Football Daily - Seven Heaven for England in Croatia

Episode Date: October 3, 2026

John Murray, Matt Upson, Alex Howell and Sami Mokbel bring reaction in Croatia to England's 7-0 Nations League win. Hear from Harry Kane, Morgan Rogers and manager Thomas Tuchel after humbling Slaven Bilic's Croatia in Rijeka. 04:32 - Harry Kane interview 10:10 - Morgan Rogers interview 15:41 - Thomas Tuchel interview

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Explore more atrangerover.ca. You're listening to the Football Daily podcast. Listen on BBC Sounds. Hello from Rieka, Croatia. I'm John Murray. It's late in the evening. Darkness has fallen by the Adriatic. And this football daily is reflecting on a remarkable win by Thomas Tuchel's England, 7-0 against Croatia. Ranked 12th in the world. A record win in the nation's league competition, a record defeat for Croatia. And the phrase you will hear repeated in this podcast is, the complete performance. Former Arsenal and England. defender Matt Ubson was commentating on it with me on Five Live. And that's what it was, Matt, wasn't it? The complete performance against top-level opposition. I think you can use that phrase.

I think it's probably appropriate for what the performance was. And I think it takes a little bit of time sometimes just to digest and step back. We've had a little bit of time to really think about the performance and picture it. And the way they just pulled Croatia to absolutely, pieces really from the very start of the game was really impressive and I think you can you can easily focus on the the bad points of Croatia and there were some but you have to also focus on

the fact that England was just absolutely outstanding the attitude the application the out of possession taking the ball back off the opposition the regains of possession were superb and then when we had the ball well it just all clicked and came together it was just a brilliant performance. And we're talking about it in a little place that we found, which is down near the Opatia Riviera, which has been an absolute delight. And I can tell you, there are one or two followers of Croatia

who are actually quite shell-shocked around us by what's happened. Let me just run you through the details of what's happened in that. I mean, we're talking about a Croatia team that is packed with big stars, big players, but England just right from the outset, front foot, couldn't live with England. First goal was started, the move was started by Alex Scott, so impressive on his first start for England. That led to Harry Kane, opening the scoring in the eighth minute, and really that opened the floodgates, didn't it? And by half-time it was 4-0, the brilliant Bellingham, Gordon and Sacker all scored.

So they all of the front four scored for England. Four-nil at half-time, no let-up. Kane, Sacker, Rogers, the substitute. added the other goals and that was it. It was from start to finish, wasn't it? It really was. And I think a couple of really key players there in terms of due Belling and being one of them.

I thought he was just on another level, near perfect in everything he did, played the number 10 role superbly. But he also had balls fed into him from the likes of Scott and Anderson who did a great job and gave him the ball early. He was receiving it on the back foot. He was turning at the opposition.

He was finding the past. as he had runners off him. Anthony Gordon was as good as what he has been in the other games. And it was far too much for Croatia to deal with it. It just felt a little bit, John. Like they, Croatia just run out of kind of energy and legs almost. I mean, there's some real senior players in that team that you would think maybe would pull them together a little bit more.

I think he went very young with the two centrebacks in Vardial and Vuscovich. maybe Billich will reflect on that and think was it the right time to pair those two together for this game? Perisich at left back has played every game in this break and was four or five yards away from Saka every time he received the ball. He wasn't on his first touch.

He wasn't physically up against him. It was a bit passive. But the smoothness, the understanding, the connections that the England players had in an attacking sense was was a 10 out of 10 and that was reflected in the score line which really on the day

could have been a heavier scoreline couldn't it? It could have been double figures we're going to hear from Thomas Tuchel we're going to hear from Morgan Rogers but let's hear from the England captain Harry came when I spoke to him after the match I put it to him this must have been as good

and as comprehensive a win as he's experienced in all of his 124 caps in which he has now scored 89 goals as dominant and as enjoying because I think I've been involved in an England shirt. Just from start to finish, just with the ball, without the ball, just high energy, high, yeah, fluid motions.

And yeah, just I feel like that's us at our best. You know, when we're when we have freedom on the pitch, when we have people moving in different positions, making runs in behind, fallbacks joining in. And I thought we're clinical. You know, we've probably been missing that final edge in the last third for the last, few games especially and it's good to have it back today.

And that's very much a reply, isn't it? The debate and the conversation has been, well, this England team haven't been able to put together the complete performance against the best teams. Yeah, and we showed that today. And even when we were 1-0-up, we went for 2, went for 3, went for 4, and that's got to be our mentality.

When you have a certain style of playing, you can't just pick and choose when you want to do it. It's just relentless. It's non-stop. You get 4, you want 5. You go and you have a... a real hungry mentality. And I think that's what I spoke about,

what we need to change, especially in the bigger games, in the bigger tournaments. And yeah, these games will only help us. We're playing against a really good side. We can't take this type of win for Grinney because it could have been a really tricky game for us.

And always, just sending messages, not just to yourself, but to the other teams around Europe. And I think we've done that again today. And there was a bit of uncertainty, wasn't there, to come into this long international window so soon after you were together for so many weeks at the World Cup,

whether there would be a little bit of fatigue creeping in, but the opposites proved to be the case. Yeah, I think we kind of turned that on its head, really. We said to each other, well, let's go for the Nations League. We're in a good moment. We had a good World Cup. But, you know, we need to start playing these bigger teams in bigger matches in quarterfinals, semifinals,

and the Nations League's a perfect opportunity to do that. So, yeah, look, we're hungry. We're a young team. We have players in amazing form right now, and I think everyone's just excited to be out there on the pitch. And performances like today will only make us more motivated and already the lads will be looking forward to Tuesday and as always it's another test.

We'll be at home, we'll be favourites but if we can show what we show today then it'll be another great night for us. And with already four goals for England this season, that century of England goals feels like it's racing towards you. It's coming, yeah, it's 89 now. So, yeah, obviously it's getting closer and closer.

I'm just happy to be out there with the boys. and playing my part. Yeah, of course, we have a special game on Tuesday in terms of the caps, obviously. And, yeah, 100 goals is a nice round number. It would be incredible to reach, of course. But you know me? If I get there, it would be about the next ones ahead of me.

So there we are, Harry Kane. And on Tuesday at Wembley against Chequier, that'll be his 125th appearance for England, so he will equal Peter Shulton's record. Can you do a game at the moment without mentioning a Harry Kane record? No. It's not possible, is it? It's not possible.

A Harry Kane record comes along approximately every 12.5 minutes. Yeah, that's how it feels. I sit there and every now and then you'll roll out some stat of this is the first time. And I'm like, here we go. This must be Harry Kane. It almost now, when Harry Kane scores, you almost think, oh, now I'm going to have to, I'm going to have to, I'm going to, I'm going to, I'm going to, I'm going to, I'm going to, I'm going to, this is. Now we're going to have to spend at least three minutes talking about the records attached to this goal. Yeah, what milestone have we reached here now?

Yeah, that says a lot about the individual, says a lot about the contribution he's made over the years. What it means is that he'll equal the record at Wembley against Chequia and then he'll pass it, all being well of his fit, at Wembley against Croatia in November. It's nice that that game is at Wembley as well. It's fitting, really, isn't it? And he shows no sign of slowing up, does he? I think that's the interesting thing.

We've maybe looked at a Croatia team where a lot of senior players are still going in that team who've been so successful, but he's still hitting those targets, Harry. Do you know what he also said to us when we were talking to him in the tunnel? He said, one of the things I was proudest of tonight was my central defender's tackle in Italy in the game.

And weirdly we said, like, it's come from centreback to make that challenge. And he showed a couple of times we ran back, maybe made a challenge in and around the edge of their own 18-yard box. And, you know, his attitude over all of these years is his star quality. You can talk about his finishing capability and all the stuff that goes with football. But what makes a player like him, as special as what he is, is his attitude. And it's just top. I mean, you knew he was going to stay on the play. pitch I kind of thought on half time you can take him off you know he's played a lot of football

this man wants his goals he wants you to be spending time reading out the next the next accolade of record that he's broken well let's hear from another record breaker Britain's most expensive footballer Morgan Rogers who came on as a substitute and he rounded off the scoring scored the seventh goal his second goal fair England in what is his 25th appearance but I put it to him that all of the swimming that England have been doing this week in the Adriatic has obviously done the trick. Well, I wasn't swimming.

Don't include me in. I was the odd one now. It's not for me that, but yeah. What a night. Yeah, great night, incredible night, incredible team performance. You could see the togetherness, how we wanted to play.

This is what we were about and everyone at the top of that game and that's what we can do. We know we can do that to a top opposition as well. So it's a benchmark for how we want to play moving forward. and what the level that we can produce. And that's just it, isn't it? That Croatia team, with the players in that team,

the clubs they represent, to do that tonight is quite something, isn't it? Yeah, well, a couple of months ago we played in the World Cup and we had a difficult first game, and you can see the quality of them, so that just shows the level we're playing at, and the level we're at, the confidence we're playing with, and how we've got a real togetherness and team spirit and players coming on the bench and wanted to impact as well,

that makes a massive difference as well. So, yeah, I think we're in a really good place at the moment. And this issue, this much talked about England, putting together a complete performance, that's what you've done tonight, isn't it? Yeah, that was a big talking board at halftime. We were obviously really satisfied with the first half, it was a big, big key point from a lot of big senior players in the dressing room that said that we need to carry on.

This is a 90-minute performance, we need to keep going. We need to kind of stamp our authority on the whole 90-minute, so not just a 45, and let Peter out, which it can't do sometimes, which isn't great. So, yeah, to show that, I think it's showing. that shows character more than anything so yeah really happen and i've been thinking about your record the fact that up to tonight you've only scored the one goal for england 25th appearance and i was imagining that you would want that to be a lot better than it is so to get a goal tonight is a step in the right direction isn't it yeah i've been obviously happy in my performances but that is one thing

that's definitely been missing from my game for england is is getting goals and that's all the the way you get judged on as an attacker so to do that's really nice I want to keep it going and and get more I think it's time for me now I've been settled and I've played in the national football for a bit now where it's time I think for people to count on me to score goals and to deliver assist and goals and yeah it's nice to get one here yeah I think but getting into that front four is a challenge isn't it yeah really tough they're all playing unbelievably and it's tough but that's what I'm here for I'm here to push them I'm here to be ready when it's my opportunity to take it so yeah um tough it just

It's a point in that I'm not always playing, which is what I want, but they're the same, and we're all in it together, we all want the best for England, and however that looks, we'll be ready. So Morgan Rogers of Chelsea and England, as we reflect on Croatia Nill, England 7, in a little spot that we've found on the Opatia Riviera, and also sitting with me, our BBC colleagues, Alex Howell and Sammy Mockbell, and Alex, I mean, that's been something else, hasn't it tonight that we've witnessed? It really has been. I was doing the player ratings for the BBC Sport. The much talked about play rating.

The much talked about player ratings. You can never win. But tonight is the closest I've got to ever give in a 10 to Drew Bellingham. Three assist, a goal, a very, very special performance. So he nearly got the first, I think it might be the first ever 10. So nearly.

Nearly. But... Not quite. Because... Maybe another goal would have got it. What about Sammy What about Bellingham's performance? We were saying during the commentary tonight, I felt watching Bellingham at the World Cup, you know, that's as complete performance,

I think, as I've seen from an England player at a tournament, and yet he does seem to have actually stepped on from that. Just to answer Alex's question, I think a 10 is only ever a World Cup final hat trick. I think that's the only time you can ever give a 10 to a player. But no, look, his performance, at the World Cup and now following into this season have been immense. And today, I've covered England now for around 12 years.

That is close to the best performance I've seen from an England player. He's got everything, hasn't he? He's got a little bit of, he's got the passion about him. Obviously, we know about his technical ability, the way he carries himself. He's just head and shoulders above anyone else on that field. today he was magnificent and as I said he's probably one of the best performances if not the best performance I've seen from an England player. Matt I thought it was actually sort of almost verging on Zinadine Zadan.

Yeah, it had that feel to it, didn't it? I mean towards the end he was clipping balls over the top, I think it was Roger's goals in it where he just spun it over the top. I mean he had a little bit of everything but the first half he found the classic number 10 position. I think he was helped by the fact that he had people feeding him the ball really early. He had people like Gordon who was able to run off him in behind, so the past was Orienne. He clicked and connected with Gordon brilliantly. Certainly for, I think it was Saka's goals, where he's dropped Modrich and crossed it.

I mean, there's so many goals you can't remember which one was what. But he's, for me, back to physically that player that I first saw break into the England team, that youthful bounce that he had in his step. He was light, he was fit, he was wiry and running past people. And he showed all that tonight. And I think we're hopefully seeing the best of Jude Bellingham. So there we are, that on Jude Bellingham. And now let's come to my conversation with the England manager, Thomas Tuchel.

Thomas, would I be right in saying that there were worries for you coming into this international window for a whole range of things? but you're able to produce a performance like this? Yeah, I'm proud of it because like you said was not the easiest window for numerous reasons but how we turned it around and how the players arrived since the players arrived on the first Tuesday and then the buildup against Spain made me very confident and then the performance against Spain was proved

that we have the energy right and the quality right again in camp then we had a professional performance away performance in Czechia and then the last three days to get the mix right between yeah the kind of holiday feeling and and downtime and then also training time and the focus in meetings because we didn't have enough we didn't have a lot training time just proves that the energy is right and the spirit is right in the group and yeah I'm impressed with the performance was from start to finish absolute top performance and of Of course, the result is just outstanding proof of it.

Getting the complete performance has become such a talked-about thing that that can get in players' heads, can't it? But tonight they delivered it. Yeah, they delivered, and they delivered, and I think they knew exactly what we demanded. We had some slight adjustments since the World Cup, because we have the experience together. We had fantastic moments together over seven weeks. We have a tournament together.

We had pain together, so we experienced something together, which is necessary to know each other better under pressure and in these moments and just understand the players better. And yeah, so we adjusted some slight things, demanded a lot from the players again, let them take their responsibility, and they do it. And that's basically the balance that we are trying to install that you have sometimes or that we are able to produce. a performance like this is fantastic. It's just proof and proof of concept and hopefully we get going and we keep on going. How bold was the selection of Alex Scott in making this a front foot performance?

I'm not sure. I was very impressed with his debut even if it was against 10 men but the way he played and the way he trained before made it for me not a bold move. It was just very natural to give him this chance and then he just showed again a fantastic performance within a fantastic team performance you'll never forget reaqa will you say again you'll never

forget reaka no there's these were fantastic three days i have to say like like the mix the location the weather the spirit of the camp and then to finish it to finish it under not so easy circumstances in a strange atmosphere stadium felt almost like an open training session or something like in the beginning to just come and and and and and push from the first minute push the intensity up push the quality up and then never let go very impressive and yeah that was fantastic three days so there we are Thomas Tuchel summing it all up and really it has been a truly memorable night by the Adriatic for England so thanks to Alex Howell to Sammy Mockbell to Matt up

And for England, it's a giant stride towards Marchers quarterfinals in the Nations League. And you will hear England against Czechia stroke Czech Republic with us on 5 Live on Tuesday night. And after this, don't miss it. On the open road, conditions change. Your composure doesn't have to. But technologies like terrain response to and clear sight ground view, range rover sport brings confidence and control the challenging conditions. Explore more atrangerover.ca.

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