England delivered an emphatic statement in the Nations League on Saturday, dismantling an uninspired Croatia side 7-0 in Rijeka to record the most lopsided victory of manager Thomas Tuchel's tenure. The fixture took place behind largely closed doors due to historical crowd violence involving Croatian supporters, leaving the atmosphere inside the Stadion HNK Rijeka restricted to roughly 6,000 local schoolchildren and a small contingent of away followers.

The contest quickly deteriorated into one-way traffic as England struck within eight minutes. A slick exchange sparked by Alex Scott found Jude Bellingham, whose threaded pass allowed captain Harry Kane to claim his 89th international goal with an emphatic finish into the roof of the net. Bellingham doubled the lead in the 21st minute at the culmination of a patient 27-pass build-up, before Anthony Gordon headed home a pinpoint Jarell Quansah cross shortly before the break.

Croatia's defensive frailties were laid bare repeatedly, with Bukayo Saka converting from close range on the stroke of halftime following another incisive run by Bellingham. The second period offered no respite for the hosts: Kane tapped in his second on 53 minutes, Saka notched his brace in the 68th, and substitute Morgan Rogers capitalized on Bellingham’s third assist of the night to round Dominik Livakovic and cap off the seven-goal thrashing.

The rout leaves England with two wins from their opening three group matches as they chase a spot in next March's Nations League quarterfinals. Tuchel’s charges now head back to London to conclude the international window against the Czech Republic at Wembley on Tuesday.

Source: www.aljazeera.com