Croatia suffers penalty shootout defeat against Spain in UEFA Nations League 2023 final

The shootout ended 5-4

Croatia suffered yet another heartbreak after failing to win the UEFA Nations League 2023 final against Spain. The match remained goalless for 120 minutes and the final was decided from the penalty spot. Unai Simon saved two penalties and denied Luka Modric's side a win in a major final.

This team has enjoyed a bit of success in recent times. Croatia reached the finals of the 2018 World Cup and finished third in the 2022 edition.

Croatia managed to reach the final after a hard-fought victory over the hosts, the Netherlands. The match went to extra time and the 2018 World Cup finalists won 4-2.

In the final match, both teams looked conservative in the first half. With very few chances created, the match remained goalless in the first half.

Both teams began the second half with more energy. Croatia kept the ball for more periods than Spain and were dictating the play at times. However, they failed to create a big chance. Spain were poor with their finishing but they saw one of their shot cleared off the line. The match remained goalless in the first 90 minutes and went into extra time.

The players looked tired at both camps and they had to play another 30 minutes. Both teams were trying to create some chances but lacked finishing. The first half of extra time also ended goalless. In the next 15 minutes, the match looked like heading to a goalless draw and so it happened.

After the end of 120 minutes, the winner of the UEFA Nations League 2023 was decided on penalties. Zlatko Dalic's were the first team to step up from the spot. Spain missed only one penalty and won the match with a score of 5-4 from the penalty spot.

Luka Modric and his men will be targeting the UEFA Euro 2024. This will be his last chance to lift an international trophy.