The past four days have not been kind to Croatia.
A group of Croatian hooligans tossed flares onto the pitch last Friday in Saint-Etienne, temporarily halting a second half that saw their countrymen turn a comfortable two-goal lead into a disheartening draw against the Czech Republic. UEFA punished the Croatian FA on Monday with a 100,000-Euro fine for the crowd trouble. And as if all that weren’t enough, its best player, Luka Modric, looks doubtful for Tuesday’s group-stage finale with a groin injury.
Now all Croatia has to do is face Spain, only the two-time defending European champion and the most dominant team in this tournament so far.