England absolutely bulldozed Croatia 7-0 on the road in the Nations League on Saturday, a performance that just never let up from the whistle. Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka each bagged two goals, with Anthony Gordon, Jude Bellingham, and substitute Morgan Rogers all finding the back of the net to complete the rout in Rijeka.
Kane Extends His Record as Attack Runs Wild
The English attack was just relentless, opening the scoring in the eighth minute when Ballon d’Or contender Kane controlled a pass from Bellingham with the outside of his right foot, then curled it perfectly into the top left corner. Bellingham himself poked in Gordon’s cross midway through the first half, showing off that incredible link-up play. Gordon then stooped to head in Jarell Quansah’s right-wing cross, and Saka side-footed England’s fourth goal right before halftime. England coach Thomas Tuchel was clearly stoked, saying, “It was very impressive, and we created so many chances. In the first 40 minutes we were so fluid right from the start. It just never stopped. We just kept the pace up and played through the gaps. We were very, very clinical.” Kane’s first goal also pushed his national record to a staggering 89 international goals.
Croatia’s Defense Just Couldn’t Keep Up
After the break, it was more of the same. Croatia’s defense got sliced open again on a quick break, and Elliot Anderson curled in a cross from the right that Kane slid into at the back post for a classic poacher’s finish. Kane summed it up perfectly: “We’re at our best when we’re free, when we’re physically just overpowering. They couldn’t live with our pace, our movement, our runs.” Croatia’s bad defending continued, failing to clear the ball, which ended up at Kane’s feet, and he gifted Saka his second goal in the 68th minute. Rogers then wrapped things up, controlling Bellingham’s pass with his heel and slotting it in from an angle. This massive 7-0 victory even eclipsed England’s previous highest score against Croatia, a 5-1 win back in 2009 World Cup qualifying. Meanwhile, Croatia coach Slaven Bilić is definitely feeling the heat after this. It follows Tuesday’s 4-1 loss in Spain, meaning his side has now conceded 12 goals in just three matches. Even a frustrated 41-year-old Luka Modric, who started the game, couldn’t spark a comeback. Tuchel’s England squad now sits pretty on six points from three games in League A play.
This result screams dominance, showing England is playing with incredible confidence and firepower. The way they kept the pace up and carved through Croatia all game long is a serious statement. You gotta wonder if anyone can really hang with this squad when they’re firing on all cylinders like that.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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