Croatia beat Spain in thriller, Germany ease past Russia
Croatia kept their hopes of reaching the Nations League finals alive after a stoppage-time winner by left back Tin Jedvaj gave them a 3-2 win over Spain in an electrifying Group 4 clash on Thursday.
Spain stayed top of the group with six points from four games but their fate is no longer in their own hands as England and Croatia, who have four each from three matches, clash at Wembley on Sunday.
The winners would finish top and reach the final four in 2019 while only a draw would see the Spaniards retain top spot.
The victory avenged Croatia's 6-0 drubbing by Spain in the reverse fixture and their coach Zlatko Dalic feels confident his World Cup runners-up can win the group.
“We have to enjoy it and give it our best shot as I am sure we have it in us to beat England,” he told Croatian media.
“It was a great match. Five goals, a rollercoaster and in the end we deserved to win. The lads went all out for a win, they all went forward in the dying minutes and the gamble paid off handsomely.
“The best of this new-look team is yet to come,” said Dalic, who oversaw Croatia's 2-1 World Cup semi-final win over England in July.
Jedvaj emerged as Croatia's hero with his first two international goals, sending the home crowd into raptures with his second after Spain had twice come from behind.
Striker Andrej Kramaric fired the hosts ahead in the 56th minute, only for Dani Ceballos to equalize with his first goal for Spain barely two minutes later.
Jedvaj restored Croatia's advantage with a close-range header before Sergio Ramos converted a penalty to bring Spain level again 12 minutes from time.
Croatia started fast and missed two good chances while Isco went close for Spain with a fierce shot.
Spain fell behind after a calamitous error by Sergi Roberto, who gave the ball away to Ivan Perisic and the winger released Kramaric to beat David de Gea with a crisp finish from eight meters.
Croatia's joy was short-lived as Ceballos swept the ball home from six meters after good work by Isco and Iago Aspas.
Jedvaj, playing in an unfamiliar position as he is normally deployed on the opposite flank, made it 2-1 with a far-post header after an inch-perfect cross by Luka Modric.
Spain equalized after Sime Vrsaljko twice handled the ball and Ramos sent goalkeeper Lovre Kalinic the wrong way from the spot.
Croatia forced the final twist when De Gea could only parry substitute Josip Brekalo's low shot and Jedvaj popped up again to hammer in the rebound.
New-look Germany win
A new-look Germany comfortably beat Russia 3-0 in a friendly on Thursday with all the goals coming in the first half as they seek to end their annus horribilis on a positive note.
Leroy Sane, Niklas Suele and Serge Gnabry secured the victory for a side with just two World Cup 2014 winners in the starting lineup – goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and Matthias Ginter.
Germany were soon off the mark with Gnabry sending the speedy Sane through and the Manchester City winger grabbed his first international goal in the eighth minute.
Bayern Munich defender Suele also got his first Germany goal as he was left unmarked to slot home from a corner in the 25th.
The Russians, World Cup hosts this year, were missing several players through injury and rarely ventured forward.
Gnabry turned scorer in the 40th, firing in from a superb Kai Havertz through ball, to cap a strong opening by the hosts.
“The first half was really good because we let the ball roll and had a lot of control of the game,” Loew told reporters.
“Two of our goals were the result of really good combinations and we had a lot of energy in our game.”
In a subdued second half, the play was constantly interrupted by a dozen substitutions in total.
Loew fielded a young starting 11, which included only two players over 25, and left the experienced Mats Hummels and Thomas Mueller on the bench. Fellow World Cup winner Jerome Boateng was not called up and Toni Kroos was given a break.
The 19-year-old Havertz along with Sane and Timo Werner, both 22, were a constant headache for the Russia defense, with 23-year-old Gnabry also confirming his fine form this season.
“The speed in our attack was important in this game. We did not have that at the World Cup,” Loew said in praise of his younger players, especially Havertz.
“He is very good considering his age. He has this amazing overview of the game and you could see it in training already.”
The Germans, who play their last Nations League group match against the Netherlands on Monday, had a terrible year, crashing out of the World Cup in their earliest exit in 80 years.
They have managed one point in three Nations League matches and face relegation from Group 1 in League A, while they also suffered a total of six defeats in a year for the first time.
They will be relegated if they do not beat the Dutch but could be down on Friday if the Netherlands beat France.
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