Kovačić leads Croatia to a 2:0 win over Turkey

After two rounds of play, and following Croatia's disappointing opening game against Wales that ended in a 1:1 draw, the Croatian national side is atop Group D with four points. Wales also has four points, but is second on goal difference. Turkey is third with three points, while Latvia and Armenia are at the bottom of the table, yet to register a point.

The Croatian national beat Turkey 2:0 in the second round of qualifications for EURO 2024 in Bursa, Turkey on Tuesday night. Croatia's best player in the game was midfielder Mateo Kovačić, who provided accurate passes, ball control and all of the offense, scoring both goals in the game.

Despite a slow start to the game coach Zlatko Dalić was pleased with his team's performance: “We didn't start the game well, we had problems passing, turning the ball over, we made a couple of unforced errors and handed Turkey two or three scoring chances. We put ourselves in a situation where Livaković had to bail us out, which he did spectacularly, and that's why he's here. When we look at the game as a whole, we controlled the game, we dominated ball possession, which is what we need. And ultimately won the game.”

In the other Group "D" game Wales beat Latvia 1:0. Croatia's next qualifier won't be played until September 8th, against Latvia, as it is scheduled to play the Nations League semi-final against The Netherlands on June 14th.

Source: HRT