England thrash Croatia 7-0 in record-breaking Nations League victory

Croatia vs England

England recorded a 7-0 victory over Croatia in the UEFA Nations League Group A3 fixture, with goals from Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon, Bukayo Saka and Rogers completing a record-breaking win. [S1, S2, S11, S14-S16]

The result was described by SSN Football Correspondent Rob Dorsett as a statement victory for England, who dominated at the Stadion HNK Rijeka and could have won by an even wider margin. [S12-S14]

England take control from the start

England opened the scoring in the 8th minute when Kane fired home after being fed by Bellingham.

Bellingham then doubled the advantage in the 21st minute, finishing from Gordon’s assist.

Gordon added England’s third goal in the 39th minute, heading in Quansah’s right-wing cross.

Croatia had an opportunity to respond before half-time, but Kovacic missed an open goal in the 41st minute.

England continued to attack, and Bellingham set up Saka for the fourth goal in the 45th minute.

The sequence gave England a four-goal lead before the interval and reflected the attacking control described by Tuchel after the match. [S3-S4]

England head coach Thomas Tuchel told ITV Sport that his side had produced “a 90-minute performance on a high level from everyone, from the first minute to the last minute”.

He praised the contribution of the players who started the match as well as those who came off the bench.

“It was the highest level and congratulations to the team,” Tuchel said.

Kane and Saka add to Croatia’s problems

Kane scored his second goal in the 53rd minute after latching onto Anderson’s cross.

Saka then completed his own two-goal contribution in the 68th minute, when Stanisic’s error gifted England their sixth goal.

Rogers completed the scoring in the 87th minute after racing through to cap an “incredible win”.

Dorsett reported that Kane scored twice and also provided an assist, while Saka’s two goals represented a timely confidence boost for the Arsenal man.

He also credited Bellingham with a goal and a hat-trick of assists.

Gordon was described as having scored once and supplied one assist.

“Croatia were simply blown away, and England could have won by more,” Dorsett said in his assessment from the Stadion HNK Rijeka.

The seven-goal margin was also described as a result that did not flatter England.

“Seven-nil in Rijeka does not flatter them,” Dorsett said.

Tuchel praises the away performance

Tuchel placed particular emphasis on the fact that the performance came away from home.

“On an away pitch, very, very impressive,” he said.

He said England had created many chances and had been fluid from the start.

Tuchel recalled looking at the clock and thinking that the opening three minutes had gone well, before seeing that the same level had continued through the first seven minutes.

“It just never stopped,” he said.

According to Tuchel, England kept up the pace, played through the gaps and finished their opportunities clinically.

He also highlighted the team’s counter-pressing and defensive work after losing possession.

“We stayed hungry in our counter-pressing and defending so we did the basics right,” Tuchel said.

For the England manager, the attitude was central to the result.

“I loved the attitude,” he said. “We always played humble.”

Tuchel later repeated that England had consistently got the basics right, describing that as the reason for what he called a complete performance.

In comments reported by Al Jazeera, Tuchel similarly said the performance had been at the highest level from everyone and had lasted from the first minute to the last.

He again pointed to the away setting while discussing England’s 7-0 win over what the report described as a top-10 ranked nation.

Tuchel said England had been fluid from the start, had played through the gaps and had been very clinical. [S16-S17]

England’s pressing and movement

Midfielder Alex Scott said the result represented an ideal way for England to begin.

“No better feeling than starting to start with a win like that, it’s amazing,” Scott told ITV Sport.

He said the quality in the squad had been visible from the first minute.

Scott also praised England’s attacking players, describing the front line as “pretty deadly”.

“It was a great performance from everyone,” he said.

Scott referred to the defensive line and to his work with Elliot Anderson in midfield.

He said the pair had worked hard and had wanted to push Croatia as much as possible.

Scott identified intensity without the ball as one of England’s strengths.

“That’s what we’re best at, is being intense off the ball,” he said.

He specifically mentioned counter-pressing and England’s effort to get up to Croatia and apply pressure.

Scott said that high pressing, winning the ball back and being ruthless in the final four were important sources of England’s early goals.

The comments matched Dorsett’s description of an England side that won back possession, passed forward at every opportunity and finished ruthlessly.

Dorsett said that when England were “rampaging all over the pitch like this”, there was no better team in world football to watch.

He also described England as having cut through Croatia’s midfield and defence at will.

The report said Croatia’s midfield and defence had been unable to contain England’s attacking players.

Praise for Bellingham and the attack

Bellingham was central to the result, scoring once and providing three assists according to Dorsett’s report.

Saka said Bellingham had been outstanding and deserved to be named England’s player of the year.

“He probably deserves man of the match tonight as well,” Saka said.

Saka described Bellingham as special and said he was happy to play alongside him in the England team.

Scott also spoke highly of Bellingham’s potential.

“I think there’s still a lot more to come from him,” Scott said.

He added that Bellingham could become “one of the greatest players of all time”.

Scott said England’s attacking players were difficult for opponents to pick up because they could move into different positions.

He said all four could operate in different roles, including the No 10 pocket, the No 9 position, midfield or wider attacking areas.

“There’s freedom,” Scott said while describing that movement.

He said the flexibility made it difficult for the opposition to choose a player to track and press.

Scott also argued that England’s players were capable of covering in midfield or defence when possession was lost.

He praised the movement of Scott and Anderson, as well as the work of England’s centre-backs and full-backs.

“Every man was at the highest level,” he said.

Saka highlights England’s confidence

Saka, who scored twice, described the night as one in which England had played with high energy and spirit.

He said England had punished Croatia during the match.

Saka also praised Bellingham’s performance and said he had deserved England’s player of the year award.

He referred to Gordon as another player who was “on fire in an England shirt”.

“It is nice to have players like that around you,” Saka said.

The victory, he added, could have a major effect on England’s confidence.

“There are still three games left, but that will definitely give us a massive confidence,” Saka said.

His comments placed the result within the remaining Nations League schedule, with England still having three games left according to the report.

The match also prompted discussion about England’s front four and where they rank in the world game.

The coverage invited England supporters to give their views on the attacking unit and on whether captain Harry Kane should win this year’s Ballon d’Or.

A complete performance

Tuchel said England’s performance had been complete because the team had maintained its standards across the match. [S3-S4]

He said the players had created chances, played through gaps and remained clinical in front of goal. [S3-S4]

He also noted that there had been a brief spell after England went 3-0 up when the side made a big mistake and lost possession too easily.

Tuchel nevertheless considered the overall performance to have remained at a high level.

He said the standard had been delivered by everyone, from the first minute to the last and from the starting players to those introduced from the bench.

The manager’s account was supported by the scoring sequence, which saw England lead 4-0 by half-time and add three more goals after the break. [S14-S16]

Kane opened the scoring and later added the fifth. [S14-S15]

Bellingham scored the second and contributed to Kane’s first goal and Saka’s first goal. [S14-S15]

Gordon scored the third and assisted Bellingham’s goal. [S13-S14]

Saka scored twice, while Rogers added the seventh goal late in the match. [S13, S15-S16]

The result was therefore built through multiple contributors rather than a single scoring source. [S13-S16]

Dorsett described the performance as a marker of what England were capable of.

Tuchel’s own assessment was similarly emphatic: England had been impressive away from home, had created numerous chances and had combined attacking fluidity with pressing, defending and humility. [S3-S4]

For England, the 7-0 result provided a major confidence boost with three Nations League games still remaining.

For Croatia, the scoreline reflected a match in which England’s pressure, movement and finishing repeatedly opened the way to goal. [S12-S15]

England’s record-breaking night ended with seven goals, a clean-sheet scoreline and strong praise from the manager and players for the team’s work with and without the ball. [S2-S10, S14-S16]