Czech Republic vs Croatia player ratings: Who impressed in Saint-Etienne?

Croatia threw away a two-goal lead against the Czechs but which player earned top billing?

Samuel Lovett
Friday 17 June 2016 19:25 BST
Comments
Milan Skoda battles for possession with Croatia's Domagoj Vida in Saint-Etienne on Friday (Getty)
Milan Skoda battles for possession with Croatia's Domagoj Vida in Saint-Etienne on Friday (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

Goals from Milan Skoda and Tomas Necid, from the penalty spot, earned Czech Republic an unlikely point against Croatia and keep alive their hopes of progression.

Ivan Rakitic had added to Ivan Perisic's opener to give Croatia a deserved lead, only for Skoda to reduce the deficit with a fine headed effort.

The match was delayed for a few minutes late in the second half as Croatia supporters appeared to throw flares and firecrackers onto the playing surface in Saint-Etienne, with referee Mark Clattenburg leading the players off.

Uefa are to investigate the proceedings, which follow similar disturbances at Russia's match with England last weekend, for which they received a suspended disqualification.

When play resumed, an injury-time handball allowed Necid the opportunity to level fom the spot in injury-time and deny the Croats the chance of qualification with a game to spare.

Which players impressed most on the pitch? Check out our ratings and leave your comments in the section below.

CZECH REPUBLIC

Petr Cech Poor decision making at the start of the game and struggled with the Croatian set piece. Rating: 5/10

Pavel Kaderábek Dealt with Brozovic in the first half but gave him too much space and time in the second 45 minutes. 6

Roman Hubnik Fully at fault for Croatia's second. Disappointing performance. 5

Tomas Sivok Slow and cumbersome first half. Struggled to keep Croatia's attacking threat at bay but settled down as the game went on. 6

David Limbersky Was shown the ropes by Perisic all game long. 5

Former Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky set up Czech Republic's first goal (Getty)
Former Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky set up Czech Republic's first goal (Getty)

Jaroslav Plasil Overwhelmed by the Croatian midfield. 5

Vladimir Darida A threat now and then but like much of his teammates he lacked consistency. 6

Jiri Skalak Similar story to Plasil. Struggled to keep up with the Croatians in the centre. 5

Tomas Rosicky Largely ineffective until the final third. Excellent assist to kick-start to Czech Republic's come back. 6

Ladislav Krejci Worked constantly but never really created any proper chances for himself. 6

David Lafata Another hard worker and penetrated the Croatian back four on occasion. 6

CROATIA

Danijel Subasic Not overly tested until the dying minutes of the match. Was little he could do about either goals. 6

Darijo Srna Worked hard up and down the right. Provided plenty of deliveries into the box. 7

Vedran Corluka Solid for much of the game but became unsettled in the dying minutes of the match as Croatia capitulated. 6

Domagoj Vida Solely to blame for the Czech Republic's late equaliser. Recklessly handled the ball in the box and paid the price. 5

Domagoj Vida gave away a costly late penalty with a needless handball (Getty)
Domagoj Vida gave away a costly late penalty with a needless handball (Getty)

Ivan Strinic Just as willing as Srna to get forward but struggled as the game went on. 6

Milan Badelj Played nicely off Modric and Rakitic in the centre. Key part of Croatia's dominant midfield. 6

Luka Modric Ran the show and created plenty of chances for his. 97 per cent pass rate in the first half. Came off early due to injury. 7

Marcelo Brozovic A nuisance particularly in the second half. Enjoyed his own close chances on goal. 7

Ivan Rakitic A dangerous player throughout. Linked up well with those around him and took his goal brilliantly. 8

Ivan Perisic opened the scoring for Croatia in the first half (Getty)
Ivan Perisic opened the scoring for Croatia in the first half (Getty)

Ivan Perisic Calm finish to give Croatia the initial lead and acted as constant threat with his piercing runs down the left. 7

Mario Mandzukic Failed to emulate the creativity and threat of his attacking partners. Enjoyed some close half-chances. 6

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in