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Key events
7 min: It’s all England in these early exchanges. The hosts have hardly touched the ball. “Will Croatia find out that you never win anything with kids?” wonders Richard Hirst.
5 min: Sučić brings down Bellingham, risking an early booking. He doesn’t get one, though, and nothing comes of the resulting free kick. Meanwhile the Croatian crowd may be young, but they’ve clearly been well-schooled in trolling. Here’s their message for the England fans, courtesy of our man in Rijeka, Jacob Steinberg …
3 min: Bellingham slips a pass down the inside-left channel for Gordon, who shoots low from a tight angle. Livaković parries at the expense of a corner, from which nothing comes. A bright and breezy start by England.
1 min: England launch it long. Livaković comes out of his box to clear. The kids are making a hell of a racket. The kids are alright.
England get the ball rolling. That Croatian anthem really is a banger, you know.
The teams are out! Croatia are in their red-and-white chessboard shirts, while England sport second-choice red. Beautiful, storied, world-famous tops showcased respectively in the 2018 and 1966 World Cup finals. Plenty of noise (albeit more high-pitched than usual) at the Stadion HNK Rijeka, where Croatia have never lost a competitive fixture. We’ll be up and running once the anthems have been parped. Oh, blue sea, tell the world how a Croat loves his people, God save Chas, etc.
Pre-match postbag. “The Rijeka cage is a fantastic away end despite looking so terrible. Was there last year for Rijeka versus Shelbourne. The police march you in, take any lighters you might have, then leave you alone in the cage. The view over the city makes the trek up the hills and the never-ending steps well worth it. And the nearby shop sells cheap beer. Perfection” – Steve Jones
“Of course I know nothing, but Modrić seems like a nice guy, a unifying figure who is adored by his country’s fans. Likewise other distinguished elder statesmen at the end of their careers such as Džeko, Lewandowski and McGinn. I’m sure CR7 is also lovely, but the playing on to reach 1,000 goals thing? Contrary to what McFly might think, it’s not all about you, Cristiano” – Simon McMahon
“Years ago Thibaut Courtois said that Pickford was too short to be an elite goalkeeper. Would some of Pickford’s acrobatic saves have been routine for a keeper of Trafford’s height and wingspan? Would Trafford have saved Fernandez’s shot?” – Gary Stover
Thomas Tuchel speaks to ITV. “[Being in Rijeka on the sunny Adriatic coast] has helped us to unwind and recharge our batteries …. now we need to switch on … the atmosphere is very different … we want to make it really competitive … I think we are up for it … [Alex Scott] did so well when he made his debut … the full package … there is a lot to defend on [Jarell Quansah’s] side with [Ivan] Perišić … we have [Trent Alexander-Arnold] as an option from the bench … hopefully we can get the edge in physicality.”
Been Around The Block dept. Harry Kane will win his 124th cap for England today. That will put him just one appearance shy of Peter Shilton’s all-time record of 125 for his country. Jordan Pickford is the next cab off the rank for England – he’ll be winning his 92nd cap here – then it’s Bukayo Saka who’ll make it to 58. Croatia by comparison have experience up the yin-yang: Luka Modrić will earn his 203rd cap today, while Ivan Perišić and Mateo Kovačić will win caps 159 and 118 respectively. Should Andrej Kramarić get on at any point, he’ll pick up his 120th Croatian cap.
Here’s how Nations League A Group 3 stands going into today’s round of matches. Spain host Czechia later this evening. Once it all comes down, the top two will qualify for the quarter-finals next March.
1. Spain P2 GD+4 Pts 6
2. England P2 GD+1 Pts 3
3. Croatia P2 GD-2 Pts 3
4. Czechia P2 GD-3 Pts 0
An old friend is back in the Croatian dugout. Kloppesque salt-and-pepper beard x (Bielsistian glasses-on-string + Simeone-style all-black wardrobe) = all-new distinguished Slaven Bilic. Aleksandar Holiga, editor-in-chief of Croatian website Telesport, reports.
Pre-match stories from Camp England. Jordan Pickford and Sheikh Mansour Thomas Tuchel set the scene.
Trent Alexander-Arnold may have impressed against the Czechs, but he loses his place to former Liverpool team-mate Jarell Quansah. Alex Scott is handed his first international start, while Jordan Pickford reclaims his spot in goal.
Croatia meanwhile are captained by the evergreen Luka Modrić. Not all 41-year-olds are washed up.
The teams
Croatia: Livaković, Stanišić, Vušković, Gvardiol, Perišić, Modrić, Kovačić, Ivanović, Petar Sučić, Baturina, Musa.
Subs: Pandur, Kotarski, Smolčić, Šutalo, Kramarić, Vlašić, Pašalić, Jakić, Pašalić, Matanović, Luka Sučić, Mišić.
England: Pickford, Quansah, Konsa, Guehi, Hall, Anderson, Bellingham, Scott, Saka, Kane, Gordon.
Subs: Trafford, Steele, Alexander-Arnold, Chalobah, Ngumoha, Branthwaite, Lewis-Skelly, Rogers, Garner, Calvert-Lewin, Gibbs-White, Eze.
Referee: Sven Jablonski (Germany)
England are coming off the back of an ultimately comfortable 2-0 win in Czechia. Relive that here and now, one, two, three.
Today’s match is officially being played behind closed doors. Croatia are being punished for crowd trouble during a Nations League quarter-final against France. However, football fans can’t take anything at face value these days, and this is no exception. Uefa rules allow an exception for kids up to the age of 14 from the local Rijeka area, and up to 6,000 plus guardians are expected to attend. Throw in the 100 England fans allowed in and the 8,200-seat stadium should be around two-thirds full.
Preamble
Welcome to the rematch of the 2018 World Cup semi-final. Yes, England have won their last three games against Croatia, the latest in some style in Arlington this summer, but memories of the 2018 World Cup semi-final loom largest whenever these two countries meet, that’s just how it is and we don’t write the rules. Steve McClaren’s not complaining, to be fair. Kick-off is at 5pm BST. It’s on!
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