What Happened: Croatia 0-7 England
| Minute | Event | For |
|---|---|---|
| 8' | Goal — Harry Kane (assist Jude Bellingham) | England |
| 21' | Goal — Jude Bellingham (assist Anthony Gordon) | England |
| 39' | Goal — Anthony Gordon (assist Jarell Quansah) | England |
| 45' | Goal — Bukayo Saka (assist Jude Bellingham) | England |
| 53' | Goal — Harry Kane (assist Elliot Anderson) | England |
| 68' | Goal — Bukayo Saka (assist Harry Kane) | England |
| 87' | Goal — Morgan Rogers (assist Jude Bellingham) | England |
The takeaway: England's 7-0 rout turned the billed Modric-Bellingham midfield duel into a generational statement — Bellingham finished with a goal and three assists while the 41-year-old Modric was withdrawn after 56 minutes. Played behind closed doors, it is Croatia's heaviest home defeat on record.
At a Glance
The Fixture
Group 3 is the toughest of the lot - Spain, Croatia, England and Czechia. England hosted Spain (26 September, Wembley) and travelled to Czechia (29 September, Prague) before this trip to Rijeka; Croatia visited Czechia (26 September) and Spain (29 September). This was the home leg for Croatia; the reverse fixture is in England on 6 October. The top two advance to the Nations League quarter-finals in March 2027; the bottom side enters relegation play-offs. England's 7-0 win in Rijeka - behind closed doors - put them on six points and seized the early grip on a group that could still be decided by a single point.
Two Coaches, One Night
England - the Tuchel project, bronze-winning: Thomas Tuchel's England took third at the 2026 World Cup in his first tournament in charge, and he has begun rebuilding. Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold are back in the fold; Ollie Watkins, Noni Madueke and Ivan Toney have been omitted. Reported absentees for this window include Jordan Henderson (foot), John Stones (thigh) and Dan Burn (ankle), with a further doubt in midfield. The spine remains elite - Kane, Bellingham, Saka, Rice - and Tuchel's template is built on control and transitions. The team that lined up in Rijeka was settled by kickoff.
Croatia - Bilic's second coming: Slaven Bilic returned as Croatia head coach on 13 July 2026, succeeding Zlatko Dalic after the 2026 World Cup exit, on a deal through the 2030 World Cup. His first squad - 26 players, a "23 plus 3" group - is built around Luka Modric, who at 41 confirmed he will continue representing his country. Missing this window are Martin Erlic (heel injury) and Josip Juranovic (withdrawal), thinning an already stretched defence. The midfield of Modric and Mateo Kovacic, plus Josko Gvardiol at the back and Andrej Kramaric up top, gives Croatia a core that knows how to manage a big night - even an empty one.
Players to Watch
Croatia: Luka Modric remains the conductor - at 41, still the tempo-setter and the man who turns defence into danger. Mateo Kovacic shields and progresses, Josko Gvardiol is the defensive rock, Andrej Kramaric leads the line with his movement and finishing, and Ivan Perisic brings experience and a left-sided threat. This is a transitional Vatreni - Bilic is blending youth with the old guard - but the spine is seasoned, and Modric against an England midfield was billed as the game's defining duel - and Bellingham won it.
England: Harry Kane is the focal point - the captain and the penalty-box predator. Jude Bellingham drives from midfield, Bukayo Saka stretches defences on the right, Declan Rice was named among the players to watch, and Cole Palmer (recalled) adds invention in the final third. England's attacking depth - rebuilt and bronze-winning - proved the best in the group on the night. Without Stones and Burn, the back line was younger, but Croatia's Modric-led patience found no way through.
The Storyline: A Rivalry Resumed
This is not a friendly rivalry - it is one stamped by knockout football. Croatia ended England's 2018 World Cup dream with a 2-1 extra-time semi-final win in Moscow; England answered with a 2-1 Nations League win that November and a 1-0 Euro 2020 group-stage victory. Then, at the 2026 World Cup, England ran out 4-2 winners - the most recent and most emphatic chapter. Now Tuchel and Bilic, two coaches in contrasting situations, met in a stadium with no crowd. England confirmed their status as Group 3 favourites and built on World Cup bronze with a 7-0 statement. For Croatia, it was a night of pride lost and a reminder that the Modric era is fading against the tournament's in-form sides. The empty stands made it a pure footballing contest - and it exposed a midfield gulf between Modric and England's Bellingham.
Context: England lead the head-to-head since Croatian independence with 7 wins, 2 draws and 3 Croatia wins in 12 meetings. Croatia's wins carry the heaviest weight - the 2018 semi-final and the Euro 2008 qualifying result at Wembley - but England have taken three of the last four. The 2026 World Cup 4-2 is the freshest evidence that, on the day, Tuchel's attackers can overwhelm even a seasoned Croatian block.
Head-to-Head & Form
| Meeting | Result | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 17 Jun 2026 | England 4-2 Croatia | 2026 FIFA World Cup (Arlington) |
| 13 Jun 2021 | England 1-0 Croatia | UEFA Euro 2020 (Wembley) |
| 18 Nov 2018 | England 2-1 Croatia | UEFA Nations League (Wembley) |
| 12 Oct 2018 | Croatia 0-0 England | UEFA Nations League (Rijeka) |
| 11 Jul 2018 | Croatia 2-1 England (aet) | 2018 FIFA World Cup semi-final (Moscow) |
| 9 Sep 2009 | England 5-1 Croatia | FIFA World Cup qualifier (Wembley) |
| All-time (since independence) | England 7 wins, 2 draws, 3 Croatia wins | England hold the edge in 12 meetings |
England were the nominal favourites, but Croatia had beaten them when it mattered most - the 2018 semi-final - and the 2026 World Cup 4-2 showed the gap is not the chasm the odds suggest. The match was no chess match: England's energy overwhelmed Modric's control, and Kane and Bellingham quality decided it inside the opening 45 minutes. The behind-closed-doors setting stripped the noise and left the tactics exposed - and exposed Croatia were.
How the Market Saw It
| Market | Odds |
|---|---|
| England to win | 2.50 |
| Draw | 3.40 |
| Croatia to win | 2.80 |
| Over 2.5 goals | 1.95 |
| Under 2.5 goals | 1.85 |
The aggregated prices had made England narrow favourites at around 2.50, with Croatia live at home near 2.80 and the draw at 3.40 - a line that reflected how tight this looked. In the event, England justified the favouritism emphatically: they won at 2.50 and the over 2.5 goal price (1.95) landed comfortably as the sides combined for seven. The empty Rijeka did nothing to sharpen either defence.
Shop the Edit: Wear the Rivalry
Eight shirts below - both nations fully stocked, all 2026-27 editions in fan version with name and number options at checkout. Back Modric's Croatia with the Modric 10 away or the Kramaric 9 home, or wear England's home in Kane 9, Bellingham 10, Saka 7 or Rice 4.
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Wear the Rivalry
Shop the Croatia and England 2026-27 shirts before kickoff in Rijeka - the Modric 10 away and the Kane 9 home lead the edit.
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