Euro 2024 Qualifiers: Two Kovačić Goals Bring Croatia Away Victory against Turkey
-
Loading... - Francesco Ricci
- 30 Mar 2023
- 66 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
After drawing against Wales at Poljud on Saturday, Croatia beat Turkey in the second round of the EURO 2024 qualifiers.
Croatia and Turkey met in Bursa on Tuesday for the second round of EURO 2024 qualifiers. This was Croatia's last match before the Nations League finals, which is held this June in Rotterdam.
Coach Zlatko Dalić lead Croatia tonight for the 72nd time, which ties him with the undisputed record holder Miroslav Blažević.
Croatia and Turkey had played ten times so far before this match. Croatia's first victory in a major competition was against Turkey (Euro 1996), but perhaps also the biggest shock - losing on penalties in the EURO quarter-finals in Austria and Switzerland in 2008.
Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić made three changes in the starting lineup. Josip Stanišić, Borna Barišić, and Mario Pašalić entered the starting 11 instead of Josip Juranović, Borna Sosa, and the injured Marko Livaja.
Lineups
TURKEY: Günok, Celik, Söyuncu, Demiral, Kadioglu, Kökcu, Calhanoglu, Özcan, Ünder, Ünal, Aktüroglu
CROATIA: Livaković, Stanišić, Šutalo, Gvardiol, Barišić, Modrić, Brozović, Kovačić, Pašalić, Perišić, Kramarić
The match started at 20:45 in front of nearly 40,000 fans. Around 1500 Croatia fans were in attendance.
Brozovic lost the ball in the penalty area in the 5th minute, forcing Livakovic to make a quick save to keep Turkey from taking an early lead. Livakovic had to save the day not even five minutes later after a Sutalo slip allowed Turkey to get a shot off. And in the 11th minute, a Turkey goal was called offside.
Croatia started waking up shortly after and pushed into Turkey's half. Stanisic got a shot off wide of the goal in the 16th minute. Read More…
