Croatia produces a masterclass vs Holland
The first match of the Uefa Nations League semi finals kicked off yesterday. Netherlands took on Croatia for a place in the finals. Croatia managed to make a comeback to win the match 4-2 and reach their first Nations League final. Futbol Mundial brings you the best moments from the match and more analysis on Netherlands and Croatia.
The Croats proved too hot to handle for the dutch
Croatia managed to make a comeback after the Dutch took the lead in the 34th minute. Croatia was on the verge of not letting the match go to extra time however the Dutch managed to equalize. The Croats failed to clear a Dutch corner which resulted in the ball falling to Lang who equalized. Then in extra time a stunning goal from Petkovic who struck it from outside of the box gave them back their lead. They then managed to settle the match as Malacia brought down Petkovic with Modric then making it 4-2 from the spot. Croatia is yet to win a major international trophy and as Modric retires from international football it would be a good way to bow out. He has fallen short many times with Croatia especially in the last two world cups where they were close to glory.
Netherlands endure another international failure
The Netherlands fell short yet again as Croatia proved to be too much for them to handle. Netherlands was hoping to win the trophy but they fell short. Their only major trophy in international football remains to be the Euro 1988. Netherlands had plenty of confidence as they took the lead through Malen. Then once Lang had equalized they thought they could still stand a chance of reaching the final. This will without a doubt go down as another Dutch failure as they have so much talent but delivered so little. Their recent failure is when they fell short to Argentina on penalties in the world cup. The Dutch managed to get back into the game after being 2-0 down thanks to a Weghorst brace. In 2019 they also lost to Portugal 1-0 in the Nations League final.
Can Modric guide Croatia to their first international trophy
With Croatia now in the final they are now the tournament’s favorites. It will however be no easy task as they await the winner of Spain vs Italy. Croatia have arguably the best midfield with Modric, Kovacic and Brozovic proving to be instrumental for the Croats. They are not short of quality in attack either with the likes of Petkovic who helped knock out Brazil, Pasalic and Kramaric as well. If they end up facing Spain who are the favorites they will want revenge for the Euro 2020 round of 16 clash. The Spaniards managed to beat Croatia 5-3.
