England Rout Croatia 7-0 in Nations League as Five Records Fall
The short version
- England beat Croatia 7-0 away in Rijeka in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday.
- It was England's biggest winning margin against a top-50 FIFA-ranked nation since the rankings began in 1992.
- England became the first visiting team ever to score five goals in an away match against Croatia.
- Jude Bellingham (one goal, three assists) was the first England midfielder involved in four goals in a match since David Platt in 1993.
- Harry Kane reached 89 England goals, and Elliot Anderson became the fastest player to 20 caps, 392 days after his debut.
England beat Croatia 7-0 in Rijeka, their biggest win over a top-50-ranked side, with records also falling to Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane and Elliot Anderson.
England defeated Croatia 7-0 away in Rijeka on Saturday in the UEFA Nations League, with head coach Thomas Tuchel's side breaking five records over the course of a single match. The night produced two team records and three individual marks, with Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane and Elliot Anderson each reaching milestones of their own.
England's seven-goal winning margin was the largest they have ever recorded against a nation ranked inside the top 50 of the FIFA World Rankings, a benchmark in place since the rankings were introduced in 1992, and the biggest victory they have ever claimed against top-ranked opposition. Croatia went into the match 13th in the rankings, and former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane said England had made them look like a Gibraltar-level opponent. The scoreline still trailed England's biggest win of all time, a 13-0 defeat of Northern Ireland in 1882.
A second team record related to goals scored away against Croatia. Before Saturday, no visiting side had ever scored five goals in a match on Croatian soil. England became the first to do so, surpassing a previous ceiling of four, a total they had themselves reached with a 4-1 win in September 2008, when Theo Walcott struck a hat trick.
The first of the individual records belonged to Bellingham, who had a hand in four of England's seven goals, scoring once and providing three assists from midfield. The Real Madrid player became the first England midfielder to be involved in four goals in a single match in 33 years. David Platt was the last to manage it, scoring four times against San Marino in February 1993.
Kane added a brace in Rijeka to move his England total to 89 goals in 124 caps, extending the all-time national scoring record he already holds. He has found the net 11 times in 12 appearances this calendar year, making him the first England player to score 10 or more goals in three different calendar years. His earlier double-figure campaigns brought 12 goals in 2019 and 16 in 2021.
Anderson has been a regular in the England side since making his senior debut in September 2025, and his rapid ascent produced the fifth record of the night. He became the fastest player in the national team's history to reach 20 caps, with the milestone arriving just 392 days after that debut. The same stretch included a strong World Cup showing and a £116 million transfer to Manchester City.
England and Croatia both return to the field on Tuesday, October 6, for their next fixtures. England will host Czechia at Wembley Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 2:45 PM EDT, while Croatia will welcome Spain to Stadion Poljud at the same time.
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