What a night for football fans! 😍
Luka Modrić, the evergreen Croatian maestro, had fans on their feet as he netted a slick penalty, helping Croatia edge out Portugal in a 2-1 victory during an exhilarating friendly match on Saturday.
This clash was the final warm-up before Croatia and Spain face off in their Euro opener on June 15 in Berlin. And speaking of Spain, they were on fire 🔥 as they hammered Northern Ireland 5-1, with young star Pedri González bagging his first two goals for La Roja!
Group B is looking seriously intense with Croatia, Spain, Italy, and Albania all vying for the top spots. Can't wait to see how that unfolds! 😱
Over in Portugal's camp, they've got one more friendly against Ireland coming up on Tuesday before they kick off their tournament journey against the Czech Republic on June 18 in Leipzig. With Portugal being the hot favorites in Group F—which also features Türkiye and Georgia—they're definitely a team to watch.
Interestingly, Cristiano Ronaldo was chillin' on the bench 😎 during the match, with coach Roberto Martínez opting to start Gonçalo Ramos up front. Ronaldo, who just joined the squad after wrapping up his season with Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, is gearing up to make a record sixth appearance at the European Championship! At 39, he's still breaking records and remains the all-time leading scorer in men's international football with 128 goals. Legend! 🐐
The game's excitement kicked off early when Modrić coolly slotted home a penalty past goalkeeper Diogo Costa in the 8th minute. The chance came after Vitinha fouled Mateo Kovačić in the box, giving Croatia the perfect opportunity to take the lead.
This friendly certainly set the stage for what's to come in the Euros. Football fans, buckle up—it's gonna be a wild ride! 🚀
Reference(s):
Modric's penalty helps Croatia beat Portugal 2-1 in friendly
cgtn.com
