Big talking points from England’s 7-0 thrashing of Croatia

Big talking points from England’s 7-0 thrashing of Croatia England produced one of their most dominant displays in recent years as they sealed a stunning 7-0 victory against Croatia at Stadion HNK Rijeka on Saturday evening. The Three Lions opened the scoring after eight minutes through Harry Kane. Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka then joined the Bayern Munich star on the scoresheet to hand the visitors a 4-0 lead at half-time. England did not let up after the break, as Kane and Saka added two more before substitute Morgan Rogers completed the annihilation with a late seventh. Perfect response after Spain defeat England lost their opening Nations League game to Spain after several costly individual mistakes from players. The Three Lions bounced back with a comfortable 2-0 success against the Czech Republic and moved on to a different level to destroy Croatia. England’s performance in Rijeka was arguably their most impressive under head coach Thomas Tuchel. They were dominant from the outset, pressing high up the pitch and forcing Croatia into countless errors. Tuchel’s men had almost 60 percent possession and registered nine shots on target. Saka shines at just the right time Saka was far from his best against Czechia in midweek, as he missed a big scoring opportunity in the first half of the match. After the frustrating outing in Prague, the Arsenal star had a point to prove against Croatia. Saka produced a superb display at just the right time, scoring goals in either half. The 25-year-old was in the right place to convert Bellingham’s cross on the stroke of half-time. He added another in the 68th minute and could have got a hat-trick when he fired over from close range. Alex Scott stars on full debut England’s attackers stole the headlines after scoring seven goals to hand Croatia their heaviest-ever defeat. While their front four deserve the main credit, we should not forget Alex Scott’s impressive performance as well. The 23-year-old made his first start for England count, as he delivered an assured display in midfield. Scott won the ball back high up the pitch on a few occasions and was involved in the move that opened the scoring for the visitors in the first half. The Bournemouth midfielder had 81 touches in the game and completed 92 percent of his passes. He made five defensive contributions and won all his aerial duels.