England delivered a statement performance with a 7-0 demolition of Croatia in the UEFA Nations League. The victory in Rijeka on Saturday sent them to the top of Group A3 in the competition standings and showed their formidable attacking power under Thomas Tuchel.

Harry Kane scored twice, moving within one cap of Peter Shilton's all-time appearance record. Bukayo Saka also netted a brace, with Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon and Morgan Rogers completing the scoring in a one-sided contest.

A relentless first half

The tone was set early. Kane opened the scoring after eight minutes, finishing from a Bellingham pass. Bellingham then turned scorer himself in the 21st minute, set up by Anthony Gordon. Gordon added a third before the break, assisted by Jarell Quansah, and Saka made it four on the stroke of half-time from another Bellingham assist.

Croatia's only real chance fell to Mateo Kovacic, who missed an open goal in the 41st minute. England's relentless pressure continued after the restart. Kane headed in his second from an Elliot Anderson cross in the 53rd minute. Saka capitalised on a defensive error for the sixth, and substitute Rogers completed the rout late on, assisted once more by Bellingham.

Tuchel's verdict

Manager Thomas Tuchel was full of praise for his team's complete display. "Maybe there were three minutes after 3-0 where we had a big mistake and some easy ball losses," he said. "But that was a 90-minute performance on a high level from everyone, from the first minute to the last minute, from everyone who started to everyone who came off the bench. It was the highest level and congratulations to the team."

The result means England now lead their World Cup qualifying group with seven points from three games, one point clear of Croatia. It extends a remarkable scoring run for Kane, who has now found the net in six consecutive away matches for his country. Only Tom Finney, with seven, has a longer such streak.

Alex Scott was handed his first senior start in the match, which was played behind closed doors due to previous crowd trouble. Around 100 England fans were granted special access, joined by over 6,000 local schoolchildren.

England's focus now shifts to their next Nations League fixtures, a home match against the Czech Republic on Tuesday. Jude Bellingham, who provided three assists and a goal in Rijeka, is the team's top scorer this season with seven goals in eight appearances. The comprehensive win provides perfect momentum as they prepare to defend their position at the summit of the group.

This story first appeared at Sky Sports Football