England rout Croatia 7-0 in Rijeka Nations League match

England defeated Croatia 7-0 in their Nations League match in Rijeka on 3 October, scoring four goals before half-time and three afterward in their third League A, Group Three fixture.²³⁵⁶

Seven goals in Rijeka

Accounts from EL PAÍS, Digi Sport and The Star gave the same scoring order: Harry Kane opened the scoring, Jude Bellingham added the second, Anthony Gordon made it three and Bukayo Saka completed the first-half scoring. Kane and Saka were then reported to have scored again before substitute Morgan Rogers supplied the seventh goal.⁵⁶⁷

The BBC reported that England controlled the game and forced Croatia back. Its account said Bellingham scored England’s second goal and Gordon found the net for a fourth consecutive England match, while Croatia’s Mateo Kovacic missed an opportunity to score.¹

The Star reported that Bellingham finished with one goal and three assists. It also said Kane, the England captain, made his 124th international appearance and took his international scoring totals to 88 and 89 goals. Sky Sports and The Star said the appearance moved Kane within one cap of Peter Shilton’s England record.¹³⁷

Team selection and setting

The Guardian listed Jordan Pickford, Jarell Quansah, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi, Lewis Hall, Elliot Anderson, Bellingham, Alex Scott, Saka, Kane and Gordon in England’s starting side. It reported that Quansah was selected at right-back in place of Trent Alexander-Arnold, who had played in England’s previous 2-0 victory over the Czech Republic.²

According to The Guardian, Croatia was required to play the match without general spectators after incidents involving fans in its Nations League quarter-final with France. The newspaper linked the punishment to discriminatory and racist conduct by supporters, but said UEFA rules permitted children aged 14 or younger from the Rijeka area to attend. It reported that 6,200 Croatian children were admitted without charge, while Digi Sport put the overall crowd at 8,000.²⁶

Group position and records

The Star reported that England and Spain each had six points after the match, with Spain holding a game in hand. Sky Sports identified England’s next Group A3 fixture as a home match against the Czech Republic, while The Star said England are scheduled to host Croatia at Wembley on 12 November.³⁷

Several reports characterised the result as a record defeat for Croatia, although the precise descriptions varied. The Guardian called it the country’s biggest defeat, while Digi Sport described it as Croatia’s heaviest home loss and said the team had never previously conceded seven goals at home. Digi Sport identified a 4-1 defeat by England in 2009 as Croatia’s previous heaviest loss.²³⁶