MALTA             1

Brozovic 32 og

CROATIA          7

Perisic 6 ; Caleta-Car 23

Pasalic 40; Modric 45

Mayer 46, 65; Kramaric 53

MALTA

H. Bonello, K. Shaw (82 K. Micallef), R. Camenzuli, A. Agius, J. Mbong (68 S. Dimech), L. Montebello (62 A. Satariano), E. Pepe, T. Teuma (62 M. Guillaumier), J. Degabriele, B. Kristensen (46 S. Pisani), C. Attard.

CROATIA

I. Grbic, B. Sosa, I. Perisic (54 M. Orsic), D. Caleta-Car, A. Kramaric (54 B. Petkovic), L. Modric (54 N. Vlasic), M. Brozovic (46 K. Jakic), M. Pasalic (61 M. Livaja), L. Majer, J. Gvardiol, J. Juranovic.

Referee Deniz Aytekin (Germany).

Yellow card Pepe.

Croatia flexed their muscles with an efficient attacking display to condemn an erratic Malta side to their heaviest defeat in the 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign at the National Stadium.

There was never any doubt on the gulf in quality between the two countries as the Croatians arrived here with the majority of the players that reached the World Cup final three years ago.

But the Croatians’ cause was surely helped by Malta’s shambolic defending with the team again repeatedly punished with their poor passing when trying to build play from the back apart from their lax marking in set-piece situations.

Continue reading this article on SportsDesk, the sports website of the Times of Malta