Key events
42 min: Lovro Majer pulls the ball across the Spain penalty area to Gvardiol at the far post. His low shot towards the upright goes through the hands of Simon and all it needs is a touch from Ante Budimir to pull a goal back for Croatia. From one yard out, he fails to make contact. That’s an awful miss.
40 min: There’s a short break in play so Pedri can receive treatment after shipping a ball in the face from a Mateo Kovacic shot.
36 min: A tip of the hat to Fabian Ruiz, who showed some nifty footwork before doubling Spain’s lead. He picked up the ball just outside the Croatia penalty area, jinked this way and that to give two defenders the slip and then wheeled away in celebration after his low shot was deflected past Livakovic.
35 min: Reeling after conceding two quick goals, Croatia go close to pulling one back. Brozovic’s low drive from distance is pushed away by Unai Simon and Lovro Majer is first to the ball. He can only hit the side-netting.
GOAL! Spain 2-0 Croatia (Ruiz 33)
Spain double their lead. Having created the first, Ruiz scores the second! His shot from inside the penalty area takes a deflection off Josip Sutalo and fizzes past Livakovic.
31 min: It was a fairly soft goal for Croatia to concede but Morata took it ever so well. Spotting a gap between Croatia’s centre-halves, Fabio Ruiz drilled a low ball towards it, Morataknew what was afoot and made no mistake.
GOAL! Spain 1-0 Croatia (Morata 29)
Alvaro Morata is played through on goal between Croatia’s two centre-backs and finds himself in a one-on-one with Livakovic. Anyone familiar with his work would bet the farm on him missing but he takes his time and calmly rolls the ball past the onrushing Croatia goalkeeper.
28 min: Interestingly, Yamal will become the youngest ever goalscorer at the Euros if he gets on the scoresheet today, while Luka Modric could become the oldest.
26 min: Lamine Yamal tries to take down a dropping ball near the byline but misses it completely and watches as it bounce out of play. I’m not sure what all the fuss is about – we could all do that when we were 16.
24 min: “Croatia have arguably been a team of aging veterans out for one last job since at least 2021, which makes this The Expendables 3, which has a fever dream of a cast list,” writes Kári Tulinius. “I wonder who on this Croatian team is Kelsey Grammer? Modric always seemed like more of a Niles Crane who’s good at football to me.”
23 min: Ante Budimir gets in front of Robin Le Normand to get his head to a decent cross from the right but is unable to steer his effort on target. It sails high and wide.
21 min: Croatia continue to grow into the game after weathering a Spanish storm that blew for the first 10 minutes. Aftert 10 goals in the games opening two matches, we’ve had little in the way of chances in this match so far.
19 min: Morata clips the heels of Croatia central defender Marin Pongracic and concedes a free-kick deep in Croatia territory.
17 min: Cucurella barges into the back of Lovro Majer to conede a free-kick a foot or two from the right side of the Croatia penalty area. Majer and Modric stand over the ball and it’s the former who tries to whip it into the box. His delivery is dreadful and Alvaro Morata heads clear. One suspects he won’t be taking the next free-kick Croatia win in a decent position.
16 min: Marc Cucurella wins the ball in midfield and threads a delightful diagonal ball past several Croatian defenders to pick out Lamal. His first touch is a poor one as he advances on goal and a half-chance goes to waste. Livakovic clears up at the back for Croatia.
14 min: Modric gets on the ball and plays it down the inside right channel. Play is switcherd to the right, where Josko Gvardiol is unable to prevent it from going out of play for a goal-kick.
10 min: Spain get a free-kick about 35 yards from the Croatia penalty area. Nico Williams tries to pick out a teammate but his delivery bounces harmlessly out of play for a Croatia goal-kick. The idea wasn’t bad but the execution left a lot to be desired.
9 min: Spain’s players are hogging the ball, penning Croatia deep inside their own half. It’s like watching Manchester City, except without the constant, nagging sense of scepticism.
7 min: Croatia try to play the ball out from the back and lose it. From the right flank, Lamine Yamal pulls it inside to Alvaro Morata lurking near the edge of the penalty area. The SPain captain’s low daisy-cutter is easily saved by Dominik Livakovic in the Croatia goal. Spain are comfortably bossing these early stages.
6 min: Dani Carvajal fails to clear the first man with a low cross and his delivery is booted clear by Marcelo Brozovic, who isn’t far from the near post.
3 min: At least not yet. Croatia’s fans are making all the noise in these early stages. Luka Modriuc and chums are nominally the “away” team for this match but might as well be playing in Zagreb.
2 min: Spain attack down the right with Lamine Yamal on the ball, then down the left with Nico Williams trying to get past Josip Stanisic. Not today, lads.
1 min: Spain win an early throw-in halfway inside their own half and moments later, their goalkeeper Unai Simon gets an early touch of the ball at his feet.
Spain v Croatia is go …
1 min: With Italy and Albania due to go toe-to-toe tonight, the opening match of Group B gets under way in Berlin with Spain’s fans vastly outnumbered by their Croatian counterparts. The side from eastern Europe get the ball rolling …
Not long now: The Olympic Stadium in Berlin is stuffed to the gunwhales as the players of both sides march out on to the pitch led by English referee Michael Oliver and his team of match officials. Kick-off is just a couple of anthems and the last of the pre-match formalities away.
Spain: The first name down on the Spain team sheet despite the fact some fans wouldn’t have within an ass’s roar of the side, Alvaro “Marmite” Morata will captain his country through this year’s Euros after yet another up-and-down season.
Spain: A 16-year-old who will be expected to spend hours of his downtime in Germany hitting the books and doing his school homework, Lamine Yamal is likely to play a significant role in any success his countryenjoy at this tournament. Sid Lowe reports …
Croatia: About to play at his fifth Euros and ninth major tournament, Luka Modric will be 39 in September but he isn’t ready to talk about swan songs just yet. Words: Aleksandar Holiga in Zagreb.
Croatia: Osasuna striker Ante Budimir starts up front for Croatia today. The 32-year-old “poor man’s Mario Mandzukic” has scored 20 goals for club and country this season.
Those teams: There are no surprises in the Spain side, with Nacho coming in for Aymeric Laporte, who is carrying a niggle. At 16 years and 322 days old, Lamine Yamal will become the youngest player in the tournament’s history.
The Croatia line-up is also much as expected. Ivan Perisic starts on the bench, while ANte Budimir starts up front, with Bruno Petkovic having to settle for a place among the substitutes.
Today’s match officials
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Referee: Michael Oliver
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Assistants: Stuart Burt and Dan Cook
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Fourth official: Anthony Taylor
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Video Assistant Referee: David Coote
A Euro 2024 innovation: captains are the only players allowed to speak to the referee about any decisions. Other players risk a yellow card if they approach match officials and show any sign of disrespect. It seemed to work well during the first two games ofg the tournament but let’s see how long that lasts.
Spain v Croatia line-ups
Spain: Simon, Carvajal, Nacho, Le Normand, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Fabian, Yamal, Morata, Williams.
Subs: Raya, Vivian, Merino, Joselu, Olmo, Torres, Grimaldo, Remiro, Laporte, Baena, Zubimendi, Oyarzabal, Jesus Navas, Lopez, Perez.
Croatia: Livakovic, Stanisic, Sutalo, Pongracic, Gvardiol, Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic, Majer, Budimir, Kramaric.
Subs: Erlic, Labrovic, Vlasic, Perisic, Mario Pasalic, Petkovic, Ivanusec, Sosa, Pjaca, Vida, Juranovic, Ivusic, Marco Pasalic, Sucic, Baturina.
Guardian Experts’ Network: Croatia
Can they repeat their frequent World Cup heroics at a Euros? Luka Modric will again be relied upon to lead an ageing but always dangerous side, writes Aleksandar Holiga.
Guardian Experts’ Network: Spain
Luis de la Fuente has built a young side around an experienced spine but can they recapture the glory years for La Roja? Words: David Álvarez and Juan I Irigoyen.
Early team news: Lamine Yamal is expected to start for Spain today and at the age of 16, the Barcelona winger will become the youngest player to take to the pitch in European Championship history. At just 14 years his young teammate’s senior, Aymeric Laporte is unlikely to be risked after missing training on Thursday with a soft tissue injury. Nacho will almost certainly deputise in the event of Laporte’s absence.
Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic has a full complement of players to choose from, although Ivan Perisic is unlikely to start. The Tottenham winger injured his cruciate seven months ago and in January went on loan to his hometown club of Hajduk Split, with whom he is expected to sign a one-year deal once his contract with Spurs expires later this month. The 35-year-old has not played a full 90 minutes since returning from injury in early April.
Group B: Spain v Croatia
The city of Berlin is the setting for today’s encounter between Spain and Croatia which, on paper at least, is one of the more mouthwatering clashes of these group stages, even if both teams will fancy their chances of advancing to the knockout stages, even if Italy and Albania may beg to differ.
While they are renowned for repeatedly punching above their weight on the world stage, Croatia’s record at the European Championship is not gread and they have never advanced beyond the quarter-finals of this competition. This year could be no excpetion, as Zlatko Dalic’s ageing side have the air about them of The Expendables regrouping for one last job but only a fool would write them off.
Having lost at home to Turkey and away to Wales in qualifying, their progress to these finals was not without its hiccups but they are here now and in Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo Brozovic, have a potential starting midfield trio with 372 caps between them.
Managed by Luis de la Fuente and skippered by Alvaro Morata, Spain come into these Euros with the whiff of scandal about them, its roots in the Luis Rubiales fiasco which followed the Women’s World Cup. With these issuses largely restricted to the corridors of power at the headquarters of the Spanish Football Federation, it’s to be hoped the efforts of their entirely blameless players were in any way tainted by association.
A healthy mix of youth and experience, they will be looking to whelpish young bucks such as Pedri, Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal, as well as older heads such as Jesus Navas, Rodri, Dani Carvajal and their captain to help steer them through these group stages with a minimum of fuss. Kick-off at the Olympiastadion is at 5pm (BST) but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.
