Zagreb: Spain let go the chance to seal progress to the Nations League finals as a 93rd-minute winner from Tin Jedvaj helped Croatia scrape past them 3-2 here Thursday putting the Group 4 wide open ahead of its final fixture between England and Croatia Sunday.
While the winner from the Sunday’s encounter will automatically qualify, Spain still have a chance to go through if the match at Wembley finishes in a draw. Spain currently top the table with six points from four games while England and Croatia are second and third respectively with both locking at four points from three games.
Andrej Kramaric had put Croatia ahead but Spain came back twice, as Dani Ceballos’ equaliser and Sergio Ramos’ penalty looked to have earned them a point, before Jedvaj prodded in deep into injury-time.
Croatia will now head to London with a spring in their step while Spain are left to ponder back-to-back defeats under their new coach Luis Enrique, following their surprise loss by the same scoreline at home to England last month.
“I am obviously worried about the things we have to improve,” Enrique said. “It shows how difficult this group is. We still have a chance.” His counterpart Zlatko Dalic said: “We were rewarded for a magnificent match.”
Croatia dominated the opening exchanges but Spain began dictating possession as the half wore on, even if Isco’s long-range shot shortly before half-time was their only real effort of note.
The game was more balanced and open after the restart and two goals arrived in as many minutes. First, Ramos and Sergi Roberto were pressed into a mistake, the latter’s poor pass allowing Kramaric to sneak in and slot past De Gea with 53 minutes gone.
Spain performed better at the other end. Ceballos bundled in a quick equaliser and Aspas should have added another soon after but poked onto the crossbar.
Spain paid the price for that miss when Jedvaj headed in his first international goal after meeting Luka Modric’s sumptuous cross at the back post.
Marcelo Brozovic should have put Croatia out of sight but spurned a one-on-one, his shot grazing De Gea on its way wide. Sime Vrsaljko hacked substitute Alvaro Morata’s header off the line, before giving away a penalty, lowering his arm to meet a cross that was probably on its way behind. Ramos made no mistake from the spot.
Kramaric could have scored a late winner on the counter-attack but instead it was Jedvaj who struck the decisive blow three minutes into injury time.
Croatia kept the ball alive at the back post before Josip Brekalo fired at goal. De Gea might have done better than push the shot to his left where Jedvaj was perfectly placed.
Elsewhere in Group 2 Thursday, Michy Batshuayi scored a double in Brussels as Belgium saw off Iceland 2-0 to ensure they will only need a point from Sunday’s game in Switzerland to reach the finals.