Sterling makes the difference – Croatia second in the group

Compared to the disappointing draw against Scotland, Gareth Southgate made four changes to his starting line-up: Grealish, Maguire, Saka and Walker started for Foden, James, Mings and Mount. The Czech national team, however, played the last group game without any personnel changes.

After just two minutes, Raheem Sterling appeared free in front of Czech Republic goalkeeper Vaclik and tried to lob, but it hit the right post. The opening minutes were characterized by English offensive pressure, which ultimately resulted in a deserved 1-0 win for the Three Lions. After Sterling had previously forgiven, the Man City star was able to take the lead in the 12th minute after a Grealish cross. The Czech Republic lacks the necessary offensive means As a result, the Czech team was hardly able to move forward and England increasingly dominated the game. It took until the 35th minute for the Czech Republic to appear dangerously in front of the English goal for the first time, but Soucek's shot narrowly missed its target. This meant the well-deserved 45-1 remained after 0 minutes. Top scorer Harry Kane remained goalless again that evening. © APA/afp / MATT DUNHAM

In the second half the picture was initially the same. The English players, who were superior in terms of play, restricted the Czech defense and created chance after chance. However, from the 60th minute onwards, the Czech Republic was able to free itself a bit and met the English at eye level.

In the end, the second 45 minutes remained largely uneventful; the 1-0 win meant that England won the group. With seven points, the Three Lions prevailed over the equally victorious Croatians, and the Czech Republic qualified for the knockout round as third in the group. Goals out of nowhere – Croatia in the round of 16 The starting position was clear - both Croatia and Scotland urgently needed a win in order to qualify for the round of 0. While the Scots were able to convince with their passionate style of play, the Croatian runner-up world champion fell far short of expectations. After a 1-1 opening defeat against England and the weak 1-0 draw against the Czech Republic, the improvement in performance should follow against those who still remained goalless. Scotland tried to stay true to its values after a point after the first two games (2:0 vs. Croatia, 0:XNUMX vs. England).

Due to a positive corona test, Scottish national coach Steve Clarke had to do without Billy Gilmour, his “Man of the Match” from the last game against England (0-0). Stuart Armstrong moved into the starting line-up to replace the youngster. For the Croatians, however, coach Zlatko Dalic put his trust in a new quartet: Vrsaljko, Kramaric, Brekalo and Rebic gave way to Juranovic, Brozovic, Vlasic and Petkovic.

The Scots' gained self-confidence from the 0-0 draw in the “Battle of Britain” was particularly noticeable at the start of the game. The Bravehearts tried several times to be successful with high balls into the opponent's penalty area. The sudden Croatian lead was all the more surprising. After a cross from the right, Perisic rises high enough to extend the cross to Vlasic, who after briefly receiving the ball is able to net the ball into the bottom left corner. Every duel was hard fought. © APA/afp / ANDY BUCHANAN

As a result, Scotland was able to recover from the brief shock and once again competed against the apparent Croatian superiority. The Bravehearts' tireless effort resulted in some dangerous approaches, but the equalizer in the 42nd minute came, similar to before, during a period of pressure from the opponent. After a cross from Robertson, Vidas' attempt to clear the ball failed. McGregor finishes just before the penalty area and places the ball at the bottom left. Modric and Perisic lifted Croatia into the round of 16 In the second half there was once again a very passionate duel between the two teams, with each side having chances to take the lead. After an interesting exchange of blows in the first fifteen minutes, it was finally the former world footballer Luka Modric who was able to put his team in the lead again with a goal from sixteen meters with the outside of his foot (62nd).

Given the seemingly hopeless situation, there wasn't much to be seen of Scotland's offensive efforts; instead, Croatia pushed for the third goal. In the 77th minute, Modric takes a corner from the left into the Scottish penalty area, where Ivan Perisic can nod in to make it 3-1.

The 3-1 final score not only meant Croatia progressed, but the Croatians were even able to overtake the Czech Republic and qualify for the round of XNUMX as second in the group.

Tuesday's games , Group D

Croatia – Czech Republic 3:1 1:0 Vlasic (17th), 1:1 McGregor (42nd), 2:1 Modric (62nd), 3:1 Perisic (77th)

Czech Republic – England 0-1 0:1 Sterling (12.)

Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Winter sports

Tennis

Other sports

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

Sterling makes the difference – Croatia second in the group

On Tuesday there was a showdown in Group D for group victory. While England secured first place with their 1-0 win over the Czech Republic, Croatia took second place in the group with their win over Scotland in the parallel game.

Suggestions

Comments (0)