Croatia faced the worst defeat in its national team history, losing 7-0 to England on home soil during Matchday 3 of the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League. Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka scored two goals each, while Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon, and substitute Morgan Rogers contributed to the overwhelming victory for England, marking their second win of the campaign.
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This result sets a troubling precedent, making Croatia the first team to lose by seven goals at home after reaching a World Cup final. The previous home defeats of this magnitude involved Brazil, which lost 1-7 to Germany in 2014, and Hungary's 1-7 loss to Yugoslavia in 1997. Notably, Hungary's other heavy defeats by the same scoreline occurred away from home, solidifying Croatia's loss as a unique instance in football history. Additionally, it surpasses Croatia's previous record defeat of 6-0 against Spain in September 2018, shortly after their World Cup final appearance in Russia.
Kane's performance underscored his remarkable scoring consistency. With his two goals against Croatia, he achieved a milestone by becoming the first player to score 10 or more goals for England in three separate calendar years. He netted 10 goals in 2026, 16 in 2021, and 12 in 2019. This follows a historic 2025-26 season where he scored 72 goals for Bayern Munich and the England national team, the second-highest single-season tally in history, only behind Lionel Messi's record of 82 goals in 2011-12.