England beat Croatia 7-0 in Rijeka to hand hosts heaviest defeat in their history
Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka each scored twice in Rijeka as Thomas Tuchel's side secured their second Nations League victory before 6,000 schoolchildren.
Record margin in Rijeka
England recorded a 7-0 away win against Croatia on Saturday in the third round of UEFA Nations League Group A3. The result in Rijeka marks the heaviest defeat in Croatia's international history, surpassing a 6-0 loss to Spain recorded eight years earlier. The match took place behind closed doors as a disciplinary sanction imposed on Croatia for racist conduct by supporters during a 2025 match against France. Under tournament regulations, the Croatian Football Federation invited approximately 6,000 local schoolchildren into the stadium, alongside roughly 100 travelling England fans. German referee Daniel Jablonski officiated the match as England manager Thomas Tuchel earned his second consecutive away victory in five days.
Four first-half goals
England broke through in the eighth minute following a sequence of passes involving Marc Guehi, Duncan Scott, and Jude Bellingham, who slid a through-ball to Harry Kane for a low finish. The strike marked Kane's 88th career goal for England. Lewis Hall created another opening shortly afterward, sending Anthony Gordon clear before Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic blocked the effort. In the 21st minute, Bukayo Saka crossed from the right flank to Gordon, who squared the ball across the penalty area for Bellingham to convert from close range. Gordon added the third goal in the 39th minute, before Saka scored England's fourth in the 45th minute to establish a 4-0 halftime lead.
Second-half goals and milestones
Croatia manager Slaven Bilic made three changes at the interval, bringing on Mario Pasalic, Nikola Vlasic, and Igor Matanovic for Petar Sucic, Martin Baturina, and Petar Musa. England extended their lead in the 53rd minute when Kane scored his second goal of the match and 89th international goal overall. Kane became the first England player to score at least 10 goals in three separate calendar years, matching milestones from 2019 and 2021. Both Kane and Gordon scored for the third straight Nations League match. Saka scored his second goal in the 68th minute after an assist from Bellingham, who finished the match with one goal and three assists. Substitute Morgan Rogers completed the scoring in the 87th minute.
- Harry Kane scores the opening goal from Jude Bellingham's pass
- Jude Bellingham converts from close range after Anthony Gordon's pass
- Anthony Gordon makes it 3-0 for England
- Bukayo Saka scores England's fourth before halftime
- Harry Kane scores his second goal of the match
- Bukayo Saka scores his second goal to make it 6-0
- Substitute Morgan Rogers scores England's seventh goal
Group standings and tournament path
The victory moved England to six points in Group A3, putting them in second place behind Spain and in contention for a spot in March's quarter-finals. Thomas Tuchel's side had previously lost 3-2 at home to Spain before securing consecutive away wins. Croatia remained in third place on three points, having beaten the Czech Republic before suffering back-to-back defeats against Spain and England. Slaven Bilic took over following Zlatko Dalic's departure in July 2026 after Dalic's decade-long tenure. England will finish the international window by playing the Czech Republic at Wembley, while Croatia travels to face Spain.
