Author: Amrit Santlani
Croatia faced the Netherlands at the Stadion Feijenoord “De Kuip” in Rotterdam on June 15, looking to secure a place in the UEFA Nations League final. Despite coming out on top, the Dutch team collapsed towards the end, with Zlatko Dalic’s men recording a comeback and winning the game 4-2. The final score could have been even more embarrassing for Ronald Koeman’s side had it not been for Justin Bijlow’s several saves at the end of the game.
Croatian captain Luka Modric had the ball in the back of the net in the 20th minute, but Mario Pašalić’s attempted overhead kick caught Nathan Ake and the referee gave the Dutch a free-kick. Shortly after the half-hour mark, Koeman’s side opened the scoring after a good team move, when Donyell Malen was on hand to beat Dominik Livaković at the back post.
The game remained 1-0 at half-time, but shortly after the restart, Cody Gakpo challenged Modric awkwardly and Croatia were awarded a penalty, which Andrej Kramaric slotted home to level the scores.
The confidence Dalic’s men gained from the opening goal was evident in their play, as the dynamic changed completely and they took the lead in the 72nd minute when Luka Ivanušec slipped a pass through to Mario, who fired home from close range to make it 2-1. Croatia turned the game around and continued to play the ball before the Dutch came to life in injury time.
In the final minute, Noa Lang struck from close range to restore equality once again, probably with the last kick of the game.
So the semi-final went to extra time and, just eight minutes after the restart, Bruno Petkovic hit a fine shot from outside the area to give his team the lead once again. Frenkie de Jong was almost guilty of scoring an own goal as Koeman’s side looked to have completely lost their way, but they narrowly managed to escape.
Steven Bergwijn’s shot was saved by Livakovic in the second half of extra time, and Lang failed to divert the rebound into the goal, missing a glorious chance before Croatia scored their fourth goal, further punishing the Dutch. Tyrell Malacia conceded a penalty after a rash tackle on Petkovic and Modric scored from 12 meters to book Croatia’s place in the final.