What changed
England dismantled Croatia 7-0 in Rijeka, leading 4-0 at half-time and completing one of their strongest recent performances.
Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon were each rated 9. Kane and Saka scored twice. Bellingham scored once and supplied two assists, while Gordon scored and assisted. Substitute Morgan Rogers added the seventh.
Why it matters
This was not simply a night when England’s attack clicked. The goals came from several different sources, with Bellingham creating and finishing, Kane leading the line, Saka striking twice and Gordon continuing his scoring run.
Bellingham stood out as the game’s best player. His pass for Kane’s opener, his own goal and his assist for Saka’s fourth showed how much England gained from having him involved everywhere.
There were encouraging signs beyond the headline names, too. Jarell Quansah was rated 8 after assisting Gordon from right-back, while Alex Scott made a confident first England start. That gives England more than one route to control a match.
It is too early to know whether this performance will alter future selection decisions. But if England can reproduce this balance, Croatia’s evening offered a clear picture of the team at its most dangerous: quick, aggressive and capable of overwhelming an opponent before the break.
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