England produced one of the most emphatic away wins in their history on Saturday evening, beating Croatia 7–0 in Rijeka with two goals each from Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka, a goal and three assists from Jude Bellingham, and further finishes from Anthony Gordon and Morgan Rogers.

It was Croatia's heaviest defeat. It was also the first genuinely complete performance of Thomas Tuchel's Nations League campaign: fast without becoming frantic, aggressive without the ball and ruthless when Croatia made mistakes.

England remain second in League A Group Three because Spain beat the Czech Republic 3–1 and have nine points from three matches. England have six. Seven goals deliver noise, confidence and a handsome goal difference; they do not quietly smuggle three extra points into the table.

How the demolition unfolded

Kane opened the scoring after a little more than seven minutes. Josko Gvardiol lost possession, Bellingham released the captain and Kane finished between two defenders. Bellingham made it 2–0 in the 21st minute after Gordon returned Saka's cross into the danger area.

Gordon met Jarell Quansah's delivery for the third in the 39th minute. Croatia then briefly threatened to make the match competitive, only for Mateo Kovacic to waste a close-range opportunity. A minute before half-time, Bellingham crossed and Saka scored unmarked.

At 4–0, the sensible football convention is to ease off and begin discussing substitutions. England instead treated the second half as further evidence. Elliot Anderson supplied Kane's second in the 53rd minute. Josip Stanisic's loose pass gifted Saka another on 68 minutes. Bellingham then released substitute Rogers to complete the scoring with three minutes left.

Editorial illustration of generic football boots and a ball under stadium lights

Bellingham controlled the story

A scoreline this large can make analysis sound like a list of scorers, but Bellingham connected the entire performance. His goal and three assists reflected the visible output. Just as important was the speed with which England turned Croatian errors into forward movement.

The midfielder gave Kane an early route through, arrived in the box for his own goal, delivered accurately for Saka and still had the awareness late on to release Rogers. Croatia could not settle into a defensive shape because England kept changing the point and pace of attack.

Kane's two finishes took him to 89 England goals in 124 appearances. Reuters reported that he is now one appearance short of Peter Shilton's England caps record. That comparison is slightly surreal: one record concerns longevity, the other goals, and Kane is now invading both conversations at once.

Saka's brace mattered too. Wide forwards are often assessed through a weekly national inquiry into whether they shot, passed or occupied the correct blade of grass. In Rijeka, Saka supplied danger, scored twice and helped make the decision-making look obvious.

What changed after Spain?

England lost 3–2 to Spain at Wembley in the group opener, a match OutOut analysed as a display of both attacking promise and costly mistakes. You can revisit that England–Spain report.

The difference in Rijeka was not merely that chances went in. England pressed with clearer coordination and recovered the ball before Croatia could turn possession into control. Kane described the performance as dominant both with and without the ball. Tuchel praised the team for maintaining the basics and staying hungry through the full match.

Croatia helped. Their errors were severe, their midfield could not slow transitions and their defensive line repeatedly lost runners. A 7–0 result is never created solely by tactical genius on one side. One team must also spend the evening leaving doors unlocked and labelling the valuables.

That is the caution. Croatia's famous generation is ageing, and this was a historically bad night rather than a neutral laboratory test. England still need to reproduce the movement against opponents who sit deeper, concede fewer transitions and do not pass the ball across their own penalty area to Saka.

The strange atmosphere in Rijeka

The fixture was officially played behind closed doors because of a UEFA sanction, although thousands of local schoolchildren were permitted to attend and a small allocation of England supporters was present. The result was an unusual backdrop: an international demolition staged in a stadium that sounded neither empty nor normal.

That detail should not overshadow the football, but it helps explain why the match looked different from a conventional hostile away evening. England still had to execute. Croatia still fielded experienced international players. Seven goals away from home do not become imaginary because the ticketing arrangements were peculiar.

What happens next?

England host the Czech Republic at Wembley on Tuesday 6 October. The Czechs remain without a point after losing to Spain. Kane could equal Shilton's appearance record if selected, while Tuchel must decide how much to change after a performance that provided almost no evidence for dropping anybody.

Spain remain the group benchmark. Their perfect start means England cannot confuse a statement win with control of the group. The return fixtures, especially the November trip to Spain, will decide whether Rijeka was a glorious evening or the moment Tuchel's side established a sustainable level.

Selection pressure is welcome. Rogers scoring from the bench, Gordon contributing and younger players operating comfortably gives the manager options. The best international teams need more than a starting eleven; they need substitutes who arrive with instructions rather than sympathy.

The OutOut verdict

There is no need to ration praise. England were exceptional, Croatia were dismantled and 7–0 away against serious international opposition belongs in the record book. Bellingham ran the match, Kane continued collecting landmarks and Saka turned a difficult fixture into a personal highlights package.

The sensible caveat is not an attempt to spoil breakfast. Spain still lead the group, and tournament credibility is earned across months rather than one spectacular Saturday. England have produced the standard; now they have to keep it when the opposition is organised, the stadium is full and the first goal does not arrive after seven minutes.

For one night, however, the national team did the rarest thing in English football: it removed every reasonable complaint before the phone-ins had opened.

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