Rabat – Jude Bellingham delivered one of his finest performances for England on Saturday, scoring once and providing three assists as Thomas Tuchel’s side demolished Croatia 7-0 in Rijeka.
Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka scored twice each, while Anthony Gordon and substitute Morgan Rogers were also on target as England recorded their second consecutive Nations League victory.
Bellingham was involved from the beginning, setting up Kane for England’s opener after eight minutes with a pass through the Croatian defense.
The Real Madrid midfielder then got on the scoresheet himself in the 21st minute, finishing Gordon’s delivery from close range.
Gordon made it 3-0 before Bellingham registered another assist, supplying Saka for England’s fourth shortly before halftime.
England maintained the pressure after the break. Kane scored his second in the 53rd minute before Saka added another in the 68th.
Bellingham completed his hat-trick of assists late in the match, releasing Rogers with a precise pass for England’s seventh.
The result represented Croatia’s heaviest defeat in the national team’s history.
Keane tips Bellingham for all-time greatness
Bellingham’s goal and three assists gave him four direct goal contributions in a single England match, a feat no England midfielder has achieved since David Platt against San Marino in 1993.
The 23-year-old now has 14 goals in 59 appearances for his country and has increasingly become a central figure in Tuchel’s team.
Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane believes Bellingham could eventually establish himself among football’s greatest players.
“Bellingham can go on to become one of the greatest players of all time,” Keane said during ITV’s post-match coverage, also pointing to the midfielder’s work without the ball and his influence on teammates.
Tuchel was equally impressed, describing England’s display as a “complete performance.”
“That was a 90-minute performance at the highest level from everyone,” the England coach said. “We created so many chances.”
The victory moved England onto six points from three games in Nations League Group A3, three behind leaders Spain, who maintained their perfect record with a 3-1 win against Czechia.
England will next host Czechia on Tuesday before facing Croatia again at home in November as they continue their push for a place in the Nations League quarter-finals.
