Key events
GOAL! Croatia 0-3 England (Gordon 38)
Quansah channels his inner Trent, advancing down the right and crossing for Gordon, who can’t miss with his stooping header from six yards. Wonderful cross, teeing up the in-form Gordon, who is instantly serenaded by England’s 100-strong support.
37 min: … but England quickly re-establish their midfield dominance. On which subject, here’s Will Cook: “Was a bit bored and worked out that Luka Modrić is closer in age to Gary Neville than everyone in this England side apart from Pickford and Kane. Which is quite a shock.”
36 min: Croatia string a few more passes together. Perhaps I shouldn’t have brought attention to it. But the hosts are finally doing something.
34 min: Pickford’s poor pass out from the back is intercepted, and Kovačić, out left, nearly finds Sučić in the middle. But Scott intercepts and clears. Croatia come again, and Perišić crosses from the left. Pickford comes off his line and flaps, but he’s not punished for the error. A couple of timely reminders that England need to keep their concentration, else carelessly let Croatia back into the game.
32 min: As good as England have been – their press is working like a dream – Croatia have been awful. They’ve barely strung two passes together.
31 min: “So far this has been child’s play for England,” quips David Wall, because somebody had to.
30 min: To be fair to the kids, they’re still making one heck of a row. Still very much enjoying themselves despite England swarming all over their heroes.
29 min: Kane sashays down the inside-right channel and aims for the bottom right. The ball’s deflected wide, and nothing comes of the resulting corner. Slaven Bilic isn’t looking at his shoes any more, he’s staring straight ahead at a point roughly 1,000 yards away.
28 min: Anderson balloons a half-decent chance over the bar from the edge of the box. Croatia were hockeyed 4-1 in Spain on Tuesday, and if they keep going like this, they’ll be on the end of another spanking this evening.
27 min: Ivanović brings down Bellingham on the left. Saka whistles the free kick into the mixer. Konsa competes, and from close range deflects the ball out for a goal kick. Penny for the nearby Kane’s thoughts.
25 min: Bellingham romps down the right and crosses low for Gordon, who has made a fine run to nip in ahead of Stanišić. He’s one on one with Livaković, but slams his first-time shot straight at the keeper. It should be three. It could have been four or five.
23 min: On the touchline, Slaven Bilic stares at his feet. Sučić tries to get something going down the right but his cross dribbles through to Pickford. England counter, Gordon crossing from the left for Saka, who heads inches over the bar. Livaković had it covered, but Croatia could be on the end of a thumping if they don’t get a grip soon.
GOAL! Croatia 0-2 England (Bellingham 21)
Saka crosses from the right. It’s a wee bit too long. But Gordon telescopes a leg to bring the ball down, spins balletically, and cuts back for Bellingham, who toe-pokes across Livaković and into the bottom right. What an assist! Gordon can do no wrong right now.
20 min: Saka and Bellingham pressure Modric down the left. Modric does just about enough to interfere and clear, but youthful energy came close to winning out over experience there. And then Hall comes again down the same flank, but can’t deliver a worthy cross. Croatia are being given the runaround.
18 min: Gordon advances down the middle this time, feeding Saka to his right. Saka crosses for Kane, who would surely plant a header home from six yards had Vušković not eyebrowed out for a corner. Nothing comes of the set piece.
16 min: … so England get back on the ball and stroke it around awhile, re-establishing their command. “I don’t understand the reluctance of England managers to pick Trent, or James Ward-Prowse before him,” wonders Kári Tulinius. “I just got back home from watching Finland beat Albania 2-1 courtesy of a pair of free kick goals from Swansea’s Leo Walta. Leaving your best dead-ball specialist out of the side seems odd.”
14 min: Modrić rolls a ball down the left for Perišić, who is all on his own, Quansah out of position. But Perišić can’t reach the ball before Pickford, who races to the edge of his box to slide and smother. The first sign of Croatia stirring from their early slumber.
13 min: Kane, out on the right, swings a low cross in for Saka, who toe-pokes the ball past the out-rushing Livaković but inches wide of the right-hand post. Then the flag goes up for offside, correctly so. England could feasibly be three up already, the margins between this scoreline and dreamland very small.
12 min: Bellingham should release Saka down the right, but clanks an uncharacteristically loose pass straight at Vušković. Croatia are currently all over the shop. England totally and utterly on top.
10 min: To be fair, Gordon was entitled to take the shot on. Saka might have been in the middle, but he was surrounded, and Gordon could see the whites of Livaković’s eyes.
9 min: … and it should be two, as Gordon romps down the left, racing clear of the Croatian back line. He’s got Saka in the middle, but opts to shoot, and his effort, aimed for the bottom right, is blocked by Livaković. You’d expect him to score, the form he’s in.
GOAL! Croatia 0-1 England (Kane 8)
Gvardiol’s loose pass upfield is intercepted by Guehi. Then Bellingham slips a pass down the inside-right channel, releasing Kane into the box. Kane takes a touch before lifting a shot across the keeper and into the top left. Simple as that! And even though there are only eight minutes on the clock, it had been coming.
7 min: It’s all England in these early exchanges. The hosts have hardly touched the ball. “Will Croatia find out that you never win anything with kids?” wonders Richard Hirst.
5 min: Sučić brings down Bellingham, risking an early booking. He doesn’t get one, though, and nothing comes of the resulting free kick. Meanwhile the Croatian crowd may be young, but they’ve clearly been well-schooled in trolling. Here’s their message for the England fans, courtesy of our man in Rijeka, Jacob Steinberg …
3 min: Bellingham slips a pass down the inside-left channel for Gordon, who shoots low from a tight angle. Livaković parries at the expense of a corner, from which nothing comes. A bright and breezy start by England.
1 min: England launch it long. Livaković comes out of his box to clear. The kids are making a hell of a racket. The kids are alright.
England get the ball rolling. That Croatian anthem really is a banger, you know.
The teams are out! Croatia are in their red-and-white chessboard shirts, while England sport second-choice red. Beautiful, storied, world-famous tops showcased respectively in the 2018 and 1966 World Cup finals. Plenty of noise (albeit more high-pitched than usual) at the Stadion HNK Rijeka, where Croatia have never lost a competitive fixture. We’ll be up and running once the anthems have been parped. Oh, blue sea, tell the world how a Croat loves his people, God save Chas, etc.
Pre-match postbag. “The Rijeka cage is a fantastic away end despite looking so terrible. Was there last year for Rijeka versus Shelbourne. The police march you in, take any lighters you might have, then leave you alone in the cage. The view over the city makes the trek up the hills and the never-ending steps well worth it. And the nearby shop sells cheap beer. Perfection” – Steve Jones
“Of course I know nothing, but Modrić seems like a nice guy, a unifying figure who is adored by his country’s fans. Likewise other distinguished elder statesmen at the end of their careers such as Džeko, Lewandowski and McGinn. I’m sure CR7 is also lovely, but the playing on to reach 1,000 goals thing? Contrary to what McFly might think, it’s not all about you, Cristiano” – Simon McMahon
“Years ago Thibaut Courtois said that Pickford was too short to be an elite goalkeeper. Would some of Pickford’s acrobatic saves have been routine for a keeper of Trafford’s height and wingspan? Would Trafford have saved Fernandez’s shot?” – Gary Stover
Thomas Tuchel speaks to ITV. “[Being in Rijeka on the sunny Adriatic coast] has helped us to unwind and recharge our batteries …. now we need to switch on … the atmosphere is very different … we want to make it really competitive … I think we are up for it … [Alex Scott] did so well when he made his debut … the full package … there is a lot to defend on [Jarell Quansah’s] side with [Ivan] Perišić … we have [Trent Alexander-Arnold] as an option from the bench … hopefully we can get the edge in physicality.”
Been Around The Block dept. Harry Kane will win his 124th cap for England today. That will put him just one appearance shy of Peter Shilton’s all-time record of 125 for his country. Jordan Pickford is the next cab off the rank for England – he’ll be winning his 92nd cap here – then it’s Bukayo Saka who’ll make it to 58. Croatia by comparison have experience up the yin-yang: Luka Modrić will earn his 203rd cap today, while Ivan Perišić and Mateo Kovačić will win caps 159 and 118 respectively. Should Andrej Kramarić get on at any point, he’ll pick up his 120th Croatian cap.
Here’s how Nations League A Group 3 stands going into today’s round of matches. Spain host Czechia later this evening. Once it all comes down, the top two will qualify for the quarter-finals next March.
1. Spain P2 GD+4 Pts 6
2. England P2 GD+1 Pts 3
3. Croatia P2 GD-2 Pts 3
4. Czechia P2 GD-3 Pts 0
An old friend is back in the Croatian dugout. Kloppesque salt-and-pepper beard x (Bielsistian glasses-on-string + Simeone-style all-black wardrobe) = all-new distinguished Slaven Bilic. Aleksandar Holiga, editor-in-chief of Croatian website Telesport, reports.
Pre-match stories from Camp England. Jordan Pickford and Sheikh Mansour Thomas Tuchel set the scene.
Trent Alexander-Arnold may have impressed against the Czechs, but he loses his place to former Liverpool team-mate Jarell Quansah. Alex Scott is handed his first international start, while Jordan Pickford reclaims his spot in goal.
Croatia meanwhile are captained by the evergreen Luka Modrić. Not all 41-year-olds are washed up.
The teams
Croatia: Livaković, Stanišić, Vušković, Gvardiol, Perišić, Modrić, Kovačić, Ivanović, Petar Sučić, Baturina, Musa.
Subs: Pandur, Kotarski, Smolčić, Šutalo, Kramarić, Vlašić, Pašalić, Jakić, Pašalić, Matanović, Luka Sučić, Mišić.
England: Pickford, Quansah, Konsa, Guehi, Hall, Anderson, Bellingham, Scott, Saka, Kane, Gordon.
Subs: Trafford, Steele, Alexander-Arnold, Chalobah, Ngumoha, Branthwaite, Lewis-Skelly, Rogers, Garner, Calvert-Lewin, Gibbs-White, Eze.
Referee: Sven Jablonski (Germany)
England are coming off the back of an ultimately comfortable 2-0 win in Czechia. Relive that here and now, one, two, three.
Today’s match is officially being played behind closed doors. Croatia are being punished for crowd trouble during a Nations League quarter-final against France. However, football fans can’t take anything at face value these days, and this is no exception. Uefa rules allow an exception for kids up to the age of 14 from the local Rijeka area, and up to 6,000 plus guardians are expected to attend. Throw in the 100 England fans allowed in and the 8,200-seat stadium should be around two-thirds full.
Preamble
Welcome to the rematch of the 2018 World Cup semi-final. Yes, England have won their last three games against Croatia, the latest in some style in Arlington this summer, but memories of the 2018 World Cup semi-final loom largest whenever these two countries meet, that’s just how it is and we don’t write the rules. Steve McClaren’s not complaining, to be fair. Kick-off is at 5pm BST. It’s on!
