England thrashed Croatia 7-0 at the HNK Rijeka Stadium on Saturday evening, a result that leaves both sides level on three points in League A of the UEFA Nations League. The visitors arrived with a mixed recent record — a heavy defeat to Spain followed by victories — but showed no signs of nervousness. England's attack moved with a fluidity that made Croatia's back line look as though they were chasing shadows from the first whistle.
Harry Kane opened the scoring after eight minutes, finding space in the box and finishing clinically. And here's the thing — you could see the shift in Croatia's approach immediately, a hesitation that spread through their midfield. Kane struck again in the 53rd minute, this time with a header that left the goalkeeper rooted to his line. The Croatian substitutes came on at the break, Petar Musa, Petar Sučić and Martin Baturina, but the damage was already done.
Jude Bellingham added a second in the 21st minute, Anthony Gordon scored in the 39th, and Bukayo Saka made it four before the interval. By then, Croatia had already made three changes, but Luka Modrić's introduction in the 57th minute could not arrest the momentum. Saka doubled his tally in the 68th minute, and Morgan Rogers completed the scoring in the 87th minute. Mateo Kovačić picked up a yellow card in the same minute, a late acknowledgement of frustration.
The statistics tell the story without embellishment. England held 64 per cent possession, made 131 attacks to Croatia's 84, and created 11 big chances compared to just one for the hosts. Croatia managed only one shot on target from six attempts inside the penalty area, while England registered ten shots on target from 16 attempts. The expected goals figure of 6.14 for England versus 1.35 for Croatia reflects what was visible on the pitch.
We had called for an England victory with 47 per cent confidence before the match, and the result vindicated that assessment. It was not merely a matter of quality, but of execution — England moved the ball with purpose, found the spaces Croatia left open, and punished every hesitation. The hosts, sitting third with two games played, now face a difficult path in this group.
England remain second in the table, also on three points from two matches, but with a goal difference that separates them from their rivals. The victory extends a run of away performances that have been mixed but are now showing a pattern of improvement. Croatia, meanwhile, have lost two of three and must respond if they are to salvage anything from this campaign.
