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With the Croatia reserves beating Poland 1-0 on Monday, June 16 in their final Group B game of the ongoing 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, it clearly indicates that they are very much capable of winning the coveted Euro 2008 title. Luck definitely is in favor of Croatia, which is already assured of a quarter final game against Turkey. Moreover, its recent success in the game against Poland has followed its win against Austria and Germany in earlier games.
It was Ivan Klasnic who secured the only goal in the eighth minute during the second half of the game which is remarkable, as this Croatian striker has undergone two kidney transplants in the last 18 months. Poland, on the other hand, entered the football match with a requirement of winning at least two goals in order to have a chance. Moreover, with the opponent team resting nine of its first-choice players, Poland could not have had a better start.
Though Croatia won, it was felt that it could have played more convincingly. Their group looked lacking in midfield creativity and it is this drawback that has resulted in their ending up with single goal return from three games. Croatia goalkeeper Vedran Runje had to act prudently after 10 minutes to box away a cross just before it reached the head of Jacek Krzynowek. But then this is the only time when he was seriously called into action in the first half.
