England thrashed Croatia 7-0 in a Nations League match, marking Croatia's heaviest defeat ever and exceeding their previous home game record for conceded goals. Key scorers included Bukayo Saka with two goals and an assist, Harry Kane also scoring twice, and Jude Bellingham contributing one goal and three assists. The performance highlighted England’s dominance particularly in midfield, where younger players Alex Scott and Elliot Anderson outplayed more experienced Croatian counterparts Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-03,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On Saturday, October 3, the UEFA Nations League match between Croatia and England took place at the Rujevica Stadium in Rijeka, Croatia, starting at 6pm local time (16:00 GMT). The game was behind closed doors due to a stadium ban imposed on Croatia by UEFA for fan misconduct during a previous match against France. Despite this, around 6,000 children were allowed to attend the match.
England, coached by Thomas Tuchel, fielded a strong lineup with Jordan Pickford in goal and players like Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, and Morgan Rogers in key positions. England dominated the game, securing a 7-0 victory over Croatia, which lifted them to second place in League A3.
England's performance was marked by stellar contributions from multiple players: Jude Bellingham scored one goal and assisted three others, while Bukayo Saka netted two goals and narrowly missed completing a hat-trick. Despite limited action for the hosts due to their ban, England showcased their strength and cohesion under Tuchel's guidance.
Written for “Croatia vs England Nations League” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 16 other(s) covering the same event.
The most goals Croatia had conceded in any previous home match was four.
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Croatia → concede → match
England had five after 53 minutes and ploughed on, winning 7-0 in a ruthless Nations League victory that marks the Croatians’ heaviest-ever defeat.
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that → have → defeat
In front of 100 “hardcore” England fans and 6,200 Croatian schoolchildren in a match officially played “behind closed doors” due to a UEFA sanction against their hosts, all four members of England’s scintillating front four scored in the first half, and there were a further three strikes to come after the interval.
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members → play → interval
Barnstorming win against big rivals
It was England’s tenth game against Croatia since 2004 and their sixth since 2018, and this meeting brought more familiar foes than some of those fixtures - Bilic back in charge, having twice beaten Steve McClaren’s England and twice lost to Fabio Capello’s England before 2010.
The Three Lions had no time for sentimentality.
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Lions → bring → sentimentality
They made Croatia look like “a Gibraltar-type team”, Roy Keane said on punditry for ITV after the game.
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Keane → make → game
It was hard to disagree.
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It → disagree → ?
Croatia were so poor, making horrific errors that culminated in Josip Stanisic’s awful square ball right into Bukayo Saka to score.
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that → make → Saka
It was their finest performance under Tuchel and a show of the attacking quality they have to rival the very best teams in the world.
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they → have → world
Saka scored twice, Harry Kane also helped himself to a brace, and Jude Bellingham tallied a goal and three assists.
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Bellingham → score → goal
The Real Madrid star was comfortably the best player on the pitch and keeps finding a new highest level to top his last.
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star → find → last
Anthony Gordon, with a smart header, and late substitute Morgan Rogers, with a skilful solo counter-attack, also found the net in a sensational victory.
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Gordon → find → victory
On paper, it looked a mismatch in midfield.
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it → look → midfield
Elliot Anderson and - on his second cap and first start - Alex Scott had just 20 caps between them.
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Anderson → have → them
The midfield they were up against of Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic had 323, by sharp contrast.
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they → have → contrast
But men against boys it was not, and if anything it was England’s double pivot that gave Croatia’s a lesson in control, counter-pressing and how to run a game from the middle of the park.
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that → give → park
“It was hard work in midfield,” said Scott, “But that’s what we’re best at: being intense.”
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we → say → what
Scott skipped past Kovacic for the opener, scored by Kane, and Anderson was electric, bombing forward to assist Kane’s second goal but also giving Croatia no time on the ball.
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Anderson → skip → ball
A fantastic pass to the wily Ivan Perisic from outside of the boot was the extent of Modric’s threat going forward.
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pass → go → threat
For what felt like the first time, he truly looked like a player in his 40s.
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he → feel → 40s
Saka stars at just the right time
Coming into the game, it felt an important evening for Bukayo Saka and a match in which he needed to show something extra-special.
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he → star → -
The Arsenal man had been a frustrating watch four days earlier against the Czech Republic and put in one of England’s most disappointing individual performances in Prague.
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man → put → Prague
Saka regularly made shrewd decisions as England purred on the Adriatic.
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England → make → Adriatic
The second goal of the game was scored by Bellingham and assisted by Gordon but owed so much to the glance up and gliding ball that Saka played over the top for the Barcelona winger to pluck from the sky and deliver to Bellingham.
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winger → score → Bellingham
Right on half time, Saka was in the right place to convert from close range from a Bellingham cross and he obliged after the interval as Kane unselfishly laid off.
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Kane → convert → interval
Read More
It could and should have even been a hat trick and a 20th international goal for the 25-year-old when Bellingham drove the ball across the danger area.
uncertain
Bellingham → read → area
Saka got it all wrong, slashing over from very close range.
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it → get → range
Luckily it mattered not, in part because of his own fine work earlier in the game.
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it → matter → game
He reminded Tuchel why he is England’s clear first-choice on the right flank, on a night when England reminded us why they are one of the very best teams around.
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they → remind → teams
The Aporia
