Spain and Croatia are just two strips apart in the FIFA ranking but what was shown at Olimpiastadion, Berlin does not seem like it is. La Furia Roja affirmed domination since kicking off the game with several young names on their squad. Alvaro Morata, Fabian Ruiz, and Dani Carvajal put Spain in front with three goals on the break, which turned out to stand until the final whistle. Here’s Spain vs Croatia Player Ratings:
Spain National Football Team Player Ratings vs Croatia
Goalkeeper
Unai Simon (8.6/10)
Made several important saves throughout the game, including one penalty in the second half.
Defenders
Dani Carvajal (7.7/10)
Frequently cut out Croatian through passes, and took part in set-piece situations as well. Ended up scoring on his own, on the edge of the first half.
Robin Le Normand (6.9/10)
Guarded the defensive line really well with several block attempts, made Croatia’s Ante Budimir frustrated, and fouled him in the result.
Nacho (7.4/10)
Showed his maturity in defending the backline, staying put when fellow defenders like Carvajal and Cucurella frequently go out attacking.
Marc Cucurella (7.4/10)
Took part in Spain’s first goal when the Chelsea full-back was involved in the goal’s build-up.
Midfielders
Rodri (6.6/10)
One of the reasons Spain dominated the midfield was that this man prevented Croatia from developing their game despite having Luka Modric there.
Pedri (7.4/10)
Keeping up the game really well when facing a player with Luka Modric calibre.
Fabián Ruiz (9/10)
Actively involved in Spain’s attacking plan, including taking a set-piece situation and scoring his team’s second goal, cementing his importance for the team.
Forwards
Lamine Yamal (7.5/10)
One of Spain’s most marked players on the pitch. Yamal slid through from the right flank of his team side.
Nico Willians (7.2/10)
Worked hand-in-hand with Alvaro Morata, trying to break the Croatian defense several times.
Alvaro Morata (6.6/10)
Spain’s target-man since the beginning, took his team to lead ahead inside 30 minutes. He loves to score against Croatia, repeating what he has done four years ago.
Substitutions
Dani Olmo (6.7/10)
Olmo is a no-stranger for Croatian football due to his experience playing for Dinamo Zagreb. He won several duels in the midfield to keep the game under control.
Mikel Oyarzabal (6.5/10)
Replaced the injured Morata, put a good impact for the game including one key pass in the game.
Mikel Merino (6.5/10)
Coming on in the second half in the hope of a change on the right flank after replacing Nico Williams. Not a bad game for Merino but it not as well a decent one.
Martin Zubimendi (6.7/10)
Had a huge responsibility to replace Rodri who was injured which he did quite well.
Ferran Torres (6.5/10)
Made a 100 percent of passing distribution after coming on to replace Yamal in the second half.
Manager – Luis de la Fuente (8.5/10)
Brilliant picks for the players, who could have thought that Fabian Ruiz would play that dazzling and put the likes of Ale Grimaldo and Ayoze Perez on the bench?
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Croatia National Football Team Player Ratings vs Spain
Goalkeeper
Dominik Livaković (6.4/10)
Overwhelmed to guard his net. Despite saving some, Livakovic couldn’t prevent some shots coming towards him.
Defenders
Josko Gvardiol (6.2/10)
Guarded the backline alongside Stanisic, wait patiently to go out only when the opportunity came.
Marin Pongračić (6.5/10)
Cleared the ball frequently and blocked Spain’s attempts to make more goals to his team’s net.
Josip Šutalo (6.9/10)
Had troubles in anticipating Spain’s constant attack, resulting in his team conceding three goals in the first half.
Josip Stanišić (6.7/10)
Patiently stayed inside for most of the game to guard the backline.
Midfielders
Marcelo Brozović (6.8/10)
Not only guarding the midfield, Brozovic was also taking part in Croatia’s attack. One of his attempts in the first half was blocked by Unai Simon.
Luka Modric (6.3/10)
Croatia’s most experienced player in the squad, dictating the ball well and delivered several passes for his teammates.
Matteo Kovacic (7.3/10)
Had a tough challenge from Spain’s midfield force but he managed to cut several opponents’ attempt on his way.
Forwards
Lovro Majer (7/10)
Made a few attempt to find the back of the net but ended up failing due to Unai Simon’s impressive form.
Andrej Kramaric (6.9/10)
Created several chances for Croatia and made spaces for his teammates to open the scoring opportunity as well.
Ante Budimir (6.9/10)
Missed the target a couple of times but made a tough challenge for Spain’s Le Normand. However, he did not show any promising performance.
Substitutions
Ivan Perisic (6.8/10)
Coming on to replace Ante Budimir who had a dull game today.
Mario Pasalic (6.7/10)
Expected to change the game for Croatia but did not help that much.
Luka Sucic (6.5/10)
His appearance on the pitch did not change anything significantly for Croatia despite forcing some Spain players to foul him.
Bruno Petkovic (6.5/10)
Had an opportunity to cut the gap with a penalty but failed to convert it from the spot.
Manager – Zlatko Dalic (6.5/10)
Several things had not worked according to plan. Otherwise, he would not have changed players with Modric and Kovacic calibre midway.
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