Report from Euro 2024 as Spain ease to a 3-0 win over Croatia of their Group B opener; Alvaro Morata, Fabian Ruiz and Dani Carvajal had been on course for Luis de la Fuente’s aspect; Lamine Yamal impressed because the youngest participant within the competitors’s historical past
By Nick Wright, Remark and Evaluation @nicholaspwright
20:40, UK, Saturday 15 June 2024
Spain made a successful begin to Euro 2024 as they outclassed Group B rivals Croatia to assert a 3-0 victory at Berlin’s Olympiastadion.
Impressed by Barcelona phenomenon Lamine Yamal, making historical past because the youngest participant ever to characteristic at a European Championship – aged 16 years and 338 days, Luis de la Fuente’s aspect scored all three of their targets in a one-sided first half.
The primary two got here within the house of three minutes as captain Alvaro Morata buried a one-on-one probability from Fabian Ruiz’s incisive through-ball, earlier than the midfielder twisted and turned within the Croatia field and rifled house the second objective himself.
Morata as much as third in scoring charts
Alvaro Morata’s objective in opposition to Croatia put him joint-third within the all-time European Championship scoring chart on seven, behind solely Michel Platini (9) and Cristiano Ronaldo (14).
Picture:
Lamine Yamal is tracked by Josko Gvardiol
Yamal was concerned within the build-up to Fabian’s objective and offered the help for the third when his very good cross was poked in by Actual Madrid defender Dani Carvajal for his first worldwide objective, solely two weeks after he scored within the Champions League ultimate.
It is a restricted model of the story so sadly this content material shouldn’t be accessible.
Open the complete model
Croatia, led by 38-year-old Luka Modric, enjoying in his ninth main event, surprisingly had a better share of possession than Spain however their defensive sloppiness was ruthlessly punished and, on the different finish, they didn’t capitalise on their openings.
It is a restricted model of the story so sadly this content material shouldn’t be accessible.
Open the complete model
Marc Cucurella cleared a Josip Stanisic effort off the road within the second half and Croatia then noticed a late objective dominated out for encroachment after substitute Bruno Petkovic had received a penalty off Rodri following an error by Unai Simon, then scored from the rebound after the Spain goalkeeper saved his spot-kick.
Participant scores
Spain: Simon (6), Carvajal (8), Le Normand (7), Nacho (7), Cucurella (8), Pedri (7), Rodri (7), Fabian (8), Yamal (8), Williams (7), Morata (8).
Subs: Olmo (7), Merino (6), Oyarzabal (6), Torres (6), Zubimendi (6).
Croatia: Livakovic (5), Stanisic (6), Sutalo (6), Pongracic (6), Gvardiol (5), Modric (5), Brozovic (6), Kovacic (7), Majer (6), Kramaric (5), Budimir (5).
Subs: Perisic (6), Pasalic (6), Sucic (6), Petkovic (6).
Participant of the match: Lamie Yamal
The consequence represents a near-perfect begin to the event for Spain, the one concern being an obvious knock to Rodri which noticed the Manchester Metropolis midfielder substituted late on.
It is a restricted model of the story so sadly this content material shouldn’t be accessible.
Open the complete model
Star performer: Lamine Yamal excellent
At 16 years and 338 days outdated, Yamal smashed the youngest-player file beforehand set by Poland’s Kacper Kozlowski, who featured on the final European Championship aged 17 years and 246 days.
Picture:
Lamine Yamal excelled in opposition to Croatia
If that was not sufficient of a feat in itself, the precocious Barcelona winger went on to play an important function within the victory, inflicting issues for Croatia proper up till his 86th-minute substitution.
The spotlight of his efficiency was the scrumptious, diagonal cross to arrange the third objective however there have been loads of different eye-catching moments as he exploited the house behind Croatia left-back Josko Gvardiol to lethal impact, his pace, imaginative and prescient and one-on-one capacity shining by means of in an exhilarating show.
Evaluation: A brand new Spanish id?
This sport ended a run of 136 aggressive fixtures by which Spain have had extra possession than their opponent, relationship again 16 years to the ultimate of Euro 2008.
And but, regardless of solely having a 47 per cent share of the ball in opposition to Croatia, the win may hardly have been extra convincing, sealed throughout a scientific first-half exhibiting.
Picture:
Alvaro Morata is congratulated by team-mate Robin Le Normand after his objective
It’s only 18 months since Spain exited the World Cup with a limp penalty shoot-out loss to Morocco throughout which they made 1,000 passes and but solely mustered one shot on course, a statistic which summed up their struggles in turning possession into probabilities.
Watching this aspect on Saturday, although, a aspect that includes the 16-year-old Lamine Yamal on one flank and the 21-year-old Nico Williams on the opposite, was a really totally different expertise.
Picture:
Nico Williams takes on Josip Sutalo
As a substitute of directionless passing, there was incision, typified by the Fabian Ruiz through-ball that carved Croatia open for the opening objective, and the numerous moments when Williams and, to a good larger extent Yamal, sprang ahead following transitions.
Their pace and directness seems to have given Spain a unique dimension from different current tournaments. It could be at odds with their id however it’s one which makes them a harder opponent, and a greater wager to go deep this time round.
What they mentioned
Spain winger Lamine Yamal mentioned: “I am thrilled with the win, for my Euro debut and we’re all already excited about the following match.
“I am there for the coach and for the crew whether or not I play extensive, inside, whether or not I am attacking, creating or defending. No matter is required. We’re an environment friendly, hard-working crew and you’ve got seen months of exhausting work come to fruition right now.
“We’re a household, we’re very assured and the best way Dani celebrated his objective with me reveals that. Beginning with a win like this, in opposition to a rival like this, is essential for the crew. However we’re turning our minds to the following match already.”
Picture:
Croatia gamers present their dejection after the sport
Spain captain Alvaro Morata mentioned: “I believed we performed nicely. We put a terrific nationwide crew below huge strain. It is a template for the way now we have to method all our matches proper from the beginning.”
Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic: “My impression was that we withstood Spain’s preliminary strain within the first 10-Quarter-hour. After that, we took management, we had been higher and began creating some probabilities. However then we conceded a objective because of our mistake and weren’t capable of get again into the sport after that. It wasn’t good.
On the early substitutions of Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic, he defined: “Now we have two essential matches forward, in opposition to Albania and Italy. At that second, we had been shedding 3-0 and did not have many probabilities to show it round, so I made a decision to take them off.”
Stats: Story of the match
It is a restricted model of the story so sadly this content material shouldn’t be accessible.
Open the complete model
It is a restricted model of the story so sadly this content material shouldn’t be accessible.
Open the complete model
It is a restricted model of the story so sadly this content material shouldn’t be accessible.
Open the complete model
It is a restricted model of the story so sadly this content material shouldn’t be accessible.
Open the complete model
It is a restricted model of the story so sadly this content material shouldn’t be accessible.
Open the complete model
Thus far in Group B…
It is a restricted model of the story so sadly this content material shouldn’t be accessible.
Open the complete model
