2-1 upset! European Cup Cold: Croatia lost 2 in a row, 21 years of humiliating record was born
The European qualifiers continue as matchday arrives in Group D with a crucial match match for Croatia travelling to Wales, with a three-point gap between the two teams. In this match, Harry Wilson scored twice, Pasalic scored the savior, Wales narrowly beat Croatia 2-1, sending the opponent to two consecutive defeats.
Croatia lost to Turkey in the last round, Dalic used the 4-3-3 system, Livakovic guarded the last line of defense, Barisic, Gvadior, Vida and Juranovic were the back four, Modric, Brozovic and Kovacic remained three midfielders, and Brecano, Moussa and Mayer formed a trident of strikers.
Since Bale's retirement, the Welsh squad has become star-studded, but there are still players familiar to fans such as Ben Davies, Harry Wilson and Ampadu.
In the first half, Croatia had the best possession, but unfortunately there was a top midfielder, but the forward line was not strong, and it was difficult to create a threat. Wales' attack was also thunderous and rainy, with both teams not playing a decent fit for the first 45 minutes, heading into the dressing room with a 0-0 scoreline.
This is an acceptable result for Croatia, as long as they are unbeaten in this round, they can secure the top two places in the group and take the initiative to qualify for the European Championship main stage. On the other hand, the home team is a road to Huashan, and the draw is meaningless for Wales, they are undoubtedly the more anxious side.
Croatia made successive substitutions, with strikers Pasalic and Berio coming off the bench, but it was Wales who scored. In the 47th minute, the goalkeeper kicked off the attack, David Brooks picked out the pass with his back, Harry Wilson carried Vader, and the shot from inside the box was 1-0!
In two consecutive matches, Croatia have conceded goals due to counter-attacks, Modric smiled wryly, and the disappointment of the Real Madrid superstar was overflowing.
In the 60th minute, Daniel James crossed from the left and Harry Wilson scored twice with a header into the far corner before Vader, giving Wales a 2-0 lead.
Manchester United's veteran assisted Liverpool's old goal, and such a scene is magical. This goal conceded also pushed Croatia to a desperate situation. Until the 75th minute, Croatia corner kick attack, Pasalic in front of the goal header to score, the score to 1-2!
Unfortunately, Croatia failed to equalize for the rest of the game and could only accept a 1-2 defeat. Croatia's two-game losing streak, combined with Turkey's 4-0 win over Latvia at the same time, meant the Plaid Army were six points away from the top of the table. Wales won the crucial battle to equalise Croatia in points and move up to third place in the group, keeping their hopes of promotion.
Croatia's unbeaten run against Wales since 2002 has been broken. However, Croatia don't have to worry too much, they have two games to go, Armenia and Latvia are not strong, and they finish runners-up in the UEFA Nations League and can participate in the play-offs if they don't go straight through.