Croatia needed to win this match to harbour hopes of qualification but the Czechs proved their mettle as they held the Croats to a draw in Glasgow to bolster their own chances of qualifying from Group D.
The Czechs went ahead courtesy of a penalty scored by Patrik Schick in the aftermath of a foul on the 25-year old by Dejan Lovren.
But Ivan Perisic levelled things up at the start of the second half as he scored his 29th international goal for Croatia to inspire his compatriots, only to see the Czechs hold on for a crucial point in Scotland.
Croatia & Czech Republic share the points after Ivan Perišić's second-half leveller.
Who will qualify? 🤔#EURO2020 | #CRO | #CZE
— UEFA Nations League (@EURO2024) June 18, 2021
FootTheBall takes a look at the events of the match in Glasgow between Croatia and Czech Republic as Group D offers a fascinating set of matches on the last matchday of the group stage in UEFA Euro 2020.
CZECH REPUBLIC SPRING A SURPRISE IN FIRST HALF
Czech Republic sprung a surprise in the first half that literally caught Croatia off-guard as the Czechs went ahead in the first half after seeing a dominant passage of play by the Croats.
Modric and company came into this match knowing that a win was crucial for survival in the group and even started the match in an impressive manner, but a Patrik Schick penalty put the Lokomotiva ahead as both sets of players headed into the tunnel at half-time.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CQG48Vqp8A5/
The Croats were left to rue missed chances as Ante Rebic had earlier missed a chance from close range and Ivan Perisic shot the ball inches wide of the goal post a couple of minutes later after Croatian captain Luka Modric squared the ball perfectly for the Inter Milan winger following a corner.
PATRICK SCHICK ON TARGET……AGAIN
The flashpoint of the first half came in the 33rd minute as both Patrik Schick and Croatian defender Dejan Lovren collided in the air vying for the ball and the Czech international suffered an injury to his nose that saw him bleeding profusely.
The referee went to the pitch-side monitor in the aftermath of their clash and awarded a penalty to the Czechs. Up stepped the 25-year old Bayer Leverkusen to take the decisive kick to become UEFA Euro 2020’s top scorer after receiving medical attention to stem the flow of blood from his nose.
🇨🇿 Schick sends Livaković the wrong way and becomes the top scorer at #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/nrpQGisYL0
— UEFA Nations League (@EURO2024) June 18, 2021
And he didn’t disappoint as the former AS Roma forward hoodwinked Livakovic into diving to his left as the ball went to the goalkeeper’s right and nestled in the bottom-left corner of the goal as the Czech Republic took another step towards qualifying for the knockout stage.
CROATIA START SECOND HALF IN FANTASTIC FASHION
If there was any doubt about Croatia’s quality in this tournament, it was dispelled at the start of the second half as Croatia drew level in the 49th minute. Inter Milan winger Ivan Perisic broke on a slaloming run on the left wing that ended with Croatia’s first goal at UEFA Euro 2020.
And it couldn’t have come at a better time for the Croats as it reinforced their belief in themselves and made a statement of intent that they weren’t taking Czech Republic lightly in the match.
BANG! 🚀
Perišić draws Croatia level with his 29th international goal 👏#EURO2020 | #CRO pic.twitter.com/Qv9prWpXGX
— UEFA Nations League (@EURO2024) June 18, 2021
The Croats were in desperate need of a goal to salvage their UEFA Euro 2020 campaign and Perisic inspired them by scoring an absolute screamer in the 49th minute of the match as the game became alive in Hampden Park in Glasgow.
CROATIA COME CLOSE BUT CZECH REPUBLIC HOLD ON
After Perisic’s goal early on in the second half, the Croats were instilled with newfound confidence as they looked to score the all-important second goal that would give them the precious lead.
But the Czechs held on as the match entered its closing stages to eke out a draw and earn an important point that, at the time of writing this article, sees them retain top place in Group D ahead of England’s match with neighbours Scotland later in the day.
The Croatians now face Scotland in their last group game while the Czechs come up against mighty England to round off the group stage matches of Group D
