Croatia 0
Spain 1
Navas 88;
Defending champions Spain are into the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 after replacement Jesus Navas hit the late winner in their nervy 1-0 victory over Croatia, who bowed out last night.
Spain qualify as Group C winners and will now play their quarter-final in Donetsk, Ukraine, on Saturday against the Group D runner-up, while Italy finish second thanks to their 2-0 win over Ireland in Poznan.
Having come on for Chelsea star Fernando Torres in the second-half, Sevilla’s Navas hit the 88th-minute winner after Barcelona’s Xavi Hernandez chipped the Croatian defence and Andres Iniesta provided the final pass.
The World Cup winners top the group with seven points after their opening draw with Italy and 4-0 rout of Ireland, while there was heartbreak for Slaven Bilic’s Croatia.
Spain coach Vicente del Bosque named an unchanged team, while Bilic abandoned the 4-4-2 formation he used in the opening win over Ireland and the draw with Italy for a 4-2-3-1 formation.
As they had done in Thursday’s hammering of Ireland in Gdansk, Spain started with almost 80 per cent ball possession, which never dropped below 60, as Croatia seemed content to hit long balls down to lone striker Mario Mandzukic.
On a rare early foray into the Spanish half, Bayern Munich’s Danijel Pranjic fired a shot to the left of Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who dealt with the left-footed shot comfortably on 25 minutes.
Croatia defender Vedran Corluka was booked for dissent soon after as German referee Wolfgang Stark chose not to award a penalty after Spain’s Sergio Ramos sliding tackle caught Mandzukic’s ankle.
It remained goalless at the break and news of Italy’s lead against Ireland raised the tension inside the Gdansk stadium rose noticeably as the second half wore on.
Croatia’s best chance came approaching the hour mark when Tottenham Hotspur’s Luka Modric crossed in for Ivan Rakitic’s header, but Casillas parried away their best chance of the game.
After a fairly ineffective first 60 minutes, Torres made way for Navas in the three-man forward line, but both sides squandered chances.
With time almost up, the decisive blow came when Xavi Hernandez floated his pass over the defence for his Barcelona team-mate Iniesta to draw Croatia’s goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa out and squared the ball to Navas to put Spain in the last eight.
There could be more bad news for Croatia today when UEFA are expected to make a ruling over alleged racist chants from Croat fans directed towards Italy striker Mario Balotelli in last week’s 1-1 draw.
A stiff penalty is expected given UEFA president Michel Platini’s previous assertions that European football’s governing body has a “zero tolerance” on the issue.
Aftermatch comments
Vincente Del Bosque (Spain): “It was a difficult game for us, we had a high percentage of ball possession and we proved we can control the game.
“We were fighting for a victory, not a draw and we have taken a step forward here by qualifying, this is motivation for the quarter-finals.
“The team played well, even though things didn’t go according to plan.
“We have no preference whether it is France, England or Ukraine, we have to be ready to take whatever comes.”
Croatia
S. Pletikosa, D. Vida (N. Jelavic 66), V. Corluka, G. Schildenfeld, I. Strinic, D. Srna, I. Rakitic, L. Modric, O. Vukojevic (Eduardo 81), D. Pranjic (I. Perisic 66), M. Mandzukic.
Spain
I. Casillas, A. Arbeloa, G. Pique, S. Ramos, J. Alba, Xavi (A. Negredo 89), S. Busquets, X. Alonso, D. Silva (F. Fabregas 73), F. Torres (J. Navas 61), A. Iniesta.
Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany).
Attendance: 38,000.
Day-to-day fixtures
Group A
» Poland » Greece » Russia » Czech Republic
Poland vs Greece - 1-1
Russia vs Czech Rep. - 4-1
Greece vs Czech Rep. - 1-2
Poland vs Russia - 1-1
Czech Rep. vs Poland - 1-0
Greece vs Russia - 1-0
Final standings
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Czech Rep. | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Greece | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Russia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| Poland | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
Group B
» Holland » Denmark » Germany » Portugal
Holland vs Denmark - 0-1
Germany vs Portugal - 1-0
Denmark vs Portugal - 2-3
Holland vs Germany - 1-2
Portugal vs Holland - 2-1
Denmark vs Germany - 1-2
Final standings
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Germany | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 9 |
| Portugal | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 6 |
| Denmark | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| Holland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
Group C
» Spain » Italy » Ireland » Croatia
Spain vs Italy - 1-1
Ireland vs Croatia - 1-3
Italy vs Croatia - 1-1
Spain vs Ireland - 4-0
Croatia vs Spain - 0-1
Italy vs Ireland - 2-0
Final standings
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Spain | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| Italy | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 5 |
| Croatia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Ireland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
Group D
» France » England » Ukraine » Sweden
France vs England - 1-1
Ukraine vs Sweden - 2-1
Ukraine vs France - 0-2
Sweden vs England - 2-3
Today: England vs Ukraine - 20.45
Today: Sweden vs France - 20.45
Standings
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| France | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| England | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Ukraine | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Sweden | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
Quarter-finals
| Quarter-final 1 | June 21 | Czech Republic vs Portugal | 20.45 |
| Quarter-final 2 | June 22 | Germany vs Greece | 20.45 |
| Quarter-final 3 | June 23 | Spain vs Runner-up Group D | 20.45 |
| Quarter-final 4 | June 24 | Winner Group D vs Italy | 20.45 |
Semi-finals and final
| Semi-final 1 | June 27 | Winner Quarter-final 1 vs Winner Quarter-final 3 | 20.45 |
| Semi-final 2 | June 28 | Winner Quarter-final 2 vs Winner Quarter-final 4 | 20.45 |
| Final | July 1 | Winner Semi-final 1 vs Winner Semi-final 2 | 20.45 |