England beat Croatia 7-0 in a statement performance under Thomas Tuchel, with Jude Bellingham at the centre of a commanding display that underlined his importance to the team’s future.
Harry Kane scored twice, while Bellingham, Anthony Gordon, Bukayo Saka and Morgan Rogers also found the net as England dismantled Croatia in a match that was effectively settled before half-time.
The result came in a stadium filled with more than 6,000 children, despite the fixture having been intended to take place behind closed doors following alleged far-Right behaviour by Croatian supporters.
A banner in the crowd read: ‘It’s not coming home’, reviving one of Croatia’s familiar taunts towards England. Slaven Bilic, who led Croatia to their famous victory over England at Wembley in 2007, had also returned to the touchline after 14 years away.
But the night belonged entirely to Tuchel’s England. They played with relentless energy and attacking purpose, exploiting gaps in Croatia’s defence and dominating the midfield.
Jude Bellingham leads England’s Croatia rout
Bellingham was the outstanding player, controlling the contest with authority and repeatedly finding space behind Croatia’s defence. His passing released Gordon in the opening minutes before he created another opportunity for Kane.
Gordon was denied by Dominik Livakovic early on, but England took the lead in the eighth minute when Bellingham sent Kane through. The captain drove his 88th international goal high into the roof of the net.
Bellingham then scored England’s second in the 21st minute. Gordon collected a cross from Saka and had time to pick out the midfielder, who finished from close range.
Gordon had already been denied twice more before finally getting his goal in the 39th minute. Jarell Quansah and Bellingham combined to create the opening, and England’s attacking runners continued to expose Croatia’s back four.
Saka added a third before the interval, leaving Croatia facing a near-impossible task after a first half in which they offered little resistance. Mateo Kovacic did have a chance to score for the hosts, but after rounding Jordan Pickford he sliced his effort wide.
England showed no sign of easing off after the restart. Kane slid in his second in the 53rd minute after Elliot Anderson’s low cross from the right, with Croatia again unable to deal with the same attacking pattern.
Saka scored his second with 22 minutes remaining after Croatia surrendered possession to Kane, who supplied the final pass. Rogers completed the scoring in the 88th minute.
The victory represented England’s best football under Tuchel, according to the performance on the night, and followed matches against Spain and the Czech Republic during the same international period.
Alongside Bellingham, Kane, Gordon, Saka and first-time starter Alex Scott delivered strong performances. Bellingham’s display, however, made clear why England’s team is increasingly being built around the 23-year-old midfielder.
For Croatia, the defeat was their heaviest ever. Bilic had retreated to the bench by the closing stages, while many of the young supporters had already left before the final whistle.
