After this disappointment of losing to England without really firing a shot, Croatia will be looking for a response when they go up against the Czech Republic on Friday.
Some have questioned whether some of the Croatian players are a little long in the tooth at this tournament but they should have more than enough quality to overcome the Czechs in Glasgow.
History Suggests a Croatia Response
Croatia have not suffered consecutive defeats at a European Championship since 1996 and it looks like manager Zlato Dalic’s side will be able to bounce back at Hampden Park.
Croatia enjoyed more possession and more passes than England at Wembley, but Dalic will be disappointed his side were not able to test Three Lions keeper Jordan Pickford more than they did.
Ultimately it was one moment that changed the game as midfielder Kalvin Phillips beat a couple of defenders to thread Raheem Sterling in for the decisive goal.
The Croats, who have never lost their second match at a major tournament, are unbeaten in their three previous meetings with the Czechs.
These two sides have played out two draws, with Croatia coming out on top in the only winning result in this fixture back in 2011. With history leaning towards a Croatia win, Dalic’s side are well-priced at 27/20 for the victory.
High-Scoring Affair on The Cards
There is much to suggest there could be plenty of goals in this one at Hampden Park, with both teams scoring in all of the previous three meetings between these nations.
Both teams to score on Friday is available at Evens, while over 2.5 goals total goals in the contest is currently 6/5.
The Czechs did made an impressive winning start against Scotland in their opening outing but they did rely on heroics of keeper Tomas Vaclik to deny the Scots on a number of occasions.
Whether Vaclik will be able to repeat the performance remains to be seen, but Croatia will offer more in attack than Steve Clarke’s side.
Perisic Well-Priced to Score
Ivan Perisic was kept quiet against the Three Lions last time out but the Inter Milan playmaker might get himself on the scoresheet on Friday.
The 32-year-old, who is 11/2 to score the opener and 14/5 to score anytime, likes to play in the wide areas but he already has 28 goals for his country to his name.
Perisic actually scored against the Czech Republic the last time these two teams met, scoring the opener in what finished a 2-2 draw at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Euro 2016.
That day the Czech’s scored a 89th minute penalty to deny Croatia the win, but it looks like the Croats should come out on top in this one.
*All odds correct at time of writing
