England thrash Croatia 7-0 in Nations League

England won their Nations League match against Croatia 7-0 in Rijeka, producing a performance to remember. Thomas Tuchel’s side overwhelmed their opponents and handed Croatia the heaviest defeat in its history. Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka scored two goals apiece in a superb collective display. England were on the front foot from the start.

Croatia, led by Luka Modrić, appeared unable to match England’s pace, power and technical quality. Alex Scott started for the first time. Mateo Kovačić missed a clear chance, but the scoreline was not considered flattering to England. The victory moves England closer to a place in the Nations League quarter-finals in the spring, with World Cup winners Spain currently boasting a perfect record and potentially leaving only limited qualification places available.

Before the break, Bellingham set up Bukayo Saka for the fourth goal, leaving Slaven Bilić looking stunned. Saka later capitalised on an error to score the sixth, before Morgan Rogers completed the rout late on.

The England captain moved to within one cap of Peter Shilton’s record. Kane, meanwhile, scored in each of England’s last three matches during this Nations League break. Last season, he scored 73 goals for club and country in all competitions. He has also scored in each of his last six away appearances for England. He will need to score away to Spain next month to match that achievement.

The win came after an opening defeat to Spain and a victory over a Czech side reduced to 10 men, a return that had not been enough. Tuchel needed a strong showing during this four-match Nations League run, which concludes with a home game against the Czech Republic on Tuesday.