Author: Shankhadeep Dey
Spain Goalkeeper Unai Simon’s heroics at the penalty shootout helped Spain seal victory over Croatia in the Nations League final. Simon made two decisive saves in the shoot-out after the two sides played out a lackluster goal-less game.
Source: Goal
Heartbreak for Modric
The defeat at the hands of Spain means Croatia’s veteran captain Luka Modric would have to wait for an illusive international trophy. He has been instrumental in the 2018 Fifa World Cup where he led Croatia to the final, eventually losing to France. The Nations League title would have capped the talismanic Modric’s exemplary career who has won numerous titles for Real Madrid, including five Champions Leagues, a feat that is unprecedented in the modern era.
A Tense Tie
The final promised an interesting battle as both Spain and Croatia reached the final after winning dramatic victories against Italy and Netherlands respectively. It was also a repeat of the 2020 Uefa Euro’s last-16 tie where La Rojas prevailed after the extra time.
However, the final saw the two teams cautiously battle out a rather uneventful goal-less draw in the first 90 minutes at Rotterdam’s De Kuip. While Spain had the lion’s share of possession, they lacked creativity and chemistry upfront, leaving Spain’s attacks, by and large, sterile for the most part. Croatia, on the other hand, looked more comfortable in possession under the experienced leadership of Modric, Mateo Kovacic, and Marcelo Brozovic.
With fifteen minutes remaining, Spain’s coach Luis de la Fuente brought in Joselu, who has been instrumental in their victory over Italy, a move that saw Spain becoming more confident in the attacking third. Substitute Ansu Fati missed a golden opportunity to seal it for his country in the closing minutes which forced the match to extra time.
Croatia’s Lovro Majer was tripped by Nacho in the 100th minute inside the penalty box in what could have been the game’s most decisive moment. However, referee Felix Zwayer was convinced that the latter made enough contact on the ball to rule out any possibility of a penalty.
Source: ESPN
Drama in the Tie-breaker
Athletic Bilbao’s Simon dropped an elite goalkeeping display as he saved twice from the spot. Lovro Majer’s missed kick presented Aymeric Laporte with a golden chance to win the tie but the latter hit the crossbar to leave it 4-4 after the initial five kicks. Simon rose to the occasion yet again as he saved another penalty from Bruno Petkovic and Real Madrid’s Dani Carvajal, eventually wrapping it up for Spain. “It was a very tight match, we knew we weren’t going to win easily,” Simon said to Reuters.
Spain lost the Nations League to France two years ago and were eliminated by Morocco in last year’s World Cup. The silverware would provide Spain with much-needed oxygen as the national team is going through a transition where many veterans are on the threshold of bidding farewell to the game. De La Fuente heaped praises on his players after the victory and expressed his confidence in the team’s future successes.
