England produced their most emphatic performance under Thomas Tuchel as they demolished Croatia 7-0 in their UEFA Nations League clash in Rijeka.
The match was officially played behind closed doors as part of a sanction against Croatia for previous supporter misconduct. However, around 6,000 schoolchildren and 100 visiting England fans were allowed into the stadium.
England entered the match after recovering from an opening defeat by Spain with a win over the Czech Republic in Prague. They took their performance to another level against Croatia, repeating their dominance over the same opponents 108 days after defeating them 4-2 at the World Cup in Dallas.
Harry Kane opened the scoring after just eight minutes, capitalising on an error by Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol. Jude Bellingham’s pass found Kane in his stride, and the England captain fired a powerful finish high beyond Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic.
England doubled their advantage in the 21st minute through Bellingham. Anthony Gordon did brilliantly to control Bukayo Saka’s cross at the far post before setting up Bellingham, who finished from close range. Gordon then got on the scoresheet himself, heading home Jarell Quansah’s precise cross to make it 3-0.
The visitors continued to expose Croatia’s defence and added a fourth just before half-time. Saka finished from Bellingham’s delivery to give England a commanding 4-0 lead at the interval. There was no let-up after the restart. Kane scored his second eight minutes into the second half, arriving at the far post to turn Elliot Anderson’s cross into the net.
Croatia’s defensive problems continued to make life easier for England, with Saka scoring his second of the night to make it 6-0. Substitute Morgan Rogers completed the rout after rounding Livakovic and finding the net to give England a remarkable seven-goal victory.
The result represents a major statement from Tuchel’s side and one of the most convincing performances of his tenure as England manager.
