish was also important to Saka, who said maintaining momentum until the final stages was a key objective.
“Finishing with the strongest possible momentum in the closing stages is always what you want,” he added.
Saka reserved particular praise for Jude Bellingham, who had recently won England’s Player of the Year award. Bellingham was also named Player of the Match for his display against Croatia.
“Honestly, his performance tonight was simply amazing and truly world-class,” said Saka. “He fully deserves the Player of the Year award, and his display tonight deserved the Player of the Match award as well.”
Saka said he felt fortunate to play alongside Bellingham for England, while also praising Anthony Gordon for producing one of his best performances for the national side.
“He’s another player in extremely hot form and absolutely on fire in an England shirt,” Saka said of Gordon. “Having such in-form teammates delivering this high-level performance tonight feels truly great.”
The result gives England a significant boost in their pursuit of a place in the finals, although Saka noted that three matches remain.
“Tonight’s victory and excellent performance will give us an enormous boost in confidence and team momentum,” he said.
