Friday June 18, 2021
Draw against the Czech Republic
Croatia before the end of the European Championship despite Ivan Perisic
Vice world champion Croatia is still waiting for a victory at the EM. Against the Czech Republic it is only enough to draw in a manageable game in Glasgow’s Hampden Park. The Czech Republic, on the other hand, is almost certainly in the round of 16.
With a blood-smeared nose, Bundesliga striker Patrik Schick Czech Republic shot towards the round of 16 at the European Football Championship and put the still winless Vice World Champion Croatia even more into trouble. The Bayer Leverkusen attacker scored the 1-1 (1-0) in Glasgow with his third tournament goal with a penalty kick (37th minute) to take the lead, which ex-Bundesliga professional Ivan Perisic (47th) equalized. The draw helps the Czech Republic (4 points) significantly more than the generally honest Croatians, who only have one point on their account and must absolutely win the final group game against Scotland.
Inspired by the 2-0 opening win against the Scots, the Czechs did not hide on the defensive, but played courageously forward from the start. The favored Croatians seemed surprised by the offensive direction of the opponent and found it extremely difficult to stage creative attacks. The ex-Frankfurt Ante Rebic, who acted as a storm tip, was largely in the air. Andrej Kramaric from Bundesliga club TSG 1899 Hoffenheim was not a factor at all and was replaced in the second half.
Croatia overslept the initial phase
Unlike the Czechs, who played a lot on the wings and brought the Croatian defense into trouble one or the other time. The best chance in the early stages was Schick (18th), who scored in the Scotland game from over 50 meters. The Bayer Leverkusen attacker didn’t hit the ball fully, so Croatia’s goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic had no trouble. Perisic’s first shot on goal of the 2018 World Cup runners-up came after 23 minutes from a corner. The harmless attempt of the midfielder, who previously played for Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga, did not pose any problems for Tomas Vaclik in the Czech goal.
After a few minutes of idling, the Croatians caused the next upset – albeit involuntarily. After a corner kick, defender Dejan Lovren met Czech striker Schick with his elbow in the face in a dogfight. According to the video images, referee Carlos Del Cerro Grande from Spain decided on a penalty, which Schick safely converted after a short treatment with a bleeding nose.
According to the regulations, the 25-year-old was allowed to stay on the field despite the wound to take the penalty kick because he suffered it as a result of a physical offense for which the opponent was warned and he was also designated as the penalty kick. Otherwise, Schick would have had to leave the lawn to stop the bleeding for good. Just 120 seconds after the well-deserved Czech leadership, Croatia had a huge chance to equalize quickly. But Rebic, who is now earning his money at AC Milan, shot wide of the gate from close range.
Much better aimed shortly after the restart Perisic, who hit the far corner after a quick free kick from the left position. However, the Czechs were unimpressed and remained the more active team. Toma? Soucek (52nd) tried from distance, but just missed the goal. A Schick header (61st) was also not precise enough. The Croatians were better in the game than before the break, but were hardly dangerous. Only a shot by substitute Nikola Vlasic (72nd), which went past by a few centimeters, caught the Czech’s breath for a moment. Overall, however, the team, peppered with many first-class individualists, presented a largely disappointing performance.
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