Croatia have overcome Spain and finished atop Group D with a 2-1 victory at the Matmut Atlantique stadium in Bordeaux on Tuesday evening.
The Spaniards were unchanged while the Croatians missed the services of Luka Modric, as well as Mario Mandzukic.
It was the reigning champions whom pressed from the opening whistle and were rewarded with an early lead. A sublime David Silva pass weaved through the opposition defence which found Cesc Fabregas whom struck past goalkeeper Daniel Subasic with Alvaro Morata on hand to tap in the goal.
However, to the credit of Croatia, they continued to press and challenge on every opportunity with the squad favouring coming forward on the counter.
It was indeed it was from this pressure that the Croatians were able to equalise. Ivan Perisic’s corner was flicked on with the slightest touch by Ivan Rakitic which found Nikola Kalinic whom converted.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
Croatia continued to find their momentum in the second term with several opportunities but it was their opponents whom had the best chance of the half when Sergio Ramos’ free header travelled wide of the far post.
Despite coach Ante Cacic’s men pulsating forward, it was Spain whom were awarded a somewhat controversial penalty when David Silva appeared to be brought down in the area.
It was Ramos again whom look set to convert from the spot yet the strike was saved by an alert Subasic.
Croatia were eventually rewarded for their stealth and efforts with Ivan Perisic slotting away the winning goal to hand Spain their first loss for the tournament and his side’s first win against the La Roja since 1994.
Croatia
Daniel Subasic – 6.5: Consistent when needed, including saving a Ramos penalty but could do nothing to prevent the opener.
Darijo Srna – 7: Hard working in defence as well as attack with the Croatian veteran eager to get forward.
Vedran Corluka – 6.5: Fantastic and consistent defending whom encouraged Croatia to play a tighter defensive game.
Tid Jedvaj – 6.5: Excellent defending of Morata, ensuring he saw minimal space and time on the ball.
Sime Vrsaljko – 6-: A great all round performance and seemed to be everywhere on the pitch.
Marko Rog – 6: The youngster highlighted his talent by continually running at and around the Spanish defence.
Milan Badelj – 6: Despite the fact he conceded a questionable penalty, he was consistently working tirelessly from box to box.
Ivan Perisic – 9: The goal scorer was involved in most of the attacking plays for his country with his cross resulting in the equaliser. Generally hard working, he was a continual threat to the La Roja defence.
Ivan Rakitic – 9: The importance of the Barcelona star was crucial in light of the absence of Modric and Mandzukic. He guided his squad and pressed for every ball, while his touch allowed Kalinic to score the equaliser. Additionally his set pieces were sublime.
Marko Pjaca – 6: The youngster proved to be a handful for the Spanish defence weaving his way in behind the defence.
Nikola Kalinic – 8: The replacement for the injured Mario Mandzukic did his job to perfection, not only scoring the equaliser but by being consistent in his passing.
Substitutes:
Mateo Kovacic- 4: Replaced Marko Rog in the final ten minutes of play but did not particularly influence the eventual win for his side.
Duje Cop- N/A
Andrej Kramaric – N/A
Spain
David De Gea – 3: Off the pace during the match, highlighted by his failure to pass out from the back which nearly resulted in a Rakitic looping goal. Also could have done more to save the Perisic goal at the near post.
Juanfran – 5: Average on the park for the Atletico Madrid star but was useful in both defence and when transitioning to attack.
Gerard Pique – 3: The normally on song defender was inconsistent and his play riddled with errors and lapses in concentration.
Sergio Ramos -3: Like his compatriot Pique his usual solid defending was not up to scratch and allowed gaps to open up for the Croatians. His woes were compounded by a missed penalty.
Jordi Alba – 6.5: Covered a lot of ground for the La Roja and was key to their transition.
Cesc Fabregas – 6.5: Moved into dangerous areas and his strike allowed Morata to tap in the opening goal.
Sergio Busquets -3.5: Had the task of keeping an eye on club teammate Rakitic but failed to do so successfully. Additionally conceded possession on several occasions with wayward passes.
Andres Iniesta – 7: Ever the achiever, his presence was not as prominent as in the clash against Turkey but he was ever present weaving and passing balls.
CZECH REPUBLIC 0 TURKEY 2
David Silva – 7: Always a hard worker but was dangerous when on the ball. His movements allowed him to work into dangerous areas which is partially how Spain got the opener.
Alvaro Morata – 6: Had a few key chances but often his first touch let him down. Tucked home the opener after a lovely build-up.
Nolito – 5.5: Had an attacking mindset from the get go and had a few half opportunities yet his play was somewhat predictable as he loved to cut in from the right.
Substitutes:
Bruno Soriano- 4: Replaced Nolito in an attempt by coach Vincente Del Bosque to control the play unfortunately it did not work in his favour.
Aritz Aduriz – 5: The alternative attacking option to Morata and missed a few chances.
Thiago Alcantara – 4: Replaced Fabregas in the final ten minutes but did not do much in terms of creation.
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