The first match of EURO 2024 Group B was anticipated to be a close encounter, but Spain swept Croatia aside in dominant fashion at Berlin’s Olympiastadion.
Spain
Unai Simón – 6
Simón’s misplaced pass inside his own box led to a penalty being conceded, which was saved and scored on the rebound before being ruled out. Made a couple of decent saves throughout.
Dani Carvajal – 7
The experienced 32-year-old netted his first goal for his country and was a calm presence in the backline.
Robin Le Normand – 5
The Real Sociedad centre-back failed to win a single ground duel in what was an underwhelming defensive display against a rather unthreatening Croatia.
Nacho Fernández – 6
Defended well throughout the match, whilst also passing the ball in impressive fashion.
Marc Cucurella – 7
His brave block on Stanišić’s shot ensured La Roja maintained a clean sheet in Berlin. Won the majority of his duels, both on the ground and in the air.
Rodri – 7
A classic Rodri performance, as the Manchester City star suffocated a strong Croatia midfield and allowed them no joy. His penalty conceded was largely the fault of Unai Simón.
Pedri – 8
Controlled a very experienced middle of the park, ending the afternoon with an assist from three key passes and boasting 100% pass completion.
Fabián Ruiz – 9
It was an all-around wonderful display from the PSG midfielder, and his goal was a sight to behold. He duked one defender, duked another, and neatly placed the ball into Livaković’s bottom left corner. Sublime.
Lamine Yamal – 9
The 16-year-old made history as the youngest ever player to feature at the EURO Finals. His clever footwork was a treat to watch throughout, and an inch-perfect cross bagged him an assist to his name. Remember the name.
Álvaro Morata – 7
Became the joint-third top scorer at EURO Finals with an assured finish to open the scoring.
Nico Williams – 6
A rather quiet afternoon for one of Europe’s most exciting wingers as he failed to threaten a poor Croatia defence.
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Dani Olmo – 5
Replaced a brilliant Pedri, and failed to fill his boots, though wasn’t detrimental to his side’s performance.
Mikel Oyarzabal – 4
Touched the ball an entire seven times during his cameo, so it’s safe to say Oyarzabal was merely a spectator during the final 20 minutes.
Mikel Merino – 3
With just 11 touches of the ball, he committed two fouls, lost possession four times, and made five successful passes.
Martín Zubimendi – N/A
Ferran Torres – N/A
Croatia
Dominik Livaković – 5
Conceding three goals makes for a disappointing afternoon for any goalkeeper. A few good saves did prevent the deficit from being any greater.
Josip Stanišić – 5
Missed a glorious opportunity to pull one back for the Vatreni in the second half, and his defensive efforts were lacklustre.
Josip Šutalo – 6
Despite conceding three goals, Šutalo’s defending was the brightest spark of a dampened Croatia side.
Marin Pongračić – 5
The Lecce centre-back failed to make a positive impact alongside his partner.
Joško Gvardiol – 4
Manchester City’s man was better going forward than he was at the back, but his attacking efforts were still far from impressive for a player of his quality.
Luka Modrić – 4
Croatia’s star player had an afternoon to forget in Berlin, being completely out-performed by every La Roja midfielder.
Marcelo Brozović – 4
Brozović’s afternoon was similar to that of Modrić‘s: lacklustre. Failed to gain any sort of control on the match.
Mateo Kovačić – 6
Was Croatia’s brightest spark in the middle of the park, with a handful of moments of top quality. Was let down by those around him.
Lovro Majer – 5
Almost got one back for his side, but his disappointing effort met the side netting. Had an otherwise uneventful afternoon.
Ante Budimir – 4
An impactless and unthreatening display from the 32-year-old saw him the first player to be substituted. Quiet.
Andrej Kramarić – 5
Rounded out a stale attacking display from Croatia. Something has to change going forward if the Vatreni want to go far this summer.
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Ivan Perišić – 4
He was brought on to try and change the game, but the Hajduk Split winger was ineffective and, at times, extremely poor.
Mario Pašalić – 4
The midfielder had no notable moments in a largely underwhelming cameo.
Luka Sučić – 4
Just like Pašalić, the Red Bull Salzberg man struggled to make an impact during his stint.
Bruno Petković – 5
Came on, won a penalty, missed a penalty, and scored the rebound – only for the goal to be ruled out due to encroachment. At least his afternoon was eventful.
