England Devours Croatia in Record-Shattering Blitz: Three Lions Unleash Unstoppable Attack

England delivered a stunning attacking performance to hand Croatia their worst-ever defeat on Saturday night, with Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka each netting twice in an extraordinary 7–0 thrashing.

The result virtually guarantees England at least second place in Group A3, securing a berth in the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals next March. Their Matchday 6 clash with Spain will likely determine the group winners, with La Roja holding the edge following their 3–2 win at Wembley at the start of the international break.

The world champions had beaten Croatia 4–1 in their previous meeting, but England's demolition job in front of 100 travelling supporters and several thousand schoolchildren was far more brutal and comprehensive.

All of Thomas Tuchel's starting forwards contributed to the scoreline, with all-time top scorer Harry Kane adding two more goals to his record at the beginning of each half. Anthony Gordon's hugely impressive form continued as he set up Jude Bellingham for the second before powering in a header for the third himself.

Bukayo Saka's search for his sharpest form was helped along by some dreadful Croatian defending, as Bellingham switched to provider to set up the Arsenal winger before the interval.

It wasn't the first time England had found themselves 4–0 up at the break this year, but Slaven Bilić's shell-shocked side showed no appetite for the kind of comeback France managed during the third-place playoff at this summer's World Cup.

After Kane's second, Saka matched his captain with a brace, and Arsenal's "starboy" narrowly missed out on a hat-trick shortly after. A seventh eventually came through substitute Morgan Rogers, who was simply the latest England attacker to exploit Croatia's woeful defensive line.

One Thing We Can't Ignore

"In front of 6,000 kids, Croatia are getting quite the lesson," ITV Sport's Sam Matterface remarked on commentary after Anthony Gordon headed in England's third from Jarell Quansah's cross in a stadium that had originally been set to remain empty due to a UEFA ban following previous crowd trouble. The children were later given the opportunity to attend the match instead, though some may have felt sympathy for the hosts.

More than eight years have elapsed since Croatia came from behind to eliminate the Three Lions in a World Cup semifinal, and this was the fifth meeting between the two nations since Mario Mandžukić broke English hearts in Moscow.

Yet echoes of that encounter remain. Harry Kane extended his impressive record in this fixture by scoring twice, while on the other side, a 41-year-old Luka Modrić struggled to keep up with England's relentless and dynamic midfield.

Where Croatia's midfielders once forced England into retreat, it was the Three Lions who overwhelmed their opponents in Rijeka. This was precisely the kind of England performance Thomas Tuchel demands: aggressive without the ball and clinical with it. The gulf between the two sides was enormous, as England dismantled the overrun hosts, who are clearly struggling to move on from their golden generation.

This team may never surpass what they achieved at the Estadio Azteca on July 6 given the circumstances, but there's no question this ranks among the finest England displays seen under Tuchel.

England Player Ratings vs. Croatia (4-2-3-1)

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Jordan Pickford—7.4: A largely uneventful afternoon for England's first-choice goalkeeper on his return to the starting lineup.

RB: Jarell Quansah—7.7: Stepping in for Trent Alexander-Arnold, Quansah channelled his former Liverpool teammate briefly, delivering a superb cross for Gordon to head in England's third goal.

CB: Ezri Konsa—7.6: A straightforward outing for the Arsenal centre-back, who was rarely tested by Croatia's infrequent attacks.

CB: Marc Guéhi—7.7: Guéhi is eager to show that his costly error against Spain was an anomaly, and he was composed throughout in Rijeka.

LB: Lewis Hall—8.2: Showed a strong understanding with Gordon down the left side. Hall was effective both overlapping and in a more central role, with no defensive concerns whatsoever.

CM: Elliot Anderson—7.9: Aside from a build-up mistake that somehow went unpunished by Croatia, Anderson was excellent. The energetic midfielder played a key role in England's fifth goal after the break, teeing up Kane.

CM: Alex Scott—7.4: Quite the occasion for a full England debut. England fans will undoubtedly be keen to see much more of Scott in the future.

RM: Bukayo Saka—9.0: Grew into the game and rediscovered his best form. This was unquestionably a major step forward for Saka, who should have replicated his third-place playoff heroics and completed a hat-trick.

AM: Jude Bellingham—9.8: If it hadn't happened already, this was surely the match that made Luka Modrić accept he can no longer compete with the elite. The Croatian legend spent the entire game chasing Bellingham's shadow.

LM: Anthony Gordon—9.1: Gordon was somewhat self-deprecating about his heading ability after nodding England ahead in Prague, but the Barcelona forward was at it again, heading home England's third from close range. Croatia had no answer to his movement off the ball.

ST: Harry Kane—9.3: Business as usual for Sir Harry. Just another routine outing with the lads.

SUB: Eberechi Eze (70' for Kane)—6.5: Helped England cause havoc on the counter during the final stages.

SUB: James Garner (70' for Scott)—6.4: Found himself at left back as Tuchel made tactical adjustments.

SUB: Morgan Rogers (71' for Gordon)—7.6: Rounded off the rout by timing a run in behind a bizarrely high defensive line and going around Dominik Livaković.

SUB: Myles Lewis-Skelly (79' for Hall)—6.3

SUB: Morgan Gibbs-White (79' for Anderson)—6.0

Subs not used: Jason Steele (GK), James Trafford (GK), Trent Alexander-Arnold, Trevoh Chalobah, Jarrad Branthwaite, Rio Ngumoha, Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

What the Ratings Tell Us

The Numbers That Explain England's Beatdown of Croatia