England hand Croatia record defeat before UAE’s Oman semi-final

Zlatko Dalic was dealt a painful reminder of his former side’s fortunes shortly before the United Arab Emirates faced Oman in the semi-finals of the Arab Gulf Cup “Khaleeji 27”.

Croatia suffered a record 7-0 defeat by England in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday, around half an hour before the UAE’s last-four meeting with Oman at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium in Jeddah.

The result came in the third round of Group C, with England producing a dominant display to secure a comprehensive victory over Dalic’s former team.

According to Stats Foot, the scoreline represented the heaviest defeat in Croatia’s history.

“Croatia have suffered the biggest defeat in their history against England (0-7),” the statistics network posted on social media.

The result was particularly significant for Dalic, who left his position as Croatia manager only three months ago. He was replaced by fellow Croatian Slaven Bilic, while Dalic moved into international management with the United Arab Emirates.

Dalic spent nine years in charge of Croatia, having taken over in 2017, and oversaw the most successful period in the national team’s history.

Under his management, Croatia finished runners-up at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and claimed third place at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The heavy loss to England therefore came soon after the end of Dalic’s long tenure, while he prepared to lead the UAE into their decisive semi-final against Oman in the Gulf tournament.