New Delhi, Nov 19 (IANS) Josko Gvardiol struck a second half equaliser as Croatia secured a 1-1 UEFA Nations League home draw with Portugal to qualify for the quarterfinals.
Defender struck on 65 minutes to cancel Joao Felix’s first half opener in what was a high quality clash in Split.
Felix’s crisp finish gave Portugal the lead inside 33 minutes, but Zlatko Dalic’s substitutions inspired a second half turnaround from the hosts. Kristijan Jakic’s excellent cross found Gvardiol at the far post in the 65th minute and the defender’s confident finish placed qualification back in their hands.
While Portugal were already guaranteed top spot in Group A1, Croatia kicked off knowing a point would be enough to seal second place and so a place in the last eight.
However, a Portugal side missing Bernardo Silva, Matheus Nunes and Ruben Dias but captained by former City star Joao Cancelo, dominated the early proceedings and it was Roberto Martinez’s side who made the initial breakthrough just past the half hour.
In another match, Denmark held firm to guarantee their place in the Nations League quarterfinals with goalless draw against Serbia in Leskovac.
The hosts created the better chances, with Kasper Schmeichel denying Dusan Vlahovic in both halves, while Aleksandar Mitrovic’s acrobatic clearance off the line denied Mikkel Damsgaard at the other end. Serbia had Strahinja Pavlovic sent off for two bookings late on and had to settle for a place in the League A/B play-offs as they were unable to find the breakthrough.
Elsewhere, Spain, already confirmed as group winners, protected their unbeaten record in Group A4 with a dramatic 3-2 home win over Switzerland, Bryan Zaragoza converting a decisive penalty in stoppage time.
Northern Ireland won promotion to League B despite ceding a two-goal advantage in their 2-2 draw in Luxembourg.
San Marino earned promotion to League C as they came from behind to secure a 3-1 win – their largest ever – in Liechtenstein.
–IANS
bc/
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BhaskarLive.in and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of BhaskarLive.in We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, BhaskarLive.in takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
