England crushed Croatia 7-0 in Rijeka on Saturday, a performance so complete that it reinvigorated faith in Thomas Tuchel’s project after the World Cup semi-final blow against Argentina. The scoreline was historic: Croatia’s heaviest defeat ever, and no team had scored more than four goals away to them before.
England’s victory was decisive. Their attacking quartet was electric and destructive. Elliot Anderson and Alex Scott, on his first start, ruled the midfield contest against far more experienced opponents. Croatia were restricted to almost nothing, with England’s full-backs far busier creating opportunities than having to defend against them.
Rob Dorsett, Sky Sports News football correspondent, captured the moment from the press box. “When England are rampaging all over the pitch like this, winning back possession when they have no right to do so, passing forward at every opportunity and finishing ruthlessly, there is no better team in world football to watch.”
Tuchel’s Best Performance
Tuchel said the result was outstanding, yet he stressed the performance was the more significant matter. “It was a fantastic victory. It’s an outstanding result, of course, and the performance underlying this result is just on the highest level, from the first minutes to the last,”
“The speed and the technical quality today and the hunger off the ball was on the very highest level.”
The Road From Argentina
Tuchel knows the World Cup semi-final will hang over him and his team through the 2028 Euros and beyond. After the defeat to Argentina, he used his first press conference since the tournament to insist the summer’s experience would increase his team’s chances of future success.
Many supporters remain upset over his choices late in the match against Argentina and the later criticism he directed at English footballers’ “DNA”, yet in Croatia, there were early indications that his approach was beginning to work.
When asked why it had clicked in Croatia, Tuchel said “I just believe we have now a lot of experience together,” according to “We had a qualifying campaign together, we had a big tournament together, we have big positive emotions together, we lived through them together, we had big pain together. We just get to know each other better, know the players better and know what to demand and how to motivate.”.
What Comes Next
On Tuesday at Wembley, Tuchel warned that the Czech Republic will offer a different test for England. He advised supporters not to expect seven goals and a steady supply of chances in every match.
A 7-0 victory has given them good reason to look forward to the next Nations League match with real excitement.
The match against Spain away on November 15 will carry far greater weight in shaping how people judge Tuchel’s England and whether the notion that they are following a path toward glory holds true. By then, England may already have secured their spot in the Nations League quarter-finals, with Croatia hosting them just before that final group fixture.
England will be tested against the world champions in Madrid, a match that demands they prove how far they have progressed and whether they have drawn any lessons from earlier defeats.
The Path Ahead
The 7-0 win against Croatia, in a small stadium filled with schoolchildren, will provide a welcome uplift. It was the best performance of the Tuchel era, and it comes at a moment when the project needed one.
The English attack moved with pace, and their midfield ruled the centre of the pitch. Croatia had little left to offer beyond that. The display was complete, a point made by manager, players and pundits alike.
November’s trip to Spain will settle whether this was truly the finest period of Tuchel’s rule. It remains an open question whether the standard set can be sustained.
- England beat Croatia 7-0 in Rijeka on Saturday.
- The score was Croatia’s heaviest defeat ever.
- No team had scored more than four goals away to Croatia before.
- Elliot Anderson and Alex Scott bossed the midfield battle.
- Tuchel called it the best performance of his reign.
For now, the uplift is real. The test of Madrid awaits.
Source material: “'Complete' England display reinvigorates faith in Tuchel project – for now,” Sky Sports.
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