After a 1-1 draw against the Czech Republic, Croatia is threatened with the end of the European Championship.
A Bundesliga professional scored the first goal, an ex-Bayern star equalized.
Glasgow - Vice World Champion Croatia * threatens the embarrassing preliminary round after another "Schick Show" at the European Football Championship.
The team around superstar Luka Modric only scored 1-1 (0: 1) against the Czech Republic * and is doomed to win with just one point in the group final against Scotland on Tuesday.
Despite another goal from ice-cold striker Patrik Schick with four points, the Czechs missed the early jump to the second round.
EM 2021: Czech Republic draws against Croatia - Leverkusen's chic meets with a bleeding nose
Despite tamponage in the still bleeding nose, the Leverkusen * Schick converted a penalty (37th) after an elbow check by Dejan Lovren and is the best European scorer so far with three goals.
Former Bundesliga professional Ivan Perisic (47th) equalized shortly after the break in Glasgow's sparsely occupied Hampden Park.
The Croatian national coach Zlatko Dalic had promised a more offensive direction after the England game (0-1), but decided on only two new forces when they returned to the 4-2-3-1 system.
Lovren, who was recently injured in his knee, started in the defense center, while Josip Brekalo from Wolfsburg was deployed on the left wing.
But the first signals were given by the self-confident Czechs, for example when Tomas Soucek's header after a corner just brushed the goal (5th).
The Croatians did not get involved at all, there was a lack of movement, ideas and precision.
The aging metronome Modric (35) also initially made an unusually large number of bad passes.
EM 2021: Czech Republic draws against Croatia - Former Bayern professional equalized
"The key is to defend well and use our chances to counterattack", Schick had revealed in advance about the Czech match schedule.
After his brace including a long-distance dream goal against Scotland (2-0), it wasn't long before the 25-year-old's next big appearance.
Because Lovren banged his elbow in Schick's face in an aerial duel, referee Carlos del Cerro Grande (Spain) decided, based on the video images, on a penalty. To the astonishment of the audience, Schick stepped up himself directly after his treatment, and with fresh blood on his upper lip transformed safely with a shot in the lower left corner - to then flex his muscles while cheering for the well-deserved leadership in front of the TV cameras.
The half-time approach and changes, however, worked for the Croatians, who showed better body language in the second round.
It paid off immediately: With a quick free kick, Hoffenheim's Andrej Kramaric sent ex-FC Bayern * professional Perisic steep on the left, who dribbled past the surprised Czech into the penalty area and hit the far corner.
With more speed and increased commitment from captain Modric, more thoughtful advances get into the final third.
The 1996 European Championship runner-up from the Czech Republic held out with courageous pressing against it.
(dpa) * tz.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
