Croatia began their UEFA Nations League campaign with a 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic on Saturday, ending the hosts’ 19-match unbeaten run on home soil.
The match marked the return of Slaven Bilic to the Croatia dugout, while Santi Denia also took charge of the Czech Republic for the first time.
The opening half produced few clear chances, with Croatia gradually growing into the contest.
Croatia came close to breaking the deadlock shortly before the interval when Petar Sucic forced Lukas Hornicek into a low save after receiving a pass from Mateo Kovacic.
The visitors eventually took the lead shortly after the restart when Igor Matanovic intercepted a loose pass and found Luka Modric.
The experienced midfielder raced into the box before unleashing a powerful effort into the far corner.
Czech Republic responded and levelled the score through Adam Karabec, who collected Adam Hlozek’s pass inside the area before finishing past Dominik Livakovic.
Croatia continued to threaten and restored their advantage with less than 15 minutes remaining.
Ivan Perisic delivered a cross into the box, with Marco Pasalic heading towards goal as Hornicek failed to keep the ball out.
The hosts thought they had equalised again moments later, but Matej Radosta’s effort was ruled out for offside. Croatia held on to secure all three points and make a winning start to their Nations League campaign.
The victory gives Bilic’s side confidence ahead of their upcoming encounters with England and Spain as they seek to reach the Nations League knockout stage for a third consecutive campaign.
