29 minutes was all that the Croatian team managed to withstand before Spain scored three consecutive goals at the end of the first half, deciding the match early.
The Spanish team did not completely control the match, and some may think that the result was unfair, but there were simple details that controlled that confrontation. Let us review the most prominent of them below:
The Morata mystery continues
The Spanish star, who has always been a mystery to his country’s fans, was the one who started the match in today’s match and scored the first goal for La Roja.
Although the first goal was easy for any striker to score, if we calculate statistics regarding the fans of the Spanish national team who thought that Morata would score that ball, we will find that their number may be less than half.
Morata has not been at his best lately, and before the Euro, the fans wondered among themselves whether he should be started in the tournament, and names like Joselu and even Dani Olmo were traded to play as a fake striker.
But here is Morata, responding to all the doubts, and he was the reason for opening the scoring and opening the match against the stubborn Croatian team, which decided it in the first half.
A collapse that does not befit Croatia!
The poor levels displayed by the Croatian team after the first goal, especially on the defensive level, and the mental breakdown in dealing with the match does not befit a team that was in the semi-finals of the World Cup in the last two editions.
Poor positioning, incorrect passes, and improper handling of the ball. Even the balls that were shot at Unai Simon were not in his best condition, despite their danger.
In the end, Croatia lost the match in just five balls, three on goal and two balls on Spain’s goal that were not handled properly.
Unai Simon shines
Unai Simon was one of the key words in that match, and one of the reasons for Spain’s superiority, even though he sometimes had to deal with easy balls from the Croats.
The veteran goalkeeper prevented Croatia from taking the lead before Morata’s first goal, preventing them from equalizing several times, and also preventing them from coming back in the score and reducing the deficit.
In conclusion, Simon was a cog in Spain’s machine, which played a very good match and succeeded in sending a strong message to all teams participating in the tournament
Lamine Yamal…for the future
The young Catalan star appeared today as if he was a player who has been with the Spanish national team for decades, knows the secrets of European stadiums and has performed at great levels.
Against an experienced team like Croatia, Yamal created the third goal that completely killed the match at the end of the match, with a great pass that smoothly hit the defense lines and reached Daniel Carvajal, who had no problem scoring the goal.
Today, Yamal presented a wonderful version of himself, and not only was he the youngest to participate in the European Nations Cup finals, he also became the youngest to ever make any in the history of the tournament.
The bottom line
Spain did not excel completely. Rather, it had moments of superiority and brilliance and succeeded in exploiting them, while Croatia did not exploit its moments.
In conclusion, the Spanish team achieved what was required and obtained the three most important points in the group, with only one more victory, most likely, or a win and a draw separating it from the top spot
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