Croatia will lock horns with Spain in the UEFA Nations League 2023 final at the Stadion Feijenoord in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The match will kick off at 12:15 AM Indian Standard Time (IST) on Monday, June 19.
Under head coach Zlatko Dalić, Croatia secured their place in the final after beating hosts Netherlands 4-2 in their thrilling semi-final encounter.
Forward Donyell Malen opened the scoring for the Netherlands in the 34th minute before Croatia’s Andrej Kramarić equalised at the start of the second half. Later, Mario Pasalic put Croatia in front in the 72nd minute to inch closer to the summit clash. However, Dutch footballer Noa Lang scored in the 96th minute to take the match to an additional 30 minutes of play.
Bruno Petkovic and captain Luka Modrić netted a goal each in extra time to help Croatia reach the UEFA Nations League 2023 final.
On the other hand, Spain defeated Italy 2-1 in the other semi-final to book their place in back-to-back UEFA Nations League finals.
Led by new head coach Luis de la Fuente, Spain rode on Yeremy Pino’s early goal to take a 1-0 lead in the third minute of the semi-final.
The Roberto Mancini-coached Italy quickly bounced back after Ciro Immobile equalised from the penalty spot in the 11th minute.
After dominating possession for most of the game, Espanyol forward Joselu scored the match-winning goal for Spain in the 88th minute to guide La Roja to another UEFA Nations League final.
Spain will aim to clinch their first international silverware since winning the UEFA Euro Championship in 2012. They earlier lost to France 1-2 in the UEFA Nations League 2021 final.
Meanwhile, the Luka Modric-led Croatia will look to bag their first international trophy in the Netherlands. Croatia finished runners-up in the FIFA World Cup 2018 and were third in FIFA World Cup 2022.
Croatia vs Spain football head-to-head
Croatia and Spain have faced each other on nine occasions in international football.
While Croatia have registered three wins, Spain have won five times. One match ended in a stalemate.
The last time these two sides met, Spain defeated Croatia 5-3 in their Round of 16 clash at UEFA Euro 2020 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Where to watch Croatia vs Spain UEFA Nations League 2023 final LIVE in India?
The Croatia vs Spain UEFA Nations League 2023 final will be telecast LIVE on SONY TEN 2 and SONY TEN 2 HD TV channels in India.
LIVE streaming of the Croatia vs Spain UEFA Nations League 2023 final will be available on SonyLIV and JioTV.
Photo credit: Alamy
