Real Madrid

Croatia virtually sealed their place in the quarter-finals of UEFA EURO 2008™ as goals from Darijo Srna and Ivica Olić earned a famous win against ten-man Germany that takes Slaven Bilić's side clear at the top of Group B.

Famous win
With both sides having won their first game in the section on Sunday each knew victory in Klagenfurt would all but seal a place in the last eight, and it was Croatia who struck first midway through the first half thanks largely to the determination of Srna. The points look to have been sealed when Olić tapped in just past the hour, yet Lukas Podolski set up a tense finale with his third goal of the tournament eleven minutes from time. Croatia, whose only previous victory against the Mannschaft came in the quarter-finals of the 1998 FIFA World Cup – a match in which Bilić played – held on with Germany losing Bastian Scweinsteiger to a late red card, and now need at most a point from their last fixture against Poland on Monday to reach the UEFA European Championship quarter-finals for the second time.

Srna strikes
While Germany coach Joachim Löw kept faith with the same team that served him well against Poland, Bilić brought in midfielder Ivan Rakitić for Mladen Petrić and pushed Niko Kranjčar into a more advanced role. Neither side was prepared to take risks in a tense opening as the first genuine opening did not arrive until the 24th minute – and from it, Croatia took the lead. The ball was worked neatly down the left for Danijel Pranjić to deliver a superb deep cross for Srna, arriving ahead of his marker Marcell Jansen at the far post, to steer past Jens Lehmann.

Missed opportunities
Gemany sought an immediate response with Mario Gómez heading over from Jansen's cross, although Kranjčar might have doubled the Croatian advantage only to volley Olić's knock-down over the bar. Germany captain Michael Ballack came more into the game as he sought to drive his side forward with half-time approaching, stinging the palms of Stipe Pletikosa with a powerful free-kick before Christoph Metzelder headed a Torsten Frings corner too high. It was Croatia who finished the opening half the stronger, however, Kranjčar wasting another presentable chance as he volleyed Olić's pass straight at Lehmann.
 
Olić opportunism
Löw replaced Jansen with winger David Odonkor at half-time with Clemens Fritz and Philipp Lahm moving to right- and left-back respectively as the Germany coach sought to inject some pace into his attack. The ploy did result in Löw's side gaining more possession but they still found it tough to fashion clear scoring chances and fell further behind two minutes past the hour, albeit in unfortunate fashion. Lehmann reacted sharply to push Ivan Rakitić's right-wing cross on to his post after the ball had struck Podolski, only for Olić to react fastest to tap the rebound into the unguarded net.

Podolski pounces
That goal seemed to have set up a comfortable last half-hour for Croatia, but just as it seemed Germany were running out of ideas they halved the deficit with Podolski volleying in Ballack's knock-down from a Lahm cross to revive their hopes. They failed to mount a late charge, however, and a disappointing day was completed two minutes into added time when substitute Schweinsteiger was sent off for reacting to a challenge from Jerko Leko.