Croatia secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Czechia after Luka Modrić opened the scoring, with Marco Pašalić’s late header proving decisive in a dramatic end.
Modrić struck within the forty seventh minute, seeing his effort take a deflection after Igor Matanović’s help. Czechia responded seven minutes later when Adam Karabec completed from Adam Hložek’s go to stage the competition.
Croatia continued to dominate possession and finally discovered the winner within the 77th minute. Ivan Perišić delivered a harmful cross and Marco Pašalić rose highest to move house and restore Croatia’s lead.
Czechia thought they’d equalised once more via Matej Radosta within the 79th minute, however VAR dominated out the aim for offside. The hosts continued pushing till the ultimate whistle, however Croatia held on regardless of late stress.
The victory comes after Portugal edged Croatia 2-1 on the 2026 World Cup, a outcome that despatched Portugal via to face Spain within the final 32. Cristiano Ronaldo scored from the penalty spot earlier than Gonçalo Ramos struck in stoppage time to settle a dramatic contest.
Participant Rankings
| Croatia Participant | Score | Czechia Participant | Score |
| Luka Modrić | 7.2 | Robin Hranáč | 6.7 |
| Marco Pašalić | 7.0 | Adam Karabec | 6.6 |
| Ivan Perišić | 6.8 | Štěpán Chaloupek | 6.3 |
| Igor Matanović | 6.3 | Lukáš Horníček | 6.1 |
| Ante Budimir | 6.1 | Adam Hložek | 5.6 |
| Josip Mišić | 6.1 | Matej Radosta | 5.9 |
| Mateo Kovačić | 6.1 | Václav Sejk | 5.1 |
| Joško Gvardiol | 6.0 | Pavel Šulc | 5.2 |
| Petar Sučić | 5.9 | Martin Subert | 5.2 |
| Franjo Ivanović | 5.9 | Alex Král | 4.9 |
| Nikola Vlašić | 5.7 | Michal Sadílek | 4.7 |
Match Statistics
| Statistic | Czechia | Croatia |
| Possession | 44% | 56% |
| Pictures on Goal | 5 | 2 |
| Pictures Off Goal | 6 | 1 |
| Blocked Pictures | 5 | 1 |
| Corners | 1 | 6 |
| Offsides | 6 | 0 |
| Fouls | 6 | 9 |
| Yellow Playing cards | 2 | 1 |
| Throw-ins | 25 | 24 |
| Saves | 3 | 1 |
Croatia’s victory was finally determined by their larger effectivity, with Modrić’s expertise and Pašalić’s late header making the distinction in a carefully contested encounter.
