Croatia-Spain offers a sample of unpredictability that goes from the goalkeeper who gets beaten by a back pass from midfield to the defender who leaves the center of the area to go and quench his thirst until the ball is punctured. It ends 3-5 after extra time: Spain in the quarterfinals and Croatia runner-up in the world at home. Net of nonsense, it is a fair verdict. Spain starts as they know, Croatia waits and risks. Koke (16 ‘) and Morata (19’) are close to the advantage, but a minute later there is the first key episode: Pedri does not know what to do with the ball and puts it on his distant goalkeeper. Unai Simon lets it slip towards the door.
Croatia in the lead and moments of disarray for the red furies, who, however, find a draw in the fray. It is the technology that signals to the Turkish referee that on Sanabia’s shot the ball has crossed the goal line. Having found the balance and the fear passed, Spain seems to resume the initial discourse in the second half. Morata and his teammates gain meters and get their hands on the qualification first with Azpilicuileta leading, then with Ferran Torres, who takes advantage of the unjustified absence of the central defender: Gvardiol was on the sidelines to quench his thirst. On 1-3 Luis Enrique asks his team to control the match, but Croatia has the heart to try the feat. Orsic, who took over from a dead Rebic, reopens the match with 5 ‘from the end and Pasalic puts him back in a draw in full recovery. Back to the old script: Spain understands they can do it, while Croatia, after the changes, is too unbalanced. The decisive goal in the first extra time is from Morata, then Oyarzabal signs the final 3-5. The Croats try again, Budimir scares Simon. These are the latest flare-ups: Spain is in the quarters, Croatia comes out with their heads held high. –