England Rout Croatia 7-0 in Rijeka
England beat Croatia 7-0 in Rijeka on 3 October 2026 to tighten their hold on second place in their Nations League group.
The Nations League, UEFA's competition for national teams played between major tournaments, rarely produces a scoreline like this. England were ruthless at Stadion HNK Rijeka. The win boosts their hopes of reaching next year's quarter-finals, according to The Guardian.
Jude Bellingham ran the night. He scored in the 21st minute to make it 2-0, beating Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, and finished with one goal and three assists. Thomas Tuchel's side had fresh legs in attack. Bellingham had been rested for Tuesday's 2-0 win over Czechia.
Anthony Gordon added England's third, again past Livakovic. Then Bukayo Saka struck in the 45th minute for 4-0. Saka had already warned Croatia earlier, when his cross almost found Harry Kane with England 1-0 up, as covered in BBC Sport's live text.
Kane wrote his own chapter. On his 124th cap, the captain scored his 88th and 89th international goals. Substitute Morgan Rogers finished the scoring to make it 7-0.
There was a debut to remember too. Alex Scott, the 22-year-old Bournemouth midfielder, made his full England debut and earned his second cap. He renewed his midfield partnership with Elliot Anderson from England's Under-21 European Championship win last year.
Croatia, ranked 12th in the world, had no answer. Luka Modric, still playing at 41, started alongside Mateo Kovacic. It was England's first meeting with Croatia since a 4-2 win at the World Cup on 17 June 2026, a winning start to that campaign.
The stadium told its own story. UEFA had ordered the game behind closed doors as punishment for discriminatory and racist fan behaviour during last year's Nations League quarter-finals. Rules still allowed local children in, and 6,200 Croatian under-14s were invited free of charge.
What makes this stand out is the mix. Big names delivered. Young players stepped up. And it happened in front of a crowd made almost entirely of kids, 6,200 neutrals who got a goal-fest for nothing.
