It wasn't a job well done for England; it was a rather flat, static performance, the opposite of what was seen from the Three Lions in the autumn set of UEFA Nations League fixtures.
Less on the front foot, too passive, nervous in defence and likely saving their legs for what, in the players' minds, is a bigger game in Madrid on Sunday night.
Two gifted goals gave England the three points, but it wasn't a particularly world-beating performance, more so a quick three points and a focus on their final game coming up in the group stages.
Makeshift centre-back pairing a worry
No Ezri Konsa or Marc Guehi due to injuries, with Dan Burn and Jarell Quansah as the two starting centre-backs. Lewis Hall and Trent Alexander-Arnold as the full-backs.
Nervousness at the beginning; lacked stability and control, with a few worrying moments on the ball. Once England had the lead, it quietened down, although a concern remains with Alexander-Arnold and his hesitancy to get the ball out quickly, given he nearly gifted Croatia a goal.
It's well known that the defence is a major concern for the Three Lions, and there still seems to be no fix. Jarell Quansah had the simplest of clearances, but headed it back towards Jordan Pickford and handed Luka Sucic an equaliser.
England got lucky with a penalty at the other end, which Harry Kane dispatched. But they were never out of danger; Burn nearly got caught out twice, and was fortunate Nikola Vlasic dragged his shot wide.
It could have been 2-2 from a set piece, but England's defence got lucky again, and Ante Budimir couldn't get his header on target.
Croatia had a good spell of chances, largely due to England's problematic defending.
They play Spain on Sunday, who easily exploited their backline problems when they lost 3-2 at Wembley; they won't be as wasteful as Croatia were tonight.
They conceded 13 shots against the Croatians, which they got away with; it could be a repeat of the game at Wembley, especially if Burn and Quansah aren't taking care of their lines.
England in second gear
It wasn't the exciting attacking performance England showed in their September slate of Nations League matches. It was rather slow, static and flat.
They were capable of playing at a higher tempo, as when Declan Rice and Morgan Rogers combined to set up Kane through on goal, but his shot was blocked.
But much of their game remained in second gear, and they claimed the three points from two bad moments of Croatian defending. That was likely the aim all along for those players: get out with a positive result and set up a crunch clash in Madrid.
Speaking of Madrid, they looked ahead to a much bigger game to come, preserving their energy for what is now the group decider.
Only if England lost 7-0 tonight would that have stopped them from reaching the quarter-finals. It's like when Ferrari turns the engines down during their practice sessions on a race weekend; that's what England's performance looked like.
Blockbuster match against Spain awaits
Three points and a win, with England setting up a rematch with World Cup winners Spain. The Three Lions played entertaining and excellent football back at Wembley in September, attacking the World Champions.
However, they were undone in key moments, as Kane missed his penalty and their defence was breached.
The Three Lions have a clear target and ambition, and they are closing the gap to the elite nations.
They defeated France in the third-place playoff, but the stakes were very low, and there wasn't much seriousness about the game overall, as both teams had been knocked out in the World Cup semi-finals.
Sunday night at the Estadio Metropolitano will offer a better look at where England are when it comes to playing these other elite sides, and whether they are any closer to reaching their targets in a more competitive setting.
