Croatia has secured a place in the eighth finals of the European Championship. The Croats won 3-1 against Scotland at Hampden Park, thanks to goals from Nikola Vlasic, Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic. In particular, Modric’s goal with the outside of his right foot was of great beauty and helped Croatia on their way in the second half. For Scotland, the European Championship is over after the defeat: the Scots finish with one point last in Group D.
Croatia and Scotland both kept one point from their first games against England and the Czech Republic, meaning that in the meeting on the last day of play at Hampden Park, only a victory for both teams was enough to reach the eighth final. Scotland got off to a furious start, carried by the Glasgow crowd, with Ché Adams putting Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic to the test early on. Despite the attacking spirit of the Scots, it was Croatia that took the lead for 17 minutes.
A high cross was cleverly put back by Perisic within the penalty area towards Vlasic. The attacking midfielder controlled the ball and shot the ball out of reach of Scottish goalkeeper David Marshall into the ropes. Scotland seemed momentarily taken aback by the goal of the Croats, who then also showed themselves through a shot from Modric. However, Scotland managed to equalize on the stroke of half-time. Croatia just got the ball away, after which Callum McGregor got the ball on the edge of the penalty area and punched it into the left corner.
The best chances in the first phase after the break were for Croatia, which came face to face with Marshall twice with Josko Gvardiol and Perisic. The Scottish goalkeeper came out on top both times. John McGinn was the first to appear on behalf of Scotland with a failed volley, but it was Croatia who regained the lead shortly after. Mateo Kovacic prepared the ball for Luka Modric, who made a fantastic hit from a meter at twenty with the outside of his right foot.
With 77 minutes on the clock, Croatia finally put an end to all of Scotland’s aspirations. A corner from Modric was placed by Perisic at the near post with the head in the far right corner behind Marshall. That goal puts Croatia in second place in Group D, as the Czech Republic is trumped on goal difference. As a result, the Croats will face the number two of Group E on June 28 in Copenhagen, where Sweden, Slovakia, Spain and Poland can still finish.
| No. | Team | m | W | G | V | +/- | Pnt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | England | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| 2 | Croatia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 3 | Czech Republic | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 4 | Scotland | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -4 | 1 |
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