Spain vs. Croatia was billed as one of the best matches of the opening rounds, and it didn’t disappoint in terms of excitement and end-to-end action.
But for Croatia, the ultimate result was disappointing, as their top-class midfield was overrun by Spain after Luis de la Fuente’s side found an opener from star striker and captain Alvaro Morata.
From there, Spain coasted, as Luka Modric and the experienced Croatian midfield were left chasing shadows, carved up by Barcelona’s young superstars Pedri and Lamine Yamal.
Here are the player ratings from Spain’s commanding 3-0 victory over a thoroughly disappointing Croatia.
Spain Player Ratings
GK Unai Simon, 6.5 – Made up for another calamity on the ball with a brilliant penalty stop.
LB Marc Cucurella, 6.5 – Did his job defensively, but he’s going to have to show more on the ball against higher performing opposition.
CB Nacho Fernandez, 7.5 – Hilarious to think that Luis Enrique was constantly snubbed Nacho, because the Real Madrid veteran was exactly the presence the Spanish national team needed. Nacho barely misplaced a pass and was no-nonsense with his defending.
CB Robin Le Normand, 5.0 – The Real Sociedad star is going to have to be more confident in possession in tougher matches.
RB Dani Carvajal, 7.5 – Scored a goal from a set piece and was class as always defensively and with his passing on the ball. Dani Carvajal is going to be right there with Lamine Yamal as Spain’s best player in this tournament.
CM Fabian Ruiz, 7.5 – The technician was cool with his passing and showed his excellent finishing chops with a brilliant strike to make it 2-0 for Spain. This is Fabian’s level and not what he showed this season for PSG under Luis Enrique.
DM Rodri, 5.0 – Not his brightest performance in midfield and would have been a bigger talking point if Croatia were better on this day.
CM Pedri, 7.5 – An assist and plenty of chances created for his teammates. Pedri tends to put in great games for the Spanish national team, and Barcelona fans will be pleased to see the young midfielder slowly getting back to his best.
LW Nico Williams, 7.0 – A lively performances from a young man becoming widely recognized as one of the best wingers in the world. Nico Williams is devastating in transition.
ST Alvaro Morata, 7.0 – Took his goal clinically and put in a good shift for Spain as their captain.
RW Lamine Yamal, 8.0 – Spellbinding. Lamine Yamal is writing history every time he steps foot on the pitch, and he was on another level, too dazzling for Croatia to even catch sight of. Yamal became the youngest player in the history of the European Championships to record an assist at 16, and he recorded three key passes and three dribbles completed in total.
Croatia Player Ratings
GK Dominik Livakovic, 7.0 – His big stops kept this from becoming a truly embarrassing blowout defeat for Croatia.
LB Josko Gvardiol, 5.0 – Had a couple of lively runs and passed well enough, but his overall defending was quite poor. Gvardiol is going to need to be more positionally disciplined at left back.
CB Marin Pongracic, 7.0 – Spared a goal and defended well, and he completed over 85 percent of is passes. Pongracic didn’t deserve to be on the losing end of a three-goal match.
CB Josip Sutalo, 7.0 – Completed over 95 percent of his passes with five combined tackles and interceptions. Like his teammate, he actually did play well defensively but was hung out to dry by the midfielders.
RB Josip Stanisic, 6.0 – A mixed performance from the Bayer Leverkusen star. Croatia need to see more from him in supporting the attack.
CM Mateo Kovacic, 5.5 – Carried the ball effectively, per usual, but didn’t use it to create anything for his team. Defensively, Kovacic was part of a unit that Spain overran.
DM Marcelo Brozovic, 4.5 – Accurate with his passing but not progressive with it. Brozovic was a sieve defensively, failing to provide adequate cover for his defenders.
CM Luka Modric, 4.0 – Dreadful performance from the greatest Croatian player in history. Luka Modric was shoved off the ball too easily and didn’t create any chances. Defensively, he didn’t win possession for Croatia either.
LW Andrej Kramaric, 6.0 – Created some chances but was largely isolated on the left wing, which isn’t really his preferred position.
ST Ante Budimir, 5.0 – Invisible up top. He had a great 2023/24 LaLiga season for Osasuna but wasn’t able to show that same quality with Spain dominating the game after Alvaro Morata’s opener.
RW Lovro Majer, 7.0 – Showed glimpses of his class with his creative passing and worked hard for the team defensively. Majer can hold his head high and did not deserve to be on the losing end of this match.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He has been an editor for NFL Spin Zone, Daily DDT for pro wrestling, Autzen Zoo covering the Oregon Ducks, Musket Fire covering the New England Patriots, The Real Champs covering Real Madrid, Old Juve covering Juventus, Rush The Kop covering Liverpool, and Release The Knappen covering Schalke. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.