England and Croatia Play to Uninspiring 0-0 Draw in UEFA Nations League

England and Croatia played out a 0-0 stalemate in a behind-closed-doors UEFA Nations League clash on Friday at the Stadion HNK in Rijeka.

The Three Lions had the better of the chances overall as Eric Dier and Harry Kane hit the woodwork while Marcus Rashford was denied twice in quick succession by Dominik Livakovic, but they failed to make their opportunities pay.

The result leaves both teams with their first point in Group A4, five points behind Spain.

England Hurt as Much as Croatia with Empty-Stadium Punishment

The match was played behind closed doors as a punishment handed down to Croatia by UEFA after a swastika was marked onto the pitch in a 2016 match with Italy.

That it would hurt Croatia was not in doubt, but with England fans also prevented from attending—though it did not stop a small cluster of fans gathering on a hill overlooking the venue—both sides were equally affected by the total atmosphere vacuum inside the stadium.

ESPN FC's Michael Cox and the Guardian's Sachin Nakrani had fun with it early on:

There was little fun to be had on the pitch, though, as both teams struggled to muster any urgency or intensity in the silence, and the match often resembled a training match instead of what should have been a competitive international.

As sports reporter Ian Abrahams and OptaJoe demonstrated, there was little excitement to speak of, particularly early on:

While England improved in the second half and had the chances to secure three points, the lack of vocal away support made life more difficult for them.

Given the punishment was aimed at Croatia, the Three Lions can feel aggrieved to have been made to endure the same disadvantage.

Impressive Jadon Sancho Should Have Come on Earlier

Leicester City's Ben Chilwell made his England debut at left-back on Friday and thanks to a tidy performance he looks to have a good chance of competing for caps with Luke Shaw and Danny Rose, but fellow debutant Jadon Sancho was the one who really caught the eye.

The 18-year-old starlet was one of several impressive young talents available to manager Gareth Southgate on the bench:

Given his effectiveness for Borussia Dortmund this season, it came as little surprise that Southgate opted to deploy him as he sought to secure three points late on.

Sancho was brought on for Raheem Sterling in the 77th minute, and though he was unable to conjure a fairytale winner, he quickly offered an impressive showcase of what he could do.

In his brief time on the pitch, the youngster twice showed left-back Josip Pivaric a clean set of heels with his electric pace and dribbling, and his subsequent ball into the box was agonisingly close to being met by Kane from close range.

Abrahams and ESPN FC's Mark Worrall rued the fact he was only brought on for the closing stages:

Indeed, he added a spark that had been lacking in England's play, and his exciting showing deserved the reaction of a live audience that wasn't there.

Had Southgate brought him on a little earlier, he may have been able to make the difference for the Three Lions.

He looked at home in the senior side, though, and it's clear there's plenty more to come from the youngster.

What's Next

England take on Spain in the Nations League on Monday, while Croatia will play Jordan in a friendly on the same day.