England delivered a dismantling defeat against Croatia on Saturday, securing a historic 7-0 victory in Rijeka during their Nations League clash. The match saw Jude Bellingham star for the visitors, playing the entirety of the fixture and recording one goal alongside three assists. The Three Lions, managed by Thomas Tuchel, continued to demonstrate their status among the global elite after previously rebounding with a 2-0 win in the Czech Republic following an initial 3-2 defeat against world champions Spain.
The visiting side built an overwhelming advantage during the first half alone. Kane opened the scoring in the 8th minute from Bellingham’s pass, before Bellingham himself intercepted a ball in the small area to score England’s second in the 21st minute. Gordon added a third before halftime, and Saka netted the fourth in the 45th minute, once again assisted by Bellingham. After the interval, Kane extended the lead with his second goal in the 53rd minute, Saka completed his own brace in the 68th minute, and Rogers finalized the 0-7 scoreline in the closing stages following another assist from the Real Madrid midfielder.
Croatia Suffers Heaviest Defeat in National Team History
The 7-0 scoreline marks the heaviest defeat in the history of the Croatian national team, eclipsing a previous 6-0 loss conceded to Spain in 2018. Croatia, positioned at the twilight of an exceptional generation that includes Ivan Perisic, entered the fixture following a 2-1 away win in the Czech Republic and a subsequent 1-4 loss to Spain. Occupying third place in Group 3 of Nations League A, the Checkered team faced a severe mismatch against England’s formidable squad.
Luka Modric, the country’s most capped player and Milan AC midfielder, did not hide his dismay in the mixed zone following the disaster. Il est difficile de trouver une explication à une telle performance, sans duels, sans fautes, sans agressivité, sans cohésion…
The 2018 Ballon d’or winner added that the manner of the defeat jeopardized the reputation built over years of effort, stating that the team appeared to be playing with four or five players down.
Looking Ahead to Split
Despite the catastrophe, Modric urged his teammates to avoid pointing fingers and to stay united rather than searching for individual culprits. The captain emphasized that the squad must issue an apology and hope for supporters to remain by their side.
Time for recovery is minimal, as Croatia must now host Spain in Split on Tuesday. The Spanish world champions maintain a flawless record in the tournament thus far, having defeated Croatia 4-1 in their previous meeting. Whether the Croatian squad can muster the combative spirit, pride, and solidarity demanded by their captain to answer this humiliation against the group leaders remains the pressing question.
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