Croatia emerged victorious in their UEFA Nations League A Group One clash against Poland, securing a 1-0 home win on Sunday. Luka Modric, who turns 39 on Monday, proved to be the difference-maker with an expertly executed free kick in the 52nd minute. The veteran midfielder’s strike from the edge of the box sailed just under the bar, giving Croatia the lead and ultimately the win.
Despite being beaten 2-1 by Portugal in their opening Nations League match on Thursday, Croatia pressed from the outset against Poland. Early chances for Duje Caleta-Car and Modric threatened the Polish goal, but the game remained goalless at halftime. Poland struggled to create any real danger in the Croatian box for much of the match. Dominik Livakovic, the Croatian goalkeeper, only had to intervene once after the break, denying Nicola Zalewski from Poland’s first attempt on goal. Both teams had their opportunities later in the second half, with Igor Matanovic and Robert Lewandowski hitting the woodwork for Croatia and Poland respectively.
In the other Group One match, Portugal maintained their perfect start to the Nations League with a 2-1 victory over Scotland. This win sees Portugal top the group with six points, ahead of Croatia (three points) and Poland (three points) in second and third place respectively.
Meanwhile, Denmark continued their impressive start to the Nations League campaign with a 2-0 win over Serbia in Group 4. Yussuf Poulsen was the star of the show for Denmark, setting up the opening goal and then adding a spectacular second with an acrobatic bicycle kick in the 61st minute.
Poulsen’s acrobatic finish capped off a dominant performance by Denmark, who were awarded the opening goal in the 36th minute through Albert Gronbaeck. Gronbaeck, making his debut for Denmark, combined with Poulsen on a one-two before firing the ball into the net.
Serbia, who held Denmark to a scoreless draw in the group stage of Euro 2024 in June, struggled to create any chances to threaten Kasper Schmeichel in the Denmark goal. The Danes now top the group with a perfect six points from their opening two games, ahead of Switzerland and Spain, who meet later on Sunday. Denmark will face Spain and Switzerland away in October, the next two matches in their group campaign.
