In possibly the best match of the European Championship so far, Croatia beat defending champions Spain 2:1 to win the Group D. The result means Spain will now face Italy in the second stage of the competition.
Croatia recovered from an early Spanish goal and equalized through Kalinic in the 45th minute. This was the first goal Spain conceded in incredible 735 minutes in European Championships, and would not be the last. The Croatian team, forced to compete without key players Luka Modric and Mario Mandzukic, also had to fight off the sense of gloom after a planned provocation by its own supporters cost them their win against the Czech Republic.
Spain had a chance to seal the match when it was awarded a penalty, but Croatian goal-keeper Danijel Subasic denied Sergio Ramos. And then, in the dying minutes, Ivan Perisic, who provided the ball for the first goal, was now himself on target after a fast counter-attack along the left side.
"This team is like our nation. The players have shown how to represent your country and how to behave. I wanted to play the next match with really fresh players. It's a huge achievement, and now we can be even more self-confident", said Croatian coach Ante Cacic following the game.
Croatia won the group with 7 points, one ahead of Spain. Turkey is third with 3 points after beating the Czech Republic, which is last, with only 1 point it secured in its draw with Croatia. Groups E and D play on Wednesday, which completes the first stage of the championship.