England pushes Croatia to historic defeat in Nations League duel

England inflicts a record defeat on Croatia, reports Paul Childs for the UEFA Nations League. On Saturday, the side of manager Thomas Tuchel in Rijeka beat the Croatians 7-0. Bayern superstar Harry Kane was named man of the match with two goals and an assist.

Croatia fell behind already in the eighth minute when Harry Kane found the net. Shortly after, Jude Bellingham doubled the lead in the 21st minute, Anthony Gordon made it 3-0 in the 39th minute, and Bukayo Saka added the fourth goal to make it 4-0 shortly before halftime.

First and second half

After the break, England continued its attack. Kane scored again in the 53rd minute, Saka made it 6-0 in the 68th minute, and Morgan Rogers delivered the final 7-0 in the 87th minute. After the break the match was already decided.

The 7-0 victory is the heaviest defeat in Croatia's proud history. Previously, the country had been most heavily beaten in 2024 with a 0-6 loss to Spain, and the worst home defeat to date was a 1-4 loss to England.

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Coaching situation and conditions

For Croatia, the result is a heavy burden for manager Slaven Bilic, who, in his second spell after only three games, now faces intense criticism. The loss shines a spotlight on his future in the role.

The match took place at the Rujevica Stadium, which was sanctioned by UEFA with a spectator ban after racist insults from Croatian fans in the Nations League quarter‑final against France in March 2025. However, the Croatian association invited several thousand children and youngsters to watch the game for free, and around 100 English fans were present in the stadium.

With the win, England remains in second place on points level with Spain, while Croatia occupies third place. The points distribution keeps England still in the race for the group title.

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Harry Kane thus scored his 88th goal in 124 internationals, another highlight for the Bayern forward. In addition to the two goals, he provided the decisive assist, which clearly made him the man of the match.