Croatia recently faced Portugal in the Nations League . The match ended in a 1-1 draw, helping Croatia advance.

From the very first minutes, Portugal took the initiative to attack. In just the first 10 minutes, João Félix continuously threatened goalkeeper Livakovic’s goal. Notably, in the 6th minute, this striker had a rather tricky shot but not strong enough to trouble Livakovic.

On the Croatian side, the home team played cautiously and focused on ball control thanks to the guidance of experienced star Luka Modric. Statistics show that they held 72% of the possession in the first half. However, focusing too much on ball circulation made it difficult for Croatia to find a way to the goal of the team holding the top position in the group.

After much effort, in the 32nd minute, João Félix broke the balance. Taking advantage of a long pass from the back line, Félix ran down and accurately shot into the far corner, beating Livakovic to open the score for Portugal.

But Croatia immediately responded strongly. In the 39th minute, Kramaric had a good chance to equalize, but his shot hit the post. The first half ended with a 1-0 advantage in favor of the European Selecao.

After the break, Croatia switched to a more aggressive attacking style. Coach Zlatko Dalic brought on Susic and Moro to increase the strength in midfield. This quickly showed its effectiveness as the home team dominated the game in the second half.

In the 61st minute, Gvardiol headed the ball into the net of Rui Patrício, but the goal was disallowed due to offside.

However, Croatia did not lose heart. Just three minutes later, from a chaotic situation in the penalty area after a corner kick, Gvardiol was there again at the right time to tap the ball into the net, bringing the match back to the starting line with a score of 1-1.