In front of a stadium filled largely by Croatian children, England turned a Nations League night in Rijeka into a record-breaking rout. Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka each struck twice as Thomas Tuchel’s side overwhelmed Croatia 7-0 in League A Group 3.
Quick facts
- England beat Croatia 7-0 at Stadion HNK Rijeka in their third League A Group 3 match.
- Harry Kane moved to 89 England goals with a first-half and second-half double.
- Bukayo Saka also scored twice, while Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon and Morgan Rogers provided the other goals.
- The result surpassed Croatia’s previous heaviest defeat: a 6-0 loss to Spain in 2018.
- Jordan Pickford returned in goal and faced only one shot on target.
About 5,000 Croatian children under 14 were admitted to the ground after home supporters were barred following crowd trouble during Croatia’s 2-0 Nations League quarter-final first-leg win over France in 2025. A small travelling English contingent, numbering around 100, watched the visitors dismantle the home side.
Kane opened the scoring in the eighth minute, arriving in the area to convert Jude Bellingham’s pass. It was his 88th international goal, and England had quickly exposed a Croatia team unable to live with their attacking speed.
Bellingham doubled the advantage after 21 minutes, meeting Anthony Gordon’s cut-back. Gordon had already been denied on several occasions by Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, his Barcelona team-mate, before eventually finding his goal.
Jarell Quansah, selected at right-back ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold, delivered the cross for Gordon’s diving header in the 39th minute. England’s four-man attacking unit had left Croatia stretched and Luka Modric, now 41, was among those unable to slow the game.
Saka made it 4-0 shortly before half-time, finishing from Bellingham’s delivery. Croatia’s difficult evening continued before the break when Mateo Kovacic rounded Pickford but missed the target.
Kane claimed his second goal in the 53rd minute, turning in Elliot Anderson’s cross to take his England tally to 89. Saka then completed his own double on 68 minutes, capitalising on a poor Croatia clearance after Kane had supplied the final pass.
Morgan Rogers replaced Kane two minutes later and added the seventh. Exploiting a badly set Croatian defensive line, he rounded Livakovic with ease to complete England’s biggest statement of the group campaign.
For Pickford, restored by Tuchel after Leeds goalkeeper James Trafford started the opening two Nations League defeats against Spain, 3-2, and the Czech Republic, 2-1, it was a largely quiet return. The Everton goalkeeper came out well to deny Ivan Perisic in the 14th minute and dealt with another Perisic delivery later in the half.
Pickford was occasionally untidy in possession, but Croatia managed only one effort on target. By the final whistle, their 2018 6-0 defeat in Spain was no longer the darkest scoreline in their history.
