Thomas Tuchel’s side were in complete control at Stadion HNK Rijeka, racing into a four-goal lead before half-time before adding three more goals after the break.

Harry Kane opened the scoring in the eighth minute, finishing after being played through by Jude Bellingham. Bellingham then got on the scoresheet himself in the 21st minute to give England a comfortable advantage.

Anthony Gordon added a third in the 39th minute before Bukayo Saka struck in first-half stoppage time to send England into the interval 4-0 ahead. England’s official match records confirm the four first-half scorers.

Kane completed his brace in the 53rd minute, with Saka following six minutes later with his second of the night.

Substitute Morgan Rogers completed the rout in the 87th minute, sealing a 7-0 victory for the visitors.

The result represented Croatia’s heaviest defeat in their history. England’s official statistics also record the match as the Three Lions’ biggest victory in UEFA Nations League history.

It was also England’s biggest victory since their 7-0 win over North Macedonia in June 2023.

The victory continued an impressive away run for England, who equalled their longest-ever winning streak on the road with a ninth consecutive away victory.

Bellingham was particularly influential, while Kane and Saka both finished the match with two goals each. The official England match record confirms the scoring sequence: Kane, Bellingham, Gordon and Saka before half-time, followed by Kane, Saka and Rogers after the interval.

The match was played under unusual circumstances, with a restricted crowd following UEFA disciplinary measures imposed on Croatia. The atmosphere inside the stadium was therefore very different from a conventional international fixture.

For England, the victory was another strong start to their 2026-27 Nations League campaign. The Three Lions had previously beaten Czechia 2-0 in Prague after losing 3-2 at home to Spain in their opening Group A3 fixture.

England will return to Wembley on Tuesday, October 6, to face Czechia in their next Nations League fixture.

The emphatic result also gives Tuchel’s team significant momentum as they continue their Nations League campaign, with the England manager describing the performance as a complete display from both the starting players and those who came off the bench.

Reporting by TalkNaijaMedia