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    Croatia vs. Cymru | 2024 European Championship – Qualifying Round – Grp D

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        Live ReportMatch Summary

        2. 26 March, 2023 10:39 am

          Cymru manager Rob Page was full of praise for his squad on Saturday night as he reflected on the 1-1 draw against Croatia in Split. “When you get the equaliser like we did late on in the game it feels like a win,” said Page. “I think the lads deserved it for the effort they put in, they put a right shift in. We knew we were going to have to suffer without the ball and it came true. They are a very good team and we had to be disciplined in our shape. I knew that, as the game went on, we’d create chances.”

          Substitute Nathan Broadhead was the hero for Cymru, scoring the equaliser after coming off the bench for his senior international debut. “I’m really pleased for him,” Page added. “He’s not going to like me saying this but, it’s an emotional game, he was in tears at the end of the game with the supporters. It means the world to him. I’ve worked with Nathan in the Under-21s. I know Broady, I’ve watched his development and he’s earned the right to be part of the squad now. I’ve known all about Broady before this camp and we’ve been itching to get him involved.”

        4. 25 March, 2023 9:52 pm

          “Being 1-0 down we knew they were going to control large parts of the game. We found it tough but our message was to stay in the game as we would always create a chance, and it’s earned us a point.” – Ethan Ampadu to S4C Sgorio.

        5. 25 March, 2023 9:51 pm

          “I’m a bit overwhelmed to be honest, a bit emotional as I’ve waited for this moment for so long. We needed a point but we came here to try and win the game.” – Nathan Broadhead to S4C Sgorio.

        6. Full-time verdict: A much better 2nd half from Cymru and a famous debut goal from Broadhead to earn an unexpected share of the points. Confidence will be high ahead of the match against Latvia in Cardiff on Tuesday evening, and this point could prove crucial in the final group standings.

        7. 90' + 3'

          Goal

          BROADHEAD Nathan

        8. 90' + 3'

          Nathan Broadhead! Remember the name, An equalising goal on his senior international debut as Cymru take a share of the points in the final minute of added time. Cymru’s one and only effort on target.

        9. 90' + 2'

          Substitution

          JAMES Jordan replaces MORRELL Joe

        10. 90' + 2'

          Substitution

          MAJER Lovro replaces MODRIĆ Luka

        11. 83'

          What an effort that was from Perišić as he shakes Ward’s crossbar. A narrow escape for Cymru as they continue to push for the equaliser in a much-improved 2nd half display.

        12. 76'

          Substitution

          PAŠALIĆ Mario replaces KOVAČIĆ Mateo

        13. 76'

          Substitution

          VLAŠIĆ Nikola replaces KRAMARIĆ Andrej

        14. 74'

          Williams with the effort this time as Cymru continue to ask questions of the Croatian defence but his shot from the edge of the area clears the crossbar. Four changes in the attacking positions has completely changed the approach from Page’s side and there could well be more chances before the final whistle.

        15. 70'

          Substitution

          BRADSHAW Tom replaces MOORE Kieffer

        16. 64'

          Substitution

          BROADHEAD Nathan replaces JAMES Dan

        17. 64'

          Substitution

          THOMAS Sorba replaces WILSON Harry

        18. 64'

          Substitution

          BURNS Wesley replaces RAMSEY Aaron

        19. 64'

          A triple change for Cymru as Ampadu takes the armband from Ramsey. A debut for the in-form Broadhead and he is joined from the bench by Thomas and Burns as Page rolls the dice by also taking off James and Wilson.

        20. 62'

          A superb run from Wilson leads to a great chance for James at the far post. He drags his effort wide but that will give Cymru a lift as they show more attacking intention.

        22. 53'

          Substitution

          MUSA Petar replaces LIVAJA Marko

        23. Harry Wilson tries his luck from the edge of the are in the opening half but his set-piece effort narrowly clears the crossbar.

        24. 46'

          Wilson kicks-off the 2nd half as Cymru look to turn things around in Split. The 27th minute goal from Kramarić separates the two nations, and while it stays this way, Page’s side will always have a chance of taking something from this difficult test.

        25. Half-time verdict: There has been very little for the Red Wall to cheer as Croatia take a deserved 1-0 lead into half-time. The home side have been dominant in possession and have restricted Cymru to just one set-piece effort, while goalkeeper Ward has been Cymru’s busiest and best player so far.

        26. 43'

          First effort on goal as Wilson puts his free-kick narrowly over the bar. An encouraging sign for Cymru on what has been a frustrating and difficult opening half against a very good Croatian side.

        27. 35'

          Cymru still looking for their first effort on goal with just 10 minutes of the opening half remaining. Expect Page to make some tactical tweaks at the interval to try and bring his attacking players into the game, and prevent Croatia from having so much possession on the edge of the Cymru area.

        28. 31'

          Yellow card

          JURANOVIĆ Josip

        29. 28'

          Goal

          KRAMARIĆ Andrej

        30. 28'

          Croatia take the lead through Kramarić with his second long-range effort of the game. Ward saved the first but could not stop the second. Just minutes after having a goal disallowed, Croatia are very much in control of this match now.

        31. 25'

          Yellow card

          AMPADU Ethan

        32. 20'

          The start of a new era, but at least some things have stayed the same.

        33. 15'

          Ward with a great save there to deny Kramarić. Croatia enjoying the possession in the final third which will be a major concern for Page with the home side looking increasingly confident and lifting the crowd in the process.

        34. 5'

          Cymru shaping up in a familiar 4-2-3-1 formation with Morrell and Ampadu occupying the important defensive midfield positions. An early chance for Croatia with captain Modrić showing just how dangerous he can be in possession as he calls Ward into action.

        35. 1'

          Cymru won the toss and captain Aaron Ramsey opted to change ends so his side will play towards the Red Wall in the second half. Croatia get the game underway and with it mark the start of a new qualifying campaign.

        36. 25 March, 2023 7:35 pm

          The atmosphere is building at the Stadion Poljud in Split with kick-off between Croatia and Cymru just 10 minutes away. The road to Germany and EURO 2024 is about to begin.

        38. 25 March, 2023 7:05 pm

          The first Group D qualifier took place earlier this afternoon as goals from Orkun Kökçü and Kerem Aktürkoğlu either side of half-time earned Turkey a 2-1 win over Armenia in Yerevan.

        40. 25 March, 2023 6:55 pm

          Veteran midfielder Luka Modrić will captain Croatia tonight as the Real Madrid star makes his 163rd senior international appearance. The 37-year old has played a key role in their recent success and will be the player that Cymru will need to frustrate in Split this evening if they are to take a positive result from this opening EURO 2024 qualifier.

        43. 25 March, 2023 6:49 pm

          Rob Page has named his starting line-up for the EURO 2024 qualifier against Croatia in Split this evening. Aaron Ramsey captains the side on his 79th appearance and is expected to play in a deeper midfield role behind Kieffer Moore, Harry Wilson and Dan James.

        44. 25 March, 2023 4:56 pm

          Former Cymru captain Ashley Williams believes the armband will bring the best out of Aaron Ramsey as EURO 2024 qualifying begins in Croatia this evening. “Rambo deserves to be captain,” said Williams in The Sun today. “He’s got the most experience and is a brilliant player. He’s a bit of a maverick and has something a lot of players don’t have. Rambo plays his best games in the biggest matches when there is more pressure. We’ve seen that in the past.”

        46. 25 March, 2023 4:47 pm

          The Red Wall have arrived in Croatia in their numbers and manager Rob Page and his squad will need them in their corner tonight when they take on the nation that finished third at the World Cup. Cymru have qualified for the last two EURO finals and a positive start in what is the toughest challenge of the group would be a huge boost as a new era begins.

        49. 25 March, 2023 4:37 pm

          The Stadion Poljud in Split is ready to welcome Cymru this evening as captain Aaron Ramsey prepares lead his country into the start of a new qualifying campaign. Elsewhere in Group D this evening, Armenia host Turkey in Yerevan, while Latvia will play their first match when they head to Cardiff to take on Cymru on Tuesday night.

        50. 25 March, 2023 8:20 am

        51. 25 March, 2023 8:16 am

          Portuguese referee João Pinheiro will take charge of the EURO 2024 qualifier between Croatia and Cymru in Split this evening. The 35-year old has been a FIFA official since 2016 and has refereed matches in the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Nations League this season.

        52. 25 March, 2023 8:11 am

        54. 25 March, 2023 8:04 am

          Brennan Johnson makes the headlines across Wales this morning ahead of the opening EURO 2024 qualifier against Croatia as injury rules the in-form Nottingham Forest star out of the match. Manager Rob Page expressed his frustration at the situation in his press conference in Split last night, but his focus will now quickly switch to the players he has available for the challenge of taking on the World Cup semi-finalists this evening.

        55. 24 March, 2023 7:21 pm

        56. 24 March, 2023 7:16 pm

          Cymru manager Rob Page spoke to the media in Split this evening and confirmed that Brennan Johnson had not travelled with the squad to Croatia through injury. “First and foremost I feel for Brennan,” said Page. He wants to play international football like everybody else. As we know, playing for your country is something very special, it shouldn’t be taken for granted, by anyone. Ultimately it’s about the player’s welfare. In playing 90 minutes on Friday, it has obviously put him out of contention for us.

          “Everybody who has got a responsibility for Brennan should respect that and help him in any way they can. I think he’s arguably one of the best counter attacking centre-forwards in Premier League football at this moment in time, but we haven’t got him, so we can’t dwell on who we could have had available, It gives others an opportunity and we have got a squad of players now that are pushing for places in the starting XI.”

        57. 24 March, 2023 7:09 pm

        58. 24 March, 2023 7:07 pm

          Cymru and Croatia will meet for only the seventh time when EURO 2024 qualifying begins for Rob Page’s side in Split on Saturday night. Cymru are still searching for their first victory in a fixture that first took place in Varaždin back in August 2002, but Croatia were held to a 1-1 draw in Cardiff when the two teams last met in EURO 2020 qualifying.

          Simon Davies was on target for Cymru in Varaždin two decades ago but the friendly international ended in a 1-1 draw as Mladen Petrić levelled for the home side with just over 10 minutes remaining. Slaven Bilic was manager Croatia when the two teams next met in a second friendly in May 2010 in Osijek, but goals from Ivan Rakitić and Drago Gabric spelled defeat for John Toshack’s side.

          Chris Coleman was manager for the third meeting between the two nations as Cymru returned to Osijek for the first competitive fixture between the two sides in World Cup qualification in October 2012. Goals from Mario Mandžukić and Eduardo in each half proved sufficient for Croatia to claim maximum points, and while Cymru took the lead in the return match from a Gareth Bale penalty in Swansea, but goals from Eduardo and Dejan Lovren in the closing stages of the match ensured Croatia would complete the double over their group opponents.

          The most recent fixtures between the nations took place in EURO 2020 qualifying, and while it would eventually prove to be a successful campaign for Cymru, an own goal from James Lawrence and a second from Ivan Perišić earned Croatia a 2-1 victory in Osijek in June 2019. David Brooks scored the consolation goal for Ryan Giggs’ side in the second half. In the return match a few months later, Cymru went behind to an early goal from Nikola Vlašić in Cardiff, but Bale equalised to earn his side a point in the 1-1 draw.

        59. 24 March, 2023 6:58 pm

        60. 24 March, 2023 6:58 pm

          Injuries mean that Cymru will be without the services of Ben Davies, Wayne Hennessey and Brennan Johnson for their opening two EURO 2024 qualifiers against Croatia and Latvia. Liam Cullen and Mark Harris have been added to the original squad as replacements. The squad trained in the Cardiff sun this morning prior to traveling to Split to take on Croatia tomorrow night and spirits were high as the side look to qualify for a third consecutive EURO finals.

        62. 24 March, 2023 6:46 pm

          Cymru return to action for the first time since the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Saturday evening as Rob Page’s side take on Croatia in Split (7.45pm). New captain Aaron Ramsey will lead the team into a new era and there is an excitement around the camp as Cymru take the first steps towards EURO 2024 in this opening Group D match. Check back here regularly for updates from both camps together with opinion and analysis during the game.

        63. There is no live report available for this match

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