The match between Spain and Croatia had already achieved its historic value from the kick-off. Lamine Yamal became the youngest footballer to ever play in a European Championship. The FC Barcelona winger is 16 years old. To be precise, he turned 16 years and 338 days on Saturday.
A highly gifted player who is breaking one record after another. Youngest goalscorer in the Primera Division, youngest national player, youngest goalscorer in the Selección. All age-related records that could soon be extended by a spectacular mark. The day before his 17th birthday, the final of the European Championship will take place in Berlin, and Yamal could then become the youngest European champion in history.
Anything but an impossible scenario after the strong start to the tournament by the Spanish. Co-favorite Croatia was beaten 3-0 to a degree that hardly anyone had expected. And certainly not the numerous Croatian fans who created an atmosphere in the Olympic Stadium like that in Zagreb.
Much respect
It was loud. Loud and hectic. Before the game there were some chaotic scenes, entrances were not clearly marked, and the result was crowding and an aggressive atmosphere in front of the gates.
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However, there was not much going on on the pitch at first. Both teams showed respect for each other, as could be expected. Group B is considered to be the strongest in the preliminary round, with Spain and Croatia joined by European champions Italy and the unpleasant, but much improved, outsider Albania.
Spain and Croatia have faced each other several times in the recent past. A little over a year ago they played in the final of the Nations League, which Spain won on penalties. The legendary eight-goal round of 16 match at the last European Championship is unforgettable, with Spain winning 5:3 after extra time.
Little to nothing happened in Berlin in the first half hour. It was only a flash of inspiration from Fabian Ruiz that changed the course of events. His pass into the gap between the Croatian central defence was so graceful and precise that it was inevitably reminiscent of Toni Kroos. Ruiz’s pass reached Alvaro Morata, who ran a few metres and then confidently slotted the ball in to take the lead.
Suddenly the previous boredom turned into a hell of a pace. Mateo Kovacic could have equalized immediately, but his shot was too poorly placed. Fabian Ruiz did better, fooling several defenders in the opponent’s penalty area and carefully converting to make it 2-0. Lamine Yamal initiated the situation with a pass to Pedri. The 16-year-old was even the direct provider of the third Spanish goal, and Dani Carvajal quickly pushed his cross over the line.
Within 15 minutes, this top match had degenerated into a one-sided affair, although the Croatians had had opportunities to go into the break with a goal. Lovro Majer missed the best chance from a tight angle.
A key difference was not only the effectiveness, but also that everything happened at a faster pace for Spain. The Iberians were quicker to act, they acted, while the Croatians often only reacted. This was reflected in the stands, the deafening noise from the Croatian block diminished more and more as the game progressed. The fans did not believe in a comeback and Croatia’s coach Zlatko Dalic seemed to agree.
After just over an hour, he took his two most famous players off the field. Manchester City’s Mateo Kovacic went down, as did captain Luka Modric, who had been the loser of the game up until that point. From the bench, Modric saw Bruno Petkovic’s penalty shot initially fail to beat Unai Simon. The rebound landed at Ivan Perisic’s feet, who passed across to Petkovic and the score was 1:3 (77′). But only for a very short time. The video assistant complained that Perisic had run into the penalty area too early for the penalty. A very petty decision.
Things were no longer exciting, and Spain’s coach Luis de la Fuente, confident of victory, ordered one of his best players off five minutes before the end of regular time. Lamine Yamal was able to watch his record-breaking game from the bench.
