Croatia vs. Scotland
In the final matchday for Group D, Croatia beat Scotland 3-1 at Parken Stadium in Glasgow to earn a spot in the Round of 16, as they finish second in the table. Croatian Nikola Vlašić would score first in the 17th minute by volleying the ball from just the left of the penalty spot, down into the bottom left corner. Scotland would come back to tie things up in the 42nd minute, when Callum McGregor shot the ball, from the top of the box, through three defenders, and into the bottom left corner.
Croatian Luka Modrić would give Croatia the lead for the second time in the 62nd with an outside of the foot shot (trivela) that would bend into the upper left-hand side of the goal. 15 minutes later he gets his assist from a corner kick. He crossed the ball into Ivan Perišić, who would head the ball across goal, off of the right post, and into the goal to make it 3-1.
Modrić by far was the man of the match. He was the creator for his team and could not seem to make a mistake. As a midfielder, he takes the game to another level. His passes are accurate, his fakes are unexpected, and the calmness with which he moves, even when under pressure, is truly a sight to see.
I think that Scotland have nothing to feel bad about. As a team, they played their best game of the tournament in my opinion. They are a team who known for their defense and for their roughness. But today, they played just as well on offense, creating multiple chances, and were just unlucky that they could not finish their chances.
England vs Czech Republic
Sterling’s early goal gives England the 1-0 win against Czech Republic at Wembley Stadium in London. England now finish as top of Group D going into the Round of 16. Raheem Sterling would score in the 12th minute, when teammate Jack Grealish plays a nice chip into the box, which goes over everyone and Sterling ends up heading it in from about three feet away. The Czechs would have their opportunities to tie the game but would not be able to find the target.
England would control the game but are still only winning their games by a one-goal difference. I think that unless they work on finishing more of their chances, they are going to struggle when they face their next opponent which could be either France, Germany, or Portugal.
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Here are the final results for Group D:
- England————- 7 pts
- Croatia————– 4 pts
- Czech Republic— 4 pts
- Scotland———— 1 pts
Photo: Luka Modrić, from Shutterstock, taken by Alizada Studios