The Croatia U21 national football team recorded its fifth consecutive victory in Group A of the 2023 Euro qualifiers, defeating Estonia 2:0 in Pula. Roko Šimić (39) and Jurica Pršir (62) scored Croatia’s goals.
Croatia was already a step closer to the victory in the 5th minute. Baturina shot from the right but hit the post. Pršir shot on goal in the 39th minute, but Šimić solidly put the rebound into the net. It was his sixth goal in these qualifiers.
In the second half, Croatia continued to dominate. In the 55th minute, Kačavenda shot from the outside and hit the crossbar. Croatia resolved all doubts about who would win in the 62nd minute when Pršir scored a great goal from more than 20 meters.
Croatia calmly kept the lead until the end of the match and continued their perfect series in the 2023 Euro qualifications.
Croatia leads the group with a maximum of 15 points and a goal difference of 14-3, and Norway is second with 9 points and a game less, while Austria has the same number of points. Estonia is last with six defeats and a 0-19 goal difference.
The winners of the nine groups and the best second-placed national team will directly qualify for the 2023 European Championships, which will be held from June 9 to July 2 in Romania and Georgia.
The remaining eight runners-up will play in additional qualifiers for four more teams at the European Championships.
RESULTS:
Croatia – Estonia 2-0 (Šimić 39, Pršir 62)
On Friday, November 12, Azerbaijan will host Austria, and Norway will host Finland.
Standings
1. CROATIA 5 5 0 0 14-3 15
2. Norway 4 3 0 1 13-4 9
3. Austria 5 3 0 2 14-6 9
4. Finland 4 2 1 1 7-4 7
5. Azerbaijan 4 0 1 3 2-14 1
6. Estonia 6 0 0 6 0-19 0
Austria will host Croatia in the next 2023 Euro qualifier on November 16.
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