Croatia 1-0 Republic of Ireland
The Republic of Ireland Under-21s side have fallen to defeat with Fabijan Krivak's second-half strike giving Croatia a 1-0 victory in a friendly in Zagreb.
The visitors started off the better of the two teams with a clearance off the line denying them a dream opening before Croatia warmed into the tie.
A ball to play Bruno Durdov through on goal on the right side of the box saw the winger shoot low and hard to the left, with Ireland goalkeeper Aaron Maguire making a stunning reflex stop to keep the scores level.
The chance set the tone for Adriano Jagusic’s speculative effort from range with his shot whistling inches wide of the right post as the teams went into the break at 0-0.
Having tested the waters with shots from range in the first half, Croatia’s midfielders came out of the blocks with a similar strategy, with them taking a 52nd-minute lead.
Krivak’s left-footed effort across goal from outside the area had too much on it for Maguire to keep out, with the ball nestling in the bottom corner for a 1-0 victory.
