By SCM Sports Desk I Saturday, October 3, 2026
THOMAS TUCHEL’S ruthless Three Lions roared into the history books on Saturday night, delivering an astounding 7-0 UEFA Nations League thrashing to Croatia at the Stadion HNK Rijeka.
It was an absolute demolition job that dished out Croatia’s heaviest defeat in their footballing history, as England’s frontline superstar alliance ripped Luka Modrić and his Shell-shocked teammates into microscopic shreds.
The visitors were unstoppable from the opening whistle. Jude Bellingham ran the show in midfield with a majestic maestro display, bagging a goal and serving up three sensational assists.
Up front, skipper Harry Kane and Arsenal sensation Bukayo Saka bagged two goals each, while Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon and substitute Morgan Rogers joined the goalscoring fiesta to crown an unforgettable night on the Adriatic coast.
England needed just eight minutes to ignite the scoreboard.
Bellingham carved open the home defense with a razor-sharp threaded pass, allowing Kane to glide in and slot a cool finish past Dominik Livaković. In the 21st minute, Real Madrid icon Bellingham turned from provider to executioner, ghosting into the box to double the lead.
The avalanche kept rolling before halftime. Gordon met a floating cross to head home England’s third in the 39th minute, before Saka drove a bullet finish into the net on the stroke of stoppage time to send the Three Lions into the break cruising at 4-0.
Croatia boss Zlatko Dalić threw on three substitutes at the break, but it made zero difference to the onslaught. Kane notched his second of the night and his 88th international career goal in the 53rd minute, sliding in to finish another sweeping attack.
Saka then capitalized on a catastrophic Croatian defensive mix-up in the 68th minute, tucking away Kane’s setup to complete his brace. With three minutes remaining in regulation time, Aston Villa midfielder Rogers hammered home the seventh goal from inside the penalty area to seal an utterly absurd scoreline.
The underlying match data painted a brutal picture of England’s absolute dominance in Rijeka. The Three Lions commanded fifty-eight percent of match possession, keeping the ball for long stretches and completing six hundred and sixty-seven of their seven hundred and nine attempted passes for an exceptional ninety-four percent passing accuracy.
In contrast, Croatia managed only two hundred and eighty-one accurate passes from three hundred and twenty-three attempts, registering an eighty-six percent success rate while chasing shadows across forty-two percent of ball possession.
England fired sixteen total shots, sending nine directly on target, forcing two saves from Livaković, seeing five blocked, and missing the target on five occasions. Croatia mustered ten total attempts, but only one hit the target—easily saved by Jordan Pickford.
The home side saw four shots miss off target and five blocked by a resilient England defense.
England earned six corner kicks to Croatia’s single corner.
The physical battle was equally one-sided. Croatia committed ten fouls and saw Mateo Kovačić shown a yellow card in the sixty-eighth minute, whereas England committed six fouls and picked up zero bookings.
England registered seven interceptions, five clearances, and five blocks, while winning four out of six total tackles for a sixty-six percent tackle success rate. Croatia were forced into thirty-four clearances and five interceptions, winning six of eight total tackles for a seventy-five percent tackle rate.
England now march on in Nations League Group C with six points from three games, brimming with ultimate confidence after a night where their brightest stars shone hotter than ever.
