Monday After Super Saturday: Kane Eyes 125th Cap, Tuesday Decides

The dust has settled on Super Saturday, and Monday brings the reckoning: a Croatian legend’s shame, an English captain’s march on history, and a Spanish teenager’s march on legend status. This is the full Monday review — corrected scorers and minutes, the fallout quotes, and everything Tuesday night will decide.

From the press box — Elena Marsh: Croatia–England via AP/Reuters, Guardian, BBC live (scorers, assists, 6,342 crowd), Al Jazeera, Sportstar (Modric quotes via Jutarnji), englandfootball.com (Kane/Saka reaction, 124 caps); Spain–Czechia via PA/ESPN, BBC (Merino 89’, Krejci red), Guardian (de la Fuente quote), Goal (Rodri reaction); Tuesday fixtures via UEFA listings. Reported scores only — never invented, no odds, no tips.

Rijeka corrected: the seven, minute by minute

Set the record straight with the confirmed timeline. Kane 8’ (Bellingham assist, controlled and finished) opened it; Bellingham 21’ (Gordon assist) doubled it; Gordon 39’ (Quansah assist) made it three; Saka 45’ (Bellingham assist, counterattack started by Kane dropping deep) killed it at half-time, 0–4. After the break: Kane 53’ (Anderson assist, zipped down the right and crossed for a stretching finish) for the fifth; Saka 68’ (Kane assist — the captain, already on two, squared it instead of chasing the hat-trick) for the sixth; Rogers 87’ (Bellingham’s third assist of the night) completed the rout. Seven goals, six different scorers of the chances, one architect: Bellingham scored once and assisted three. The 6,342 crowd — mostly schoolchildren plus the 100 England fans given tickets — watched history in near-silence. Tuchel: “In the first 40 minutes we were so fluid right from the start. It just never stopped.” Kane to ITV: “Unbelievable from start to finish.”

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Modric ashamed: Croatia’s darkest night

The quote of the weekend came from the losing side. Luka Modric, 20 years a Croatia international, told daily Jutarnji: “I’ve been here for 20 years, but for the first time I feel ashamed after a game. You can lose, or play against an opponent who is better — and they are right now. But losing like this and squandering the reputation we’ve built over the years is unacceptable. You can’t play with two players less; we looked like we had 4–5 players less. A catastrophic night.” Croatia removed Modric after the break, sparing him the worst of it, but the damage was done: 0–7 is Croatia’s worst defeat in history. The context stings more: only 108 days earlier, England beat the same opposition 4–2 at the World Cup in Dallas. Two meetings, 11–2 aggregate. For a nation that built its modern identity on punching above its weight, Saturday was an identity crisis in 90 minutes. Tuesday in Split is now about pride and survival in equal measure.

Kane 89/124: Tuesday is the 125th

The numbers keep climbing. Kane’s brace took him to 89 international goals, extending his own national record in a Ballon d’Or-contender season. But Tuesday offers the bigger milestone: Kane sits on 124 caps, and England’s home game against Czechia at Wembley would be number 125 — equalling Peter Shilton’s all-time men’s appearance record. Saka, meanwhile, struck twice to take England to 4–0 with his first, just as he did in the 6–4 win over the same opponents, and his second — laid on by his captain — was the gesture of the night. Kane set up Saka instead of chasing a personal third; the montage will show the pass, not the shot. England have now shown far more attacking intent since the criticism that poured down on Tuchel after the timid World Cup semi-final defeat — even the Spain defeat carried genuine threat, turning on a rare Kane penalty miss. Two wins from three, +8 goal difference, and a captain one cap from immortality: Tuesday writes itself.

Oviedo corrected: Yamal 6’, Rodri 35’, Merino 89’

Spain’s evening was less spectacular but just as ominous. Yamal 6’ — a superb curling effort from the edge of the box, strengthening his Ballon d’Or credentials — opened it; captain Rodri 35’, arriving late to sweep home, doubled it and ended his own recent goal drought for La Roja (“extra significance,” he admitted, praising the squad’s maturity). Czechia, down to ten when Wolves defender Ladislav Krejci saw a second caution, pulled one back through Jiri Slama with 20 minutes left — then Arsenal’s Mikel Merino converted a loose ball in the 89th minute to seal it. The numbers: 10 straight wins since the shock 0–0 World Cup group draw with Cape Verde, 41 unbeaten, 9 points from 9, Yamal with 4 goals in 3 Nations League games. De la Fuente put it simply: “Lamine Yamal is on course to become a legend.” At 19, the legend needs no fast-forwarding.

Tuesday: Wembley and Split, same night

Tuesday October 6: England vs Czechia (Wembley, 19:45 BST) + Croatia vs Spain (Split, Poljud). England: a second straight win expected, daylight in second, Kane’s 125th in front of a home crowd, Bellingham watched, the axis settled. Czechia arrive winless with two red cards in two games and everything to play for — the classic dangerous opponent. Croatia: pride and survival in Split — beat the champions or face November (England in Wembley, Spain in Madrid for the return legs) from third with nothing but arithmetic. Spain: four days after Oviedo, a win in Split effectively folds the group; rotate and risk chaos, or full strength and finish it. Permutations: an England win plus Spain avoiding defeat separates the top two; a Croatia win in Split plus an England slip means chaos; a Czechia shock at Wembley blows the group open. Two games, one night, the group decided live. Book Tuesday now — TV, pubs, full focus. The break ends here.

Tonight first: France vs Belgium

Before Tuesday, Monday: France vs Belgium at the Stade de France (evening) — first vs second in Group A1, the derby that decides the autumn’s other group. France (7 points: Mbappé’s Turkey opener, Olise’s 89th-minute Brussels winner, the 1–1 Italy draw with Upamecano sent off) chase a first home win under Zidane; Belgium (flying from 3–0 in Liège, De Bruyne coming) chase the summit. A sold-out atmosphere is expected, tickets from €35. Watch it as the curtain-raiser: Super Saturday’s fallout, Monday’s derby, Tuesday’s deciders. October’s international fortnight at full volume — then the leagues return and the autumn begins properly.