Football
Dermot Corrigan, Madrid correspondent 8y

Croatia midfielder Ivan Rakitic: We deserved win over Spain

Croatia midfielder Ivan Rakitic said his team's hard work meant they deserved to beat Spain 2-1 and finish top of Group D to set up a relatively attractive route through the knockout stages.

Holders Spain seemed to be sailing to a third-straight victory when Alvaro Morata shot them ahead just seven minutes into the game.

But Nikola Kalinic equalised just before half-time and after Spain skipper Sergio Ramos' penalty was saved by Croatia goalkeeper Danijel Subasic the Balkan side's excellent performance got its reward when Ivan Perisic beat David De Gea at his near post with just a few minutes left.

The turnaround mean that Spain now must face Italy in the round of 16 on Monday in Paris, while Croatia have a more straightforward game, on paper, against a third-placed team on Saturday in Lens.

Barcelona star Rakitic said on Telecinco that his team had put in a huge effort which had been enough to overcome opponents he rated as the best in the world.

"When you play against the best team in the world, if you do not run as hard as you can, they will dance past you, as they did at times," Rakitic said.

"They caught us with the first goal, we left a lot of space. They are a team who can punish you very quickly, and they did without doing much. But we deserved it in the end, we left everything out on the pitch, and sometimes the effort you put in matches their quality."

Spain's side of the draw also includes France and Germany, while Croatia have a potentially easier route to the final.

Rakitic said it was too early to be thinking so far ahead, but if his team kept up their performance level they could go a long way.

"It depends on if you keep us this rhythm, this aggression," he added. "We will enjoy the victory today and then think about what is coming. It will be difficult. But if we keep playing like this we can do something."

Croatia coach Ante Cacic made five changes ahead of the game and was pleased with the way his players refused to be overawed by the Spanish but knows topping the group does not guarantee an easy round-of-16 tie.

"The key to the game is that we did not lose faith and confidence," he said. "We were fresher than the Spanish in the second half. We kept hope in our chances against a great team.

"It's an important victory because it is against the reigning champions and it paves the way more than if we finished in second place. But that is only on paper."

Croatia FA president and 1998 World Cup  semifinalist Davor Suker also spoke to Telecinco and insisted that teams from his country always liked to play against the bigger national sides and upset the odds.

"Before the game we said that from my day Croatia always likes to play against the big teams," Suker said. "You have nothing to lose and can win a lot. We had luck with Ramos missing the penalty, and [Gerard] Pique deflecting the Perisic shot [into the net]. These small things, one ball going in, another not, make the difference."

Suker also said that even after beating the Euro 2008 and 2012 winners, nobody in the Croatia camp was going to get carried away, although they were delighted to have beaten Spain and won the group.

"A game is 90 minutes, you should not think long term, just the next game," he said. "I do not have fear for the Spain team, they play good football, and were maybe better in some moments in the first half. But the equaliser was crucial and we improved as time went on. We deserved to win as Spain did not take their chances and we did. "Physically we were very good. We are first in group and we will give everything in the next game."

Croatia's previous group game had been interrupted by firecrackers thrown from the stand late in a 2-2 draw with the Czech Republic, and police had feared a similar incident during the clash with Spain. Suker said he was happy that the day had passed off without any controversy.

"Anybody can throw a firecracker and ruin the spectacle," he said. "But today we saw Spain and Croatia fans as one in the city centre. I am very happy for that."

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