Inside Stadion HNK Rijeka, 6,200 local schoolchildren got in for free, an awkward footnote to a ground supposed to be empty as punishment for racist chanting by Croatian fans last year. What they watched instead was a demolition. England tore through their hosts to record Croatia's biggest ever defeat, with Kane and Saka each scoring twice and Jude Bellingham producing four goal involvements, a feat no England midfielder had managed since David Platt against San Marino in 1993. For manager Thomas Tuchel, the result was proof that his squad has finally set aside the trauma of last year's World Cup semi-final collapse against Argentina.

"If you feel pain you have to lay with the pain," he said, describing a camp that began uneasily before building through a strong display against Spain into this complete performance in Croatia. "The same with disappointment," he added, insisting that scars do not vanish but can still be carried forward productively. Tuchel praised the relentlessness of his front four, who pressed high, counterattacked with pace, and punished Croatia on the break with ruthless efficiency. Anthony Gordon and teenage forward Morgan Rogers added further goals, while Kane, closing in on Peter Shilton's England appearance record, said the performance had the intensity of a Premier League night.

Alex Scott, handed his full debut in midfield, called it an honour to share the pitch with Croatia's Luka Modric, a childhood idol. England now sit comfortably in second place in their Nations League group, with qualification for next year's finals well within reach. One rout in Rijeka will not erase a painful summer, but it has given Tuchel's rebuilding project its loudest statement yet.