In a spectacular round of 16, Spain knocked out runner-up world champions Croatia at the European Football Championship and is now one of the top eight teams in a major tournament for the first time since 2012. Luis Enrique’s young team lost a 3-1 lead in the final minutes of regular time. Thanks to goals from Alvaro Morata in the 100th minute and Mikel Oyarzabal (103rd), it was 5: 3 (3: 3, 1: 1) after extra time for the European champions from 2008 and 2012.
A memorable mistake by Spain goalkeeper Unai Simons initially led to the ninth own goal of this European Championship by Pedri, who was just 18 years old (20th minute). Pablo Sarabia (38th), César Azpilicuta (57th) and Ferrán Torres (77th) then scored for Spain. Mislav Orsic (85th) and Mario Pasalic (90th + 2) forced extra time in the Croatians’ strong final sprint, in which the Spaniards had the happier end to themselves. The three-time European champion will now play in Saint Petersburg on Friday against the winner of the game France against Switzerland for a place in the semi-finals.
Several thousand Croatian fans had already made the game a home game for captain Luka Modric’s team hours before kick-off in downtown Copenhagen. Coach Zlatko Dalic put the former Frankfurt Ante Rebic (Inter Milan) in the starting line-up after the failure of his record-breaking European goalscorer Ivan Perisic, who tested positive for the corona virus. The Croatians should have bet on Mislav Orsic from the start, whose substitution added drama to a game that had already been believed to be decided.
Unlucky Simon made up for his mistake from the first half
The Croatians have been steadily downhill since the 2018 World Cup final, which they lost to France: Ivan Rakitic and Mario Mandzukic resigned, tensions in the team between younger and older players, plus a certain tendency to rest a little too much on the great success.
The motto of the Spaniards was from the start: Have the ball as much as possible so that Modric doesn’t have it. The 35-year-old was the only Real Madrid professional on the pitch after Luis Enrique failed to nominate a single player from Los Blancos. The Croatians got into trouble for the first time in the 16th minute: The 18-year-old Barcelona talent Pedri tore open the opposing defense with a wonderful pass, but veteran Koke failed because of keeper Dominik Livakovic. The 1-0 for Croatia fell out of nowhere, which Spain goalkeeper Simon from Athletic Bilbao will certainly never forget: When Pedri returned from a long distance, the ball slipped over his foot into his own net. It was already the ninth own goal at this European Championship – as many as in all other finals before.
Suddenly Modric and Co. played forward, the Spaniards needed about a quarter of an hour to recover from the shock. But then they caused confusion again in the opposing penalty area, where the Croatians lacked the suspended defense chief Dejan Lovren – and used them: Paris professional Sarabia dusted off to equalize. With the Hoffenheim striker Andrej Kramaric as the joker, the Croatians went into the second half, but Azpilicueta headed another disorder in the back line to make it 2-1. Unlucky Simon made up for his mistake from the first half when he saved against the future Leipzig Josko Gvardiol (67th). Torres scored again for the efficient Spaniards when the Croatians were building something like pressure. But the vice-world champion saved himself after two more goals in extra time, where the opponent then took his chances.