{
  "id": 11746894,
  "title": "England hand Croatia heaviest-ever defeat in 7-0 thrashing",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/england-hand-croatia-heaviest-ever-defeat-in-7-0-thrashing-11746894",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-03T19:00:46.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch Nigeria",
    "slug": "punch-nigeria",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/england-hand-croatia-heaviest-ever-defeat-in-7-0-thrashing/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a resounding 7-0 victory over Croatia, England shattered the national team's record for the heaviest defeat in history during their UEFA Nations League match in Rijeka on Saturday. The Three Lions, led by Harry Kane, dominated proceedings from the opening whistle, taking a four-goal lead by halftime at Stadion HNK Rijeka. Kane, assisted by Jude Bellingham, put England ahead in the eighth minute, followed by Bellingham's own goal in the 21st minute. Anthony Gordon added England's third in the 39th minute, with Bukayo Saka scoring a fourth in stoppage time before halftime.\n\nKane's second goal, in the 53rd minute, extended England's lead to five goals. Saka added a fifth in the 68th minute to make it 6-0. England's victory was sealed when Martin Ruiz, who had previously played for Spain, completed the rout with a goal in the 87th minute, marking Croatia's first-ever seven-goal defeat and surpassing their previous worst losses, including a 5-1 defeat by England in 2009. With Morgan Rogers coming on as a substitute, England secured a dominant win that saw them move to six points in Group A3, level with Spain, who had a game in hand at the time.",
  "summary": "England thrashed Croatia 7-0 in their UEFA Nations League match, handing the hosts their heaviest-ever defeat. Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka both scored twice Read More: https://punchng.com/england-hand-croatia-heaviest-ever-defeat-in-7-0-thrashing/",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "Doubles from Kane and Saka power England to 7-0 rout of Croatia",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/doubles-from-kane-and-saka-power-england-to-7-0-rout-of-croatia",
        "published": "2026-10-03T18:06:46.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "IOL",
        "title": "England in seventh heaven as Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka double against hapless Croatia",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/england-in-seventh-heaven-as-harry-kane-bukayo-saka-double-against",
        "published": "2026-10-03T18:45:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Punch",
        "title": "England hand Croatia heaviest-ever defeat in 7-0 thrashing",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/england-hand-croatia-heaviest-ever-defeat-in-7-0-thrashing",
        "published": "2026-10-03T18:56:44.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}