Defeating the Netherlands, Croatia entered the Nations League final

The Netherlands were playing at home in the Nations League semi-finals and scored first. However, coach Ronald Koeman's team disappointed when they lost to Croatia in a match in which Luka Modric was the best player.

Looking at the match statistics, the Netherlands and Croatia seemed evenly matched. The two teams had equal ball possession for most of the match. The home team had a total of 14 shots, the same number as the visitors. However, in reality, Croatia was the better team.

Donyell Malen opened the scoring for the Netherlands in the 34th minute with a well-coordinated attack. After the break, Modric earned Croatia a penalty after a careless move by the home team. Andrej Kramaric converted a penalty from 11 metres to equalise.

Croatia were excited and attacked better after scoring. In the 72nd minute, 7 Dutch players were in the penalty area, allowing Mario Pasalic to comfortably shoot to put the visitors ahead. The Netherlands were forced to attack with all their might. Noa Lang equalized for the home team in the last minute of injury time to bring the match into extra time.

Croatia continued to play better in extra time. Bruno Petkovic's beautiful long-range shot helped the visitors take the lead in the first period of extra time. In the 116th minute, Luka Modric dashed the Dutch's hopes with a successful penalty kick.

Result: Netherlands 2-4 Croatia

Score

Netherlands: Malen (34'), Lang (90+6')

Croatia: Kramaric (55'), Pasalic (72'), Petkovic (98'), Modric (116')

According to VTC