World and defending Champions Spain had to struggle hard to pick up their 1-0 win and move in the quarterfinals of the Euro Cup 2012. Spain barring their match against Ireland did not look that dominating and even yesterday it was in the 88th minute that Jesus Navas scored for them to see them through or else they would have been on their way out.

The match saw some good and bad performances and let us take a look at some of the hits and flops of the match:

Spain:

Hits:

Jesus Navas: Did not start the match but came off the bench in the 61st and played a major role in La Roja’s victory. He not only scored the winner in the 88th minute but also was good with his pass delivery and made some good run on the flanks.

Cesc Fabregas: Despite scoring in both the matches, he did not start the match. But when he came on in the 73rd minute, he took the pitch by storm straightaway. He made great runs his passing was good and even set up a goal for Iniesta which however was wasted.

Flops:

Fernando Torres: He was expected to help Spain make some inroads into the match considering his performance against Ireland. But he could live up to it and did suffer out there in the middle. He coul not penetrate the defence much and also kept on losing possession in the match. He was taken off in the 61st minute.

Croatia:

Hits:

Vedran Corluka: He had a great game and made some great clearances, and the centre back was not only good with his defensive duties but also threatened while going forward.

Luka Modric: The Tottenham midfielder had a great game and was electric on the field. He was good with his passes and through balls, and also made some skillful runs. If he had someone to support him in the middle, things could have got difficult for Spain.

Flops:

Ivan Strinic: He was culpable of letting Jesus Navas slip in and score the winning goal. He could never match Navas and was outrun by him most of the times.


By Indian Sports News Network