With the international break extending into round 3 of the Nations League games, England faced off on Saturday against a side they’ve seen several times in major tournaments in recent years, including this summer with the World Cup group stage.

While England have been victorious in their last 3 meetings against Croatia, this one got off to the perfect start in the 8th minute with Kane’s opener, and didn’t relent for the full 90 minutes as England bagged a historic result on Croatian soil and laid down a marker. While some may criticise the opposition for not being up to much, it’s hard to look past beating the #13th ranked side in the world 7-0 on their own turf.

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Teams

Croatia: Livakovic, Perisic, Gvardiol, Vuskovic, Stanisic (Sutalo 76′), Modric (Jakic 56′), Baturina (Pasalic 46′), Kovacic, Sucic (Vlasic 46′), Ivanovic, Musa (Matanovic 46′)

Subs: Kotarski, Pandur, Smolcic, Kramaric, Misic, Sucic, Pasalic

England: Pickford, Hall (Lewis-Skelly 79′), Guehi, Konsa, Quansah, Scott (Eze 69′), Anderson (Gibbs-White 79′), Gordon (Garner 69′), Bellingham, Saka, Kane (Rogers 69′)

Subs: Trafford, Steele, Branthwaite, Trent, Chalobah, Calvert-Lewin, Ngumoha

Croatia 0-7 England

England produced a breathtaking display in Rijeka on Saturday night, sweeping aside Croatia 7-0 to record their biggest-ever victory in the UEFA Nations League and one of the most emphatic away wins in their history. Thomas Tuchel’s side were on the front foot from the first whistle, with Jude Bellingham pulling the strings behind a dangerous front three of Harry Kane, Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka. Kane opened the scoring after just eight minutes, racing onto Bellingham’s perfectly weighted pass before firing high into the net. Croatia struggled to cope with England’s pace and movement, and the pressure told again in the 21st minute when Bellingham reacted sharply to Gordon’s cross to make it 2-0.

There was no let-up as England continued to attack with confidence and purpose. Gordon added a third in the 39th minute, heading home Jarell Quansah’s excellent cross, before Saka completed a devastating first half by steering the ball home after another clever Bellingham pass. Four goals in 45 minutes told only part of the story: England had created chances almost at will, pressed aggressively whenever Croatia tried to build and moved the ball with a fluency that left the hosts looking increasingly ragged. Croatia did have a chance to reduce the deficit when Mateo Kovačić missed a glorious opportunity, but England were already in complete command by the interval.

If Croatia had hoped for a response after the restart, it never arrived. England resumed exactly where they had left off and extended their lead in the 53rd minute, Kane sliding in to finish a crisp move involving Elliot Anderson. Saka then struck again in the 68th minute, capitalising on a Croatian defensive error and powering the ball into the net for his second of the night. The performance was about far more than the goals, though. Alex Scott impressed on his first England start, while Bellingham was outstanding throughout, finishing with one goal and three assists as England repeatedly found gaps between and behind the Croatian defence. The visitors’ intensity and willingness to keep attacking made the scoreline feel entirely justified.

Morgan Rogers completed the rout three minutes from time, racing through before calmly rounding Dominik Livaković and slotting into an empty net. The final whistle confirmed a remarkable 7-0 triumph, Croatia’s heaviest defeat in their history, and a statement victory for Tuchel’s England. Kane and Saka both finished with braces, Bellingham produced one of his finest international performances, and the whole side played with an attacking freedom that will have delighted the manager. England now have six points from three Nations League matches, with Spain still leading Group A3, but after such a commanding night in Croatia, the Three Lions have given themselves considerable momentum and plenty for supporters to feel optimistic about.

Talking Points

We have to start with the relentless manner of victory from England. While they have struggled with criticism post World Cup due to the team sitting back on a 1 goal lead, and then putting in some decent performances against Spain and Czechia in the last week, this one showed a huge gulf in quality, as England sensed the opponents were off the mark and didn’t let up as they left the opposition with the biggest defeat in their history, and a huge sign to teams across Europe and the wider football world that England are a threat to anyone.

Individual performances feel like a side-plot to this victory as every single player performed in their role to near perfection, but Jude Bellingham had one of those games where it feels like he can become the very best. In punditry, Roy Keane sung his praise as possibly becoming the very best in the world and that doesn’t seem far off with performances like this. With his 3 assists, a goal for himself, creating the most chances (8), having the most touches (108) and completing the joint-most dribbles (4), it was the literal definition of a top performance from a player who can lead this England team for many years to come.

Finally, this game does have a few caveats that will be in people’s minds about the result. Firstly, the odd crowd filled with Children and young people as a result of the recent sanction given to Croatia, this gave the game an odd atmosphere from the start, but largely saved the home side from a hammering from their own support. The hosts themselves were completely off the boil, with several misplaced passes giving England key opportunities, and terrible positioning at key points. With Slaven Bilic coming back in post World Cup, this job may be a huge task for Croatia in the coming years. Ultimately however, England didn’t let up in their efforts despite all of these things in their favour, and while Croatia were underwhelming, it’s fair to say England made them pay.