Arsenal's Bukayo Saka achieves unique career first in England's emphatic Croatia victory

By Ben Knapton | 03 Oct 2026 19:56, Last updated: 03 Oct 2026 19:56

Arsenal and England winger Bukayo Saka achieved a unsocial vocation archetypal successful the Three Lions' 7-0 thrashing of Croatia successful Saturday's UEFA Nations League match.

Thomas Tuchel's broadside achieved their biggest-ever triumph nether the German successful astonishing circumstances successful Rijeka, wherever they became the archetypal squad to people 5 goals oregon much successful an distant crippled against Croatia.

Tuchel made five changes to his England XI for the League A Group 3 battle, including dropping Trent Alexander-Arnold to the bench, but the manager's alterations proved to beryllium inspired.

Five antithetic players recovered the nett successful the obliteration of Slaven Bilic's side, arsenic Saka and Harry Kane some bagged braces portion Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon and Morgan Rogers besides got successful connected the act.

Saka scored England's 4th connected the changeable of fractional time, poking successful from adjacent scope aft Bellingham's cutback, earlier latching onto Kane's shot for his 2nd and the visitors' sixth successful the 68th minute.

Croatia 0-7 England: Bukayo Saka achieves caller idiosyncratic milestone with brace

Both of Saka's strikes came via his weaker close foot, meaning that the Arsenal winger has present scored 2+ goals successful 1 crippled with his close ft for the archetypal clip ever.

The 25-year-old made his 378th elder quality for nine and state successful Rijeka, wherever helium firmly cemented his spot arsenic England's first-choice right-winger.

Thanks to the lack of Chelsea's Cole Palmer, whose repeated omissions Tuchel has publically criticised, Saka has made the archetypal XI successful each 3 of England's matches during the existent planetary break.

The Hale End postgraduate failed to people oregon assistance against Spain oregon Czechia, but his brace against Croatia means that helium present boasts 19 goals from 59 games successful a Three Lions shirt.

Only Harry Kane (89) has scored much England goals among players successful Tuchel's existent squad; Real Madrid's Bellingham is 3rd connected the database with 14 planetary strikes to his name.

Saka is present conscionable 10 goals distant from breaking into the database of England's apical 10 antheral scorers of each time; Frank Lampard and Vivian Woodward are joint-10th successful the charts with 29 apiece.

As good arsenic uncovering the nett doubly successful Rijeka, Saka created 2 chances, had 5 shots successful full and made 5 progressive carries, proving excessively effervescent for the seasoned Ivan Perisic.

Croatia 0-7 England: What adjacent for Thomas Tuchel's side?

England's emphatic triumph was not capable to instrumentality them apical of their Nations League group, arsenic contempt going level connected points with Spain and overhauling their extremity quality deficit, La Roja boast the superior head-to-head record.

The satellite champions tin reconstruct their three-point pb by beating Czechia connected Saturday night, portion England present hole to instrumentality connected the aforesaid opponents successful their 4th and last crippled of the interruption connected Tuesday night.