Croatia 1-1 Czech Republic: Schick Scores Controversial Penalty2 min read

Croatia took on Czech Republic at Hampden Park for their second game of the Euro 2020 tournament.

The Blazers were looking for a crucial first win after losing to England on the weekend. Czech Republic on the other hand looked like the dark horses of the tournament with impressive attacking prowess in the form of Patrik Schick.

The game kicked off with a good start for Czechia as they were creating chances consistently in the opening minutes.

West Ham United’s Vladimír Coufal had a great half pushing up towards the Croatia box and trying to break the lock.

Just after the half-hour mark, Schick went down in the box after he accidentally got elbowed by Dejan Lovren trying to get the ball in the air.

For a few moments, things were serious as the 25-year-old striker was bleeding from the nose. After consulting with VAR, Czech Republic were controversially awarded a penalty which frustrated the Croatian team.

After receiving a quick patch-up for his injury, Schick shot the ball into the bottom corner from the penalty spot to give his team the lead in the first half.

Almost instantly from conceding, Croatia tried to give a response as Ante Rebić was threaded the ball through the midfield, only to shoot it wide when he was one-on-one with the goalie.

Second Half

Croatia wasn’t going to let a VAR mishap conclude their Euro 2020 campaign, as they managed to score an equaliser in the 47^th minute.

Ivan Perišić gave a throwback to his form in the World Cup by scoring a spectacular goal in the Czech box. Beating Coufal near post, the 32-year-old winger curled in a beautiful ball past Tomáš Vaclík.

Despite the equalising goal, Czech Republic were still dominating in possession and continued to press on.

In the 72^nd minute Croatia had another crucial chance to make a breakthrough. A ball crossed into the Czech penalty area was set up for Nikola Vlašić after Perišić headed it back down to him.

After wrestling Coufal, the 23-year-old had the chance to seal the game but blasted the shot way above the target.

The game ended 1-1 as Croatia look in trouble, having only secured a single point in the group stages.

Source of Image: UEFA EURO 2020 via Twitter