Croatia, featuring one of the more talent-laden sides in the field, with Real Madrid's Luka Modric, Barcelona's Ivan Rakitic, Juventus's Mario Mandzukic and Inter Milan's Ivan Perisic, safely defeated Nigeria 2-0 as Saturday's action wrapped up in Kaliningrad Stadium. The match started with Croatia's usual attempt to control possession while Nigeria's young squad looking to counter at every opportunity. Much of the early threat came from the left handside as a soft cross came in looking for Mario Mandzukic, but Nigeria defended well. After five minutes of play, it was clear Nigeria was also looking to take advantage of every dead-ball situation. As we approached 10 minutes, Croatia was awarded its first corner but the Super Eagles cleared with intent and purpose. Both teams looked to use the wide spaces to create chances but neither were succesful. A great chance for Perisic just outside the box goes above the bar, becoming the first real attempt for the European nation. In the 19th minute, Luka Modric placed a floating ball in the box but eventually came to no avail. The more the half developed, the more comfortable Croatia felt as not enough numbers in the final third for Nigeria were causing problems. In the 32nd minute, Croatia went on top thanks to a scrappy corner, which was deflected from Mandzukic's header, only for Oghenekaro Etebo to put it in his own goal.
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