Played
June 10, 2012 2:45 PM EDT
Stadion Miejski — Poznań
Referee: B. Kuipers
Attendance: 39550
June 10, 2012 2:45 PM EDT
Stadion Miejski — Poznań
Referee: B. Kuipers
Attendance: 39550
Top of the Match
Luka Modric
Croatia
Croatia
Mario Mandzukic
Croatia
Croatia
Flop of the Match
Aiden McGeady
Ireland Republic
Ireland Republic
Shay Given
Ireland Republic
Ireland Republic
Goal.com Rating 
Fans' Rating Ireland 1-3 Croatia: Trapattoni's men freeze on the big stage
The Balkan outfit netted a trio of goals at crucial times to take a huge three points, making the Boys in Green pay for some unforgivably sloppy defending
By Tom Webber
Getty Images
Croatia took charge of Group C with a comfortable 3-1 victory as Ireland's usually reliable defense crumbled in their first game of the tournament in Poznan.
Mario Mandzukic got the Balkan side off to a great start with an early goal but Sean St Ledger restored parity midway through the first half. Ireland then began to take a back seat in the match and it was punished with two more goals courtesy of Nikica Jelavic and Mandzukic either side of the break.
Giovanni Trapattoni, the oldest coach to ever grace a European Championship, sprung no surprises with his starting XI. Slaven Bilic, however, made one surprising omission as he opted to leave the experienced Josip Simunic on the bench and use Darijo Srna in a more defensive role.
The national anthems were greeted with deafening noise but half of the stadium fell quiet within three minutes of kick off. Srna drove to the byeline and clipped the ball back into the area where Mandzukic recovered from a slip to meet it with his head. He somehow generated enough power to get his effort on target, catching Shay Given by surprise who was unable to keep the ball out of the net.
Kevin Doyle was making a nuisance of himself in attack and showed great energy as he refused to give the opposing defense a moments rest. After drawing a free kick from Vedran Corluka, Aiden McGeady whipped in the subsequent free kick from out on the left. Corluka compounded a nightmare couple of minutes as he lost St Ledger at the back post and he nodded in to level in the 19th minute.
However, Ireland began to drop deeper and allowed Bilic's side more of the ball in its talented midfield. Croatia thus seized control of possession but with the final third congested Ivan Perisic and Luka Modric were forced to shoot from range and despite both hitting the target, Given was equal to them.
Trapattoni's side was being stretched thinly and was unable to hold on until halftime as Stephen Ward sliced a clearance from Modric's shot straight into the path of an unmarked Jelavic. The striker was quick to react and stabbed the ball over Given to score his first international goal since August 2010 as Ireland lost its defensively solidity that helped ensure its qualification for the tournament.
The second half began just as the first and Croatia doubled its lead just moments after the restart. Perisic's delivery from the left was glanced towards the far corner by the head of Mandzukic. His attempt bounced out off the post but was cruelly diverted into the net via the head of Given as he dived to make the save.
Ireland was lacking numbers going forward and its fans were incensed at the referee's decision not to award it a penalty when Gordon Schildenfeld went through the back of Robbie Keane at the top of the box.
The Balkan side soon stepped off the gas and slowed down the tempo of the game to stop its opponents from gaining any momentum. Goalmouth action was limited until a flowing move from Croatia ended with Srna cutting the ball back to Ivan Rakitic on the 18-yard line but his right-footed effort was always curling away from the target.
Keith Andrews headed wide in stoppage time but they could not deny Bilic's men a valuable win that puts them top of Group C and making qualification for the quarterfinals a real possibility. Ireland meanwhile faces an uphill struggle if they are to progress, needing positive results against both Spain and Italy.
Mario Mandzukic got the Balkan side off to a great start with an early goal but Sean St Ledger restored parity midway through the first half. Ireland then began to take a back seat in the match and it was punished with two more goals courtesy of Nikica Jelavic and Mandzukic either side of the break.
Giovanni Trapattoni, the oldest coach to ever grace a European Championship, sprung no surprises with his starting XI. Slaven Bilic, however, made one surprising omission as he opted to leave the experienced Josip Simunic on the bench and use Darijo Srna in a more defensive role.
The national anthems were greeted with deafening noise but half of the stadium fell quiet within three minutes of kick off. Srna drove to the byeline and clipped the ball back into the area where Mandzukic recovered from a slip to meet it with his head. He somehow generated enough power to get his effort on target, catching Shay Given by surprise who was unable to keep the ball out of the net.
Kevin Doyle was making a nuisance of himself in attack and showed great energy as he refused to give the opposing defense a moments rest. After drawing a free kick from Vedran Corluka, Aiden McGeady whipped in the subsequent free kick from out on the left. Corluka compounded a nightmare couple of minutes as he lost St Ledger at the back post and he nodded in to level in the 19th minute.
However, Ireland began to drop deeper and allowed Bilic's side more of the ball in its talented midfield. Croatia thus seized control of possession but with the final third congested Ivan Perisic and Luka Modric were forced to shoot from range and despite both hitting the target, Given was equal to them.
Trapattoni's side was being stretched thinly and was unable to hold on until halftime as Stephen Ward sliced a clearance from Modric's shot straight into the path of an unmarked Jelavic. The striker was quick to react and stabbed the ball over Given to score his first international goal since August 2010 as Ireland lost its defensively solidity that helped ensure its qualification for the tournament.
The second half began just as the first and Croatia doubled its lead just moments after the restart. Perisic's delivery from the left was glanced towards the far corner by the head of Mandzukic. His attempt bounced out off the post but was cruelly diverted into the net via the head of Given as he dived to make the save.
Ireland was lacking numbers going forward and its fans were incensed at the referee's decision not to award it a penalty when Gordon Schildenfeld went through the back of Robbie Keane at the top of the box.
The Balkan side soon stepped off the gas and slowed down the tempo of the game to stop its opponents from gaining any momentum. Goalmouth action was limited until a flowing move from Croatia ended with Srna cutting the ball back to Ivan Rakitic on the 18-yard line but his right-footed effort was always curling away from the target.
Keith Andrews headed wide in stoppage time but they could not deny Bilic's men a valuable win that puts them top of Group C and making qualification for the quarterfinals a real possibility. Ireland meanwhile faces an uphill struggle if they are to progress, needing positive results against both Spain and Italy.
Follow GOAL.COM on 
Goal
Own Goal
Penalty
Penalty Missed
Yellow Card
Assist
Penalty Save
Penalty Shootout Goal
Penalty Shootout Miss
Yellow Card / Red Card
Red Card
Substitution IN
Substitution OUT
Injury
Goal.com Rating
Goal.com Man of the Match
Goal.com Flop of the Match
Top & Flop Global Ranking
Fans' Man of the Match
Fans' Flop of the Match
Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Fernando Torres Striker Chelsea |
3 | 0 |
|
Cristiano Ronaldo Striker Real Madrid |
3 | 0 |
|
Mario Gomez Striker FC Bayern München |
3 | 0 |
|
Mario Balotelli Striker Milan |
3 | 0 |
|
Mario Mandzukic Striker FC Bayern München |
3 | 0 |
