Spain launched their UEFA Euro 2024 campaign in emphatic fashion, dispatching Croatia 3-0 at the Olympiastadion Berlin in a one-sided Group B encounter.expand_more La Roja dominated possession and peppered the Croatian goal with chances, securing a comfortable victory thanks to a first-half goal blitz.expand_more
Croatia started brightly, but their attacking intent was quickly extinguished by Spain’s slick passing and controlled build-up play. Álvaro Morata opened the scoring in the 29th minute, expertly heading home a pinpoint Dani Carvajal cross.expand_more Just three minutes later, Spain doubled their lead through Fabián Ruiz.expand_more The Napoli midfielder finished a flowing team move with a composed side-footed finish after a clever one-two with Ferran Torres.exclamation
Croatia struggled to create clear opportunities against a resolute Spanish defense. Their best chance fell to Andrej Kramarić just before half-time, but his header sailed over the bar.exclamation The deficit only grew larger on the stroke of halftime when Carvajal netted his first international goal. The right-back met Koke’s free-kick with a powerful header that left Dominik Livaković with no chance.exclamation
The second half was a quieter affair, with Spain content to control the tempo and manage the game. Croatia showed a slight improvement in attack but lacked the cutting edge to trouble Unai Simón in the Spanish goal. Luis Enrique introduced youngsters Nico Williams and Yeremy Pino late on, giving them valuable experience on the Euro stage.
This dominant victory sends a strong message from Spain.exclamation Their possession-based approach proved too much for Croatia to handle, and they boast a potent attacking threat in Morata and Torres.expand_more With a win under their belt, La Roja will be looking to build momentum as they face off against upcoming opponents. Croatia, on the other hand, will need to regroup quickly and find a way to create more attacking opportunities if they are to progress from the group stage.
