"The Biggest Defeat Ever": Devastating Echo for Slaven Bilic and Croatia After Debacle Against England

Croatia's national team suffered the worst defeat in the history of the association. Reactions have been stark.

The 0-7 loss against England on Saturday night in the Nations League was an 'unnatural, unacceptable catastrophe,' according to Jutarnji List. The paper added: 'Not only are we not among the elite, we've become San Marino! Dreams of the quarterfinals are shattered, and the awakening is more painful than after twenty beers.'"

A hangover pervades other national media outlets. 'Desperate Croatia suffers its heaviest defeat in history,' wrote Index Sport. 24Sata called it a 'huge disgrace!' And telegram.hr labeled it 'an unprecedented and deeply humiliating collapse.'"

Reactions from the victorious side were, naturally, quite different. 'England in seventh heaven. Men against boys. It was child's play,' the Daily Mail headlined. The Sun opined: 'Thomas Tuchel's team caused a sensation with one of the greatest away performances in the history of the English national team.'"

Tuchel's Englishmen dominated at will in front of 6,000 children and teenagers in Rijeka. Due to racist incidents by Croatian fans last year, UEFA had ordered a match behind closed doors. However, a regulation allows children under 14 to attend for free – and thus, the stands were quite full.

Harry Kane (2), Jude Bellingham (1), Anthony Gordon (1), Bukayo Saka (2), and Morgan Rogers (1) scored for the World Cup third-place finishers in a sensational and entirely deserved victory of this magnitude.

What did Croatia's coach Slaven Bilic say?

Croatia's coach Slaven Bilic called it 'the biggest defeat ever' and asked for forgiveness. 'I am sorry. We are disappointed. I am sorry for the fans, I am sorry for the children in the stands. I am sorry for all Croatian fans. I have spoken briefly with the players, and this is the worst for us. We never expected this,' said the former Bundesliga and Premier League professional.

With three points from three matches, Croatia sits third in Group 3 of Nations League A. Spain leads the group with a perfect nine points, followed by England (6). Czech Republic (0) is last.