March 28, (THEWILL) – Croatia secured a vital 2-0 win against Turkey in their Euro 2024 qualifier on Tuesday, thanks to midfielder Mateo Kovacic’s brace.
The victory propelled Croatia to second place in Group D, leapfrogging the hosts. Kovacic’s first goal came in the 20th minute after the Turkish defence failed to clear the ball. His second came just before halftime, tapping home a rebound after Turkey goalkeeper, Mert Gunok, saved Mario Pasalic’s effort.
Wales, who defeated Latvia 1-0, currently top the group on four points on goal difference, while Croatia sits in second with Turkey in third. Despite Turkey creating better chances early on, they were unable to beat Croatia’s goalkeeper, Dominik Livakovic, who made some exceptional saves. To make matters worse for Turkey, their captain, Hakan Calhanoglu, had to come off in the 36th minute due to an injury.
Turkey, who reached the Euro 2008 semi-finals, are hoping to qualify again after a dismal performance at Euro 2020, where they lost all three games and scored just one goal. With Croatia and Wales in their group, Turkey faces an uphill battle, but there are still plenty of matches left to be played.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
