There are wins, there are statements, and then there is what England did to Croatia on Saturday night. Thomas Tuchel's side tore through their hosts 7-0 at Stadion HNK Rijeka — the heaviest defeat in Croatia's history and a result that sent shockwaves through Nations League Group A3. The Three Lions were 4-0 up by half-time and never let up, hunting in packs, pressing relentlessly, and carving open a side that simply couldn't live with their pace.
Harry Kane opened the floodgates after eight minutes, controlling Jude Bellingham's through ball before thumping it into the top corner, and the captain added a second just after the restart for goals 88 and 89 of his England career. In between, Bellingham scored one and set up three more — the first England midfielder with four goal involvements in a match since David Platt in 1993 — while Bukayo Saka struck twice and Anthony Gordon headed in off a gorgeous Jarell Quansah cross. Substitute Morgan Rogers capped the rout in the 87th minute, rounding Dominik Livakovic before slotting home.
It was also a night for the record books. Kane became the first player to score 10 or more goals for England in three separate calendar years, and his 124th cap moved him within one of Peter Shilton's all-time appearance record — a milestone he could match against the Czech Republic on Tuesday. "Unbelievable from start to finish," Kane told ITV afterwards. "We're at our best when we're free and when we're physically overpowering. They couldn't live with our pace, with our runs." Tuchel was equally effusive: "In the first 40 minutes we were so fluid right from the start. We were very, very clinical."