Kane and Bellingham Inspire England’s 7-0 Nations League Rout of Croatia

England delivered an overwhelming 7-0 Nations League win over Croatia in Rijeka, with Harry Kane scoring twice and Jude Bellingham driving a first-half display that left the hosts unable to recover.

The match at Stadion HNK Rijeka was played in front of local schoolchildren because of a UEFA stadium sanction. Their early noise gave way to a subdued setting as England established an unassailable lead before the interval.

England’s seven-goal night in Rijeka

1. Kane opened the scoring in the eighth minute of his 124th England appearance, lifting his finish over goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic. The goal took him to within one match of Peter Shilton’s all-time England appearance record.
2. Bellingham made it 2-0 at the end of a 27-pass move. England continued the attack after he had been fouled earlier in the sequence, with the Real Madrid midfielder applying the finish.
3. Anthony Gordon struck England’s third, meeting a cross from Jarell Quansah with a header. It extended Gordon’s recent scoring run for the national side.
4. Bukayo Saka added a fourth before half-time, turning in from close range after further work by Bellingham against the Croatia defence.
5. Kane claimed his second after the break, converting Anderson’s delivery at the far post.
6. Saka completed his brace for the sixth goal, taking advantage after Josip Stanisic misplaced a pass in Croatia’s defensive third.
7. Substitute Morgan Rogers completed the scoring. Bellingham supplied the through ball, and the Aston Villa attacker rounded the goalkeeper before rolling the ball into an empty net.

Bellingham sets the standard

Bellingham was central to England’s attacking control, contributing the second goal and creating openings throughout the contest. His influence was particularly apparent in the build-up to Saka’s first goal and Rogers’ late finish.

The performance also placed Bellingham alongside Luka Modric in a contest framed by a marked difference in age and role. Modric, now 41, had been a prominent figure in Croatia’s past meetings with England, including their 2018 World Cup encounter, but England’s midfield and forward line dominated this occasion.

Group C position

The result moved Thomas Tuchel’s side to six points and second place in Group C. England trail Spain on the head-to-head record, although Spain still have a match in hand against Czechia in the same round.

Croatia remain third with three points after a defeat that underlined England’s attacking depth. Tuchel also used the closing stages to introduce Morgan Gibbs-White and Myles Lewis-Skelly alongside goalscorer Rogers.