Croatia Defeat Spain 2-1 with a Late Goal from Ivan Perisic

Winger Ivan Perisic was the deciding player by providing one assist and later scoring the winning goal in the game that saw Croatia defeat Spain 2-1.

(Image credit: UEFA)

Alvaro Morata opened the scoring for Spain in the 7th minute of the game, which made spectators believe Spain was heading for another easy win. They were favourites to collect the three points from the match, per online sportsbook Bet365, however Ante Cacic’s men came back from behind to record a 2-1 victory mainly thanks to the efforts of Perisic.

(Check out Betting Herald’s online sportsbook section for more info on Bet365 Sports Review.)

Croatia had to make do without striker Mario Mandzukic and their influential midfield maestro Luka Modric, as both have sustained injuries against Czech Republic in the previous game. However, Mandzukic’s replacement Nikola Kalinic proved to be a good replacement by scoring the equalizing goal right before the break.

After David Silva went down in the box, Spain were awarded a questionable penalty in the 72rd minute of the match. La Roja captain Sergio Ramos took the responsibility, however he failed to convert the shot as goalkeeper Danijel Subasic made a crucial save for the Croats.

Some 15 minutes later, following an unsuccessful Spain attack, Croatia attempted a quick counter-attack that resulted in a wonderful strike from 27-year-old Perisic, with the assist being provided by the first goalscorer Kalinic. This effectively saw Croatia defeat Spain for the first time in 22 years, with the other encounters ending in 1 draw and 3 wins for La Roja – the last victory against Croatia being in Euro 2012’s group stage.

Since Spain finished their group in second place with 6 points (1 point behind leaders Croatia), they are scheduled to play Italy in the round of 16 (June 27), which is going to be a repeat of the Euro 2012 final. During that encounter, Spain defended their European title in glorious fashion by overcoming Italy with a massive 4-0 result. Online sportsbook Bet365 strongly favours La Roja to clinch another victory 2.10 (11/10), while assigning underdogs chances to Antonio Conte’s men 4.20 (16/5). A draw for the 90 minutes stands at 3.00 (2/1).

Rakitic might have to sleep on the couch when he goes back home to his Spanish wife Raquel Mauri…

Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic, who plays for Barcelona and even has a Spanish wife, commented on the level that Vicente del Bosque’s men play against their opponents. “When you play against the best team in the world, if you do not run as hard as you can, they will dance past you, as they did at times.”

“They caught us with the first goal, we left a lot of space,” conceded the 28-year-old, before adding that Croatia “deserved” victory over the defending European champions. “They are a team who can punish you very quickly, and they did without doing much. But we deserved it in the end, we left everything out on the pitch, and sometimes the effort you put in matches their quality.”

France once again favourites to win Euro 2016 after Croatia defeat Spain

Croatia’s odds of capturing their first-ever European title stood at 26.00 (25/1) at the beginning of the tournament, per online sportsbook odds. But after last night’s win over defending champions Spain – that saw them clinch top spot in Group D with 7 points – Croatia have become fourth favourites for the title 8.00 (7/1). Spain, who were the favourites before yesterday’s game, have been pushed down to third spot with odds of 6.50 (11/2). After briefly being replaced with Spain, France have reclaimed their position as the tournament favourites 5.00 (4/1), while Germany 5.50 (9/2) are second on the list of likely candidates for the title, per online sportsbook odds.

Belgium stand behind Croatia in the odds pecking order with chances of 9.00 (8/1), while England are sixth favourites 12.00 (11/1) to clinch the Henri Delaunay trophy. Roy Hodgson’s men were the best side in the qualifying campaign for the Euros as they’ve won all of their matches, however now at the actual tournament they’re yet to find their form.

Bet on Croatia at Euro 2016 with Bet365 Sports.