Croatia condemned Spain to their first European Championship defeat in 12 years as a 2-1 victory sent them into Euro 2016's last 16 as Group D winners.
Ivan Perisic was the tournament's latest last-gasp hero, marking his 50th cap with a virtuoso performance and an 87th-minute winner that means double-defending champions Spain will play Italy in the next round, having fallen to their first defeat in this tournament since a 1-0 reverse to Portugal at Euro 2004.
Both sides knew they would go through before kick-off, and the lack of tension made for an entertaining contest.
Alvaro Morata's return to Real Madrid had been confirmed earlier on Tuesday and the striker opened the scoring after just seven minutes, but Nikola Kalinic netted the first goal Vicente del Bosque's side had conceded in 735 minutes of European Championship action to level the scores before half-time.
Spain captain Sergio Ramos - who became his country's most-capped outfield player on his 134th appearance - had a second-half penalty saved, but they rarely looked anywhere near their best and Perisic scored a breathtaking goal in the closing stages.
A heavy police presence among Croatia fans also thwarted any potential trouble, with officials claiming pre-match that referee Bjorn Kuipers could be under threat as protests against the country's football federation rumble on.
Croatia were assured of their place in the last 16 as a result of Northern Ireland losing 1-0 to Germany, and a side showing five changes were quickly shredded by a fit, firing and unaltered Spain attack.
No comments:
Post a Comment