England produced a dominant performance that will live long in the memory to defeat Croatia 7-0 in their Nations League tie in Rijeka.
In what must surely rank as one of England’s best away results, Thomas Tuchel’s side utterly overwhelmed their opponents. Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka scored two each but it was a stunning team performance that inflicted Croatia’s biggest defeat.
The skipper opened the scoring by firing high into the roof of the net early on after being well fed by Jude Bellingham before Anthony Gordon’s ingenuity engineered the second for Bellingham to score himself soon after. England were rampant from the outset.
Anthony Gordon heads in England’s third goal of a dominant win
The excellent Gordon had chances of his own before making it three. There had been some disquiet that Jarell Quansah had been preferred to Trent Alexander-Arnold but the Bayer Leverkusen man whipped in a quality cross for the Barcelona winger to nod in a third.
When Bellingham set up Bukayo Saka for the fourth before the break, Slaven Bilic looked shocked. Although Mateo Kovacic did miss a sitter, the score did not flatter England. It was an ‘I-was-there moment’ for the 100 away fans allowed in the stadium.
Croatia tried to be more aggressive after the break but a sensational team goal underlined England’s superiority as Kane latched onto Elliot Anderson’s cross to make it five. Saka soon latched onto an error for the sixth and Morgan Rogers capped it off late on.
Harry Kane slides in to score England’s fifth goal
Tuchel needed a strong showing during this quartet of Nations League games that concludes with a home game against the Czech Republic on Tuesday. The opening defeat to Spain followed by a win over a Czech side reduced to 10 men was insufficient.
This was as convincing as it gets against a Croatia team, led by Luka Modric, that looked unable to compete with the speed, strength and skill of an England side that included Alex Scott from the start for the first time. This was a significant win in Group A3 too.
With World Cup winners Spain currently boasting the perfect record, there is likely to be only more space available to qualify for the last eight of the Nations League in the spring. This win goes some way to securing that spot for England. A big boost for Tuchel.
The key moments from Stadion HNK Rijeka
8 – GOAL! Kane fired home after being fed by Bellingham
21 – GOAL! Bellingham made it two from Gordon’s assist
39 – GOAL! Gordon headed in Quansah’s right-wing cross
41 – HOWLER! Kovacic missed an open goal for Croatia
45 – GOAL! Bellingham set up Saka for England’s fourth
53 – GOAL! Kane latched onto Anderson’s cross to score
68 – GOAL! Stanisic’s error gifted Saka England’s sixth goal
87 – GOAL! Rogers raced through to cap off incredible win
Tuchel: It was a complete performance
England head coach Thomas Tuchel speaking to ITV Sport:
“Maybe there were three minutes after 3-0 where we had a big mistake and some easy ball losses but that was a 90-minute performance on a high level from everyone, from the first minute to the last minute, from everyone who started to everyone who came off the bench. It was the highest level and congratulations to the team.
“On an away pitch, very, very impressive. We created so many chances. We were so fluid from the start. I remember looking at the clock and thinking, wow, this has been a good first three minutes and then I looked again and it was a good first seven minutes and it just never stopped.
“We just kept the pace up, played through the gaps and were very, very clinical. We stayed hungry in our counter-pressing and defending so we did the basics right. I loved the attitude. We always played humble. We always got the basics right and that is why it was a complete performance.”
Keane: Bellingham can become a great
Roy Keane speaking on ITV:
“Everything you would want. A complete performance in possession. Goal threat. Scored the seven goals. Kept a clean sheet. Hunting in packs when they lost the ball.
“England were clinical as well. Excellent. All the plaudits have to go to England. They were fantastic.
“Bellingham can go on to become one of the greatest players of all time. There’s still a lot more to come from him. He’s a huge leader for England.”
More history for Kane
On the day that the England captain moved within one cap of Peter Shilton’s record, Kane scored for the third consecutive game in this Nations League break. With six goals in his last five games for Bayern Munich too, his relentlessness really is remarkable.
Fresh from scoring 73 goals all competitions for club and country last season, Kane has now netted in each of his last six away appearances for his country, with only three men previously having scored in that many consecutive away matches for the Three Lions.
The most recent of those was Stan Mortensen in 1948 and the only man to score in seven matches in a row is Tom Finney. Kane will need to score away from home against Spain next month to match that particular feat. On this form, do not rule that out.
Harry Kane celebrates scoring England’s first against Croatia in the Nations League
‘No better team in world football to watch’
Sky Sports News’ Rob Dorsett at the Stadion HNK Rijeka:
“England sank Croatia without a trace on the Adriatic coast, with the Good Ship Tuchel now full steam ahead after the World Cup supporter mutiny.
“No one could have predicted a performance of this utter dominance against the team ranked 14 in the world.
“England cut through a woeful Croatia midfield and defence at will, like a red hot knife carves through softened butter, and Tuchel’s front men had a field day.
“Two goals for Captain Kane with an assist to boot. Two goals for Saka, which will have been a timely confidence-boost for the Arsenal man. There was a goal and a hat-trick of assists for the irrepressible Jude Bellingham, alongside a goal and an assist for the equally magnificent Anthony Gordon.
“Croatia were simply blown away, and England could have won by more.
“When England are rampaging all over the pitch like this, wining back possession when they have no right to do so, passing forward at every opportunity and finishing ruthlessly, there is no better team in world football to watch.
“Seven-nil in Rijeka does not flatter them. This was a statement victory, and a marker of what they are capable of.”
England’s upcoming Nations League Group A3 fixtures
- Tuesday October 6: Czech Republic (H), kick-off 7.45pm
- Thursday November 12: Croatia (H), kick-off 7.45pm
- Sunday November 15: Spain (A), kick-off 7.45pm