A 2-1 victory for the east Europeans sees them top their group within reach of the quarter-finals
Friday 13th June 2008
Croatia, the underdog team pipped by many pundits to be the surprise of Euro 2008, fulfilled their backers’ predictions by astonishingly beating pre-tournament favourites Germany 2-1 in their group match.
The two sides were at a stalemate until 24 minutes when Croatian Darijo Srna beat the German defence to a crossed ball and safely netted a goal. Ivica Olic slotted home a second goal after a series of deflections in the 63rd minute. Germany’s Polish-born Lukas Podolski managed a late consolation goal for the three-time World Cup winners.
German Bastian Schweinsteiger also received a red card for shoving Croatian defender Jerko Leko to the ground following an incident between the two. Croatia’s odds are rapidly becoming less value by the minute, with 9-1 from PaddyPower seeming to be the best bet for them to go all the way. Generally agreed to be the three favourites are Portugal, Holland and Germany. The latter two can be found at 11/2 and last year’s runner-ups are 9/2 from ToteSport.
