Luka Modric was withdrawn in the 57th minute at Stadion Rujevica on Saturday with Croatia five goals down. By the time England were finished, it was seven. The 7-0 defeat in Rijeka is the heaviest in Croatia’s history as an independent nation, and their 41-year-old captain offered no mitigation for it.
“I’ve been with the national team for 20 years, and this is the first time I’ve felt ashamed after a match,” Modric said. “You can lose, or play against an opponent who is better — and they are right now. But in any case, losing like this and squandering the reputation we’ve built over the years is unacceptable. I feel ashamed.”
Harry Kane scored after eight minutes and again on 53. Jude Bellingham struck on 21, Anthony Gordon on 39, and Bukayo Saka twice — on the stroke of half-time and again on 68. Morgan Rogers, on as a substitute, made it seven with three minutes left. It is England’s record win in the Nations League, and it was achieved in a near-empty stadium: no tickets were sold to the public after a UEFA sanction for racist conduct by Croatian supporters, so roughly 6,000 schoolchildren and academy players watched from the stands.
‘No duels, no fouls, no aggression’
What troubled Modric was not the scoreline so much as the absence of resistance behind it. He described a performance with no duels, no fouls, no aggression and no cohesion, and said that at times it felt as though Croatia were playing with four or five players fewer than England.
The numbers support him. England led 4-0 at the interval having been barely challenged in midfield, where Modric and Mateo Kovacic were overrun by Elliot Anderson and Alex Scott. Croatia’s back line of Josip Stanisic, Josko Gvardiol, Igor Vuskovic and Ivan Perisic was pulled apart repeatedly by Saka and Gordon in wide areas, with Kane dropping off Dominik Livakovic’s goal to find space between the lines.
Head coach Slaven Bilic called it a “collective blackout” and apologised to those who had turned up. “I’m sorry for the fans, I’m sorry for the children in the stands,” he said. “I’m sorry for all Croatian fans — it is the worst thing for us.” Croatian media were unsparing: Jutarnji List labelled the night an “unnatural, unacceptable catastrophe”, 24Sata called it a “huge disgrace”, and telegram.hr described an “unprecedented and deeply humiliating collapse”.
A record that stood since 2018
Croatia’s previous worst result was a 6-0 loss to Spain in the 2018 Nations League, inflicted months after they had reached the World Cup final. Saturday’s defeat removes that benchmark and lands at a far more fragile moment for a football nation that has spent a decade punching above its population.
Zlatko Dalic left after nine years in July, having taken Croatia to the 2018 final and third place in 2022 before a round-of-32 exit at the 2026 World Cup, where they lost 2-1 to Portugal. Bilic returned to the job he last held in 2012 and began with a 2-1 win in Prague on 26 September, Modric scoring to become Croatia’s oldest goalscorer at 41 years and 17 days. Three weeks later, his side have conceded 11 goals in two matches — a 4-1 loss in Seville followed by this.
England, by contrast, have now beaten Croatia twice in four months, having won 4-2 against them in their World Cup group opener. Thomas Tuchel’s side lost 3-2 to Spain at Wembley on 26 September and have responded with 9-0 across two away fixtures.
Spain again on Tuesday
The fixture list grants Croatia no recovery time. Spain, unbeaten in 40 matches and 4-1 winners over them nine days ago, arrive in Croatia on Tuesday for the final game of the window. Croatia sit third in League A Group 3 with three points, nine behind Spain and three behind England, with the bottom side facing a relegation play-off and a top-two finish needed for the quarter-finals.
Modric, who has more than 200 caps and no obvious successor as the organising intelligence of this team, framed the next 72 hours as a test of character rather than tactics. “We need to come together and stay united because another difficult game awaits us,” he said. “We have to show our true selves — that we have fight and pride, desire, willpower and unity. You can’t lose that overnight.”
On Saturday in Rijeka, for one night at least, they did. England travel home to face Czechia at Wembley on Tuesday with their qualification hopes intact and their goal difference transformed.
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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