Croatia 3-5 Spain (aet): 5 hits and flops as La Roja progress after eight-goal thriller | UEFA Euro 2020
Spain advanced to the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 after beating Croatia 5-3 in a pulsating last-16 encounter in Copenhagen.
A mistake from Unai Simon allowed the Vatreni to grab an early lead. But the former champions responded with goals from Pablo Sarabia, Cesar Azpilicueta and Ferran Torres to lead 3-1 with 15 minutes to go.
It seemed all over for Zlatko Dalic's side. But late goals from Mislav Orsic and Mario Pasalic, who scored in the second minute of stoppage-time, brought Croatia level to force extra-time.
However, Spain netted twice inside the first 15 minutes of extra time, doing so through Alvaro Morata and Mikel Oyarzabal, to put the game beyond Croatia, who missed two good chances through Orsic and Ante Budimir.
A rollercoaster contest ended with Spain going into the quarter-finals, where they'll face either France or Switzerland in St. Petersburg on Friday. On that note, here are the five hits and flops from the eight-goal thriller:
Hit: The game
This was surely the best game of Euro 2020 so far. Not just for the sheer amount of goals it produced but also the many twists and turns it had late on, which kept fans on the edge of their seats.
Unai Simon's uncharacteristic mistake gifted Croatia an early advantage, but Spain responded with three goals at the other end to virtually seal the match. However, the Vatreni mounted a late comeback with two goals to force extra time. Their celebrations proved short-lived, though, as La Roja netted twice more in the first 15 minutes of extra-time.
There were also numerous close misses by both teams. Morata squandered an early chance; Orsic blasted his close-range effort over the bar; Budimir dragged his effort narrowly wide, which only added to the excitement.
Nevertheless, it was a match to be remembered for years to come.
Flop: Unai Simon (Spain)
Regardless of the outcome of the game, Spain custodian Unai Simon cannot get away with his gaffe. The Spanish custodian made an embarrassing howler in the first half, which put Croatia in front against the run of play, although that was later registered as an own goal from Pedri instead.
Pedri made a seemingly innocuous backpass to Simon under pressure from a Croatian player. The Spain goalkeeper was expected to directly fire the ball back into play or take a touch first. He attempted to do the latter but didn't connect with the ball at all, letting it roll into the back of the net as he looked on.
Strange things have transpired at the Euros, but nothing may beat this one.