Croatia defeated Portugal 2:1 in a friendly match played in Oeiras.
The Croatians opened through the ageless Luka Modric in the 8th minute from the penalty spot. At the beginning of the second half, Portugal restored the tie through the substitute Diogo Jota, who scored into an empty net after a pass from Nelson Semedo. Soon after, however, Croatia punished the Portuguese through Ante Budimir. Until the end, the status quo on the field was maintained and thus Croatia warmed up in an excellent way for the European Championship in Germany, which starts on June 14.
Zlatko Dalic's team is in the toughest group of the championship, where there are also the current champion Italy, one of the favorites for the trophy Spain and the tough team of Albania. The Croatians kick off Euro 2024 with a match against Spain on June 15.
Portugal have one more friendly against the Republic of Ireland on June 11 and open their campaign against the Czech Republic a week later. The remaining two teams in Group F are Turkey and Georgia. | BGNES
