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Kane and Saka score 2 each as England crushes Croatia 7-0 in Nations League

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Cite

Pugmire, J. (2026, October 3). Kane and Saka score 2 each as England crushes Croatia 7-0 in Nations League. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/sports/soccer/kane-and-saka-score-2-each-as-england-crushes-croatia-7-0-in-nations-league/article_ba16929d-8d2b-5cb8-93cd-277c9e9c0880.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Toronto Star · collected 2026-10-03 · by Jerome Pugmire

Quick Summary

England defeated Croatia 7-0 in a Nations League match on Saturday, with Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka each scoring two goals. The victory saw Kane extend his national goal record to 89 and marked England's highest score against Croatia since 2009. Other scorers included Anthony Gordon, Jude Bellingham, and substitute Morgan Rogers. Croatia’s poor defensive play contributed significantly to the lopsided scoreline, with coach Slaven Bilić enduring a difficult start after losing 4-1 to Spain earlier in the week.
Written by AI on 2026-10-03, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On Saturday, October 3, the UEFA Nations League match between Croatia and England took place at the Rujevica Stadium in Rijeka, Croatia, starting at 6pm local time (16:00 GMT). The game was behind closed doors due to a stadium ban imposed on Croatia by UEFA for fan misconduct during a previous match against France. Despite this, around 6,000 children were allowed to attend the match.

England, coached by Thomas Tuchel, fielded a strong lineup with Jordan Pickford in goal and players like Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, and Morgan Rogers in key positions. England dominated the game, securing a 7-0 victory over Croatia, which lifted them to second place in League A3.

England's performance was marked by stellar contributions from multiple players: Jude Bellingham scored one goal and assisted three others, while Bukayo Saka netted two goals and narrowly missed completing a hat-trick. Despite limited action for the hosts due to their ban, England showcased their strength and cohesion under Tuchel's guidance.

Written for “Croatia vs England Nations League” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 16 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Croatia vs England Nations League
Sports · 17 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

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How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
17
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 17 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
64/100
Toronto Star's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
17
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-03 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Toronto Star · 10757 article(s) · 28 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 28 correction(s)
2026-10-26
Correction
2026-10-24
Correction
2026-10-07
Correction
2026-09-24
Correction

Who wrote this

Jerome Pugmire
13 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction
🔮 One person died and least 14 were injured outside the stadium, but casualties could have been far heavier without the actions of a quick-thinking security guard.
🔮 So when the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints run out of the tunnel, the hope is that the surface will feel much like those back home.
🔮 PSG said in a statement Wednesday that Kvaratskhelia will have an operation in the coming days and that Dembélé (left thigh) and Marquinhos (right thigh) both face several weeks out. Ballon d’Or winner Dembélé pulled up clutching the back of his left thigh following a run down the left in the 19th minute of Tuesday’s game. Kvaratskhelia landed awkwardly after sprinting back to make a tackle on Xavi Espart early into the second half and looked in severe pain as he clutched his knee. Kvaratskhelia, who can play on both wings, and 32-year-old central defender Marquinhos were both replaced on the hour mark at Parc des Princes, where two-time defending champion PSG won 4-2 for a third straight win in the competition. Marquinhos, who has played more than 500 games since joining PSG in 2013, sat down on the field in the 58th minute and immediately began rubbing the back of his thigh. PSG coach Luis Enrique used Dembélé sparingly in the French league last season and has already rested him twice in Ligue 1 this campaign. The France star, who scored six goals at the World Cup, struggled with injuries last season and the speedy forward had been beset by leg muscle injuries at his previous club Barcelona. The 2024-25 campaign, which led to him winning the men’s Ballon d’Or, saw Dembélé playing 50 games overall in a season for the first time in his career.
🔮 It was agreed that the game would go ahead following discussions between the two sides, Talès added.
🔮 Goalkeeper Antonín Kinský could not even get near the ball.
🔮 “We would have loved to give the stadium and the whole nation a victory, but it wasn’t to be.”
🔮 Zinedine Zidane was asked if taking charge of his first France game on Friday will feel just as special as his playing debut for Les Bleus more than 30 years ago.
🔮 “Everyone will be involved.”
🔮 "Chronicles of a Heating Planet" examines the reality of daily life when climate change shifts from a future forecast to an ongoing condition.
Also by Jerome Pugmire
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 13 articles by Jerome Pugmire →

Topics

Croatia England Rijeka Spain World Cup

Subjects

England GPE · 6× Croatia GPE · 5× Kane PERSON · 4× Bellingham PERSON · 3× Gordon PERSON · 2× Rijeka GPE · 2× Saka PERSON · 2× Spain GPE · 2× Bukayo Saka PERSON · 1× Harry Kane PERSON · 1×

Narrative

After the break, Croatia’s defense was sliced open again on a quick break and Elliot Anderson curled in a cross from the right and Kane slid in at the back post for a poacher’s finish.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-03
2026-10-03 · Toronto Star
Kane and Saka score 2 each as England crushes Croatia 7-0 in Nations League · assertive framing

Claims (17 extracted, 0 hedged)

Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka scored two each as ruthless England crushed Croatia 7-0 away in the Nations League on Saturday. asserted
England → score → Saturday
Ballon d’Or contender Kane extended his national record to 89 international goals. asserted
Kane → extend → goals
Left winger Anthony Gordon set up Jude Bellingham and grabbed one for himself. asserted
Gordon → set → himself
Substitute Morgan Rogers completed the rout in Rijeka. asserted
Rogers → complete → Rijeka
Later in other League A play, World Cup champion Spain hosted Czechia in Oviedo and looked to make it 40 straight games unbeaten. asserted
it → host → Oviedo
Switzerland faced Slovenia and Scotland went to North Macedonia in League B matches. asserted
Scotland → face → matches
England cruises Kane put England ahead in the eighth minute, controlling a pass from Bellingham with the outside of his right foot and then curling the ball into the top left corner. asserted
Kane → put → corner
Bellingham poked in Gordon’s cross midway through the first half. asserted
Bellingham → poke → half
Gordon stooped to head in Jarell Quansah’s right-wing cross and Saka side-footed in England’s fourth approaching halftime. asserted
Saka → stoop → fourth
After the break, Croatia’s defense was sliced open again on a quick break and Elliot Anderson curled in a cross from the right and Kane slid in at the back post for a poacher’s finish. asserted
Kane → slice → finish
More bad defending saw Croatia unable to clear the ball and it ended up at the feet of Kane, who gifted Saka his second in the 68th. asserted
who → see → 68th
Rogers controlled Bellingham’s pass with his heel and slotted in from an angle. asserted
Rogers → control → angle
The result eclipsed England’s previous highest score against Croatia, 5-1 in World Cup qualifying in 2009 at Wembley. asserted
result → eclipse → Wembley
Thomas Tuchel’s England moved onto six points from three games. asserted
England → move → games
Bad start for Bilić It was another tough match for Croatia coach Slaven Bilić following Tuesday’s 4-1 loss in Spain. asserted
It → follow → Spain
His side has conceded 12 goals in three matches. asserted
side → concede → matches
Luka Modric started the game in Rijeka but the 41-year-old looked frustrated by his team’s sloppy performance. asserted
old → start → performance
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