Croatia vs England: Nations League tie ends goalless
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Your support makes all the difference.Croatia and England drew on Friday night in a behind-closed-doors match in the Uefa Nations League, with Gareth Southgate’s side failing to fully bounce back from their opening round defeat against Spain.
Croatia, who beat England 2-1 in the World Cup semi-finals in the summer, lost 6-0 in their opening group game against the Spanish, and as if their task wasn’t hard enough, they played the match in front of an empty Stadion HNK Rijeka because of a two-match Uefa ban dating back to 2015, handed out because of a swastika being marked on the pitch before a Euro 2016 qualifier against Italy.
England also lost to Spain in their Nations League opener, suffering a 2-1 defeat at Wembley in September, meaning this match had big ramifications for both teams in Group D, not just in hunting down Spain but also in avoiding relegation from the group, and the contest didn't really live up to its billing with a disappointing draw.
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What time does it start?
Croatia vs England kicks off at 7:45pm (BST).
Where can I watch it?
The match will be shown live on Sky Sports’ Main Event channel from 7:00pm.
Highlights will be shown at 10:45pm on ITV.
It’s a big game for…
Jadon Sancho: All the hype in the build-up to this match has been about the in-form Borussia Dortmund youngster Jadon Sancho. At 18-years-old, Sancho is the first player born in this century to have been called up to the England squad. After leaving Manchester City for the German club last summer, Sancho has broken into the first-team this season, and has recorded an impressive nine assists so far this season – the most of any English player.
Best stat…
241: In the 2018 World Cup semi-final clash in July, Croatia’s midfield trio of Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic and Marcelo Brozovic played a combined total of 241 passes, compared to just 131 for England’s central midfielders.
Remember when…
Croatia’s win over England in the semi-finals of this year’s World Cup was the biggest match both teams had played for 20 years. Kieran Trippier’s stunning free-kick gave England the lead, and they could have had the game won as Harry Kane and Jesse Lingard missed good chances in the first-half. In the second-half, Croatia upped their level, equalising through Ivan Perisic before Mario Mandzukic’s extra-time strike sent Croatia to their first ever World Cup final.
Player to watch…
Luka Modric: Croatia’s captain will start on Friday night, and will be his country’s focal point once again. The 33-year-old, who was named The Best FIFA Men’s Player last month, has been in sparkling form for club and country all year, and can dominate matches on his own. Paired up with Ivan Rakitic in central midfield, the duo will need to be contained by England better than in the latter stages of the World Cup semi-final three months ago.
Past three-meetings…
Croatia 2 (Perisic, Mandzukic) England 1 (Trippier), 2018 World Cup, July 2018
England 5 (Lampard 2, Gerrard 2, Rooney) Croatia 1 (Eduardo), 2010 World Cup Qualification, September 2009
Croatia 1 (Mandzukic) England 4 (Walcott 3, Rooney), 2010 World Cup Qualification, September 2008
Form guide…
Croatia: DDWLDL
England: DWLLLW
Odds…
Croatia to win: 17/10
England to win: 9/5
Draw: 2/1
0-0, 89 minutes
Sancho is again on the ball and this is far more dangerous.
At pace the Dortmund winger weaves inside and out, leaving Pivaric and Vida in his wake, and crosses to the far post. Dominik Livakovic just manages to get fingertips on the ball to prevent Ross Barkley from heading in.
0-0, 90 + 2 minutes
England throw on halfway.
Jadon Sancho exchanges passes with Jordan Henderson but Croatia recover and clear.
Full-time in Rijeka. England hit the woodwork twice and Marcus Rashford twice could have done better with golden chances but in truth a game as inanimate as the stadium in which it was held. 0-0.
Miguel Delaney was one of the choice few inside the stadium in Rijeka, and he reports on all the action (or lack thereof) from the game:
That is all from us here tonight.
I've been Harry Latham-Coyle for The Independent - thank you for joining me.
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