Bellingham runs the show as England rout Croatia 7-0
England thrashed Croatia 7-0 in Rijeka on 3 October to inflict the heaviest defeat in Croatia's history. It was a UEFA Nations League game, UEFA's competition for national teams played between World Cups and Euros. England never let up. BBC Sport
Jude Bellingham ran the show. The 23-year-old Real Madrid midfielder scored one goal and made three more. He ended the night wearing the captain's armband. No England player had managed three assists in one game since Trent Alexander-Arnold against San Marino in November 2021.
Harry Kane scored twice to take his England tally to 89 goals. Bukayo Saka also struck twice with two sharp finishes. Anthony Gordon scored one and set up another in a complete team display.
Twelve months ago Bellingham was left out of Thomas Tuchel's England squad in October 2025. He answered in the summer. He finished as England's top scorer with seven goals at the World Cup as England reached the semi-finals and finished third. BBC Sport
That run started against Croatia. He started and scored in England's 4-2 opening win over the same opponents. He then scored twice in the win over Mexico at the Azteca Stadium to take England into the quarter-finals. England Football
He saved his biggest night for Miami. He scored twice in the 2-1 quarter-final win over Norway, including an extra-time winner to send England into the last four. Up to that point, Bellingham and Kane had scored 12 of England's 13 goals at the tournament. His seventh goal of the tournament, against France, set a new mark. Seven is the most scored by any England player at a single major tournament. Reuters
Roy Keane said on ITV after the Rijeka win that Bellingham can go on to be one of the greatest players of all time. Matt Upson told BBC Radio 5 Live that Bellingham is now nailed on as the 10 for England's future, the central playmaker who sits behind the attack and links everything together. Bellingham was also voted England's player of the year for the second year in a row.
Tuchel said the Croatia win was a way to move on after England's World Cup semi-final loss to Argentina. Asked if Bellingham had gone to another level, he replied: "Yes, at the moment it seems like it."
What makes this stand out is the speed of the turn. A year out of the squad. A record summer. Now a night in Rijeka where everything clicked at once. For fans, it was ninety minutes to feel together, the kind of win that lifts the mood around the whole team.
