Scotland and Croatia Score Shock Victories in Euro 2024 Qualifiers: A Roundup of Day Two Action

The second day of the Euro 2024 qualifications saw some exciting matches take place. Scotland pulled off a shock victory against Spain, while Croatia beat Turkey in another notable game. Here’s a rundown of all the goals and highlights from the last evening of the second day of the qualifiers.[expander_maker id=”1″ ]

Scotland vs Spain

Scotland got off to a dream start by taking a surprise lead in the 10th minute of the match. Callum McGregor found himself in space in the box and found the back of the net to give the hosts an early lead. Spain, however, remained undeterred and kept piling on the pressure in search of an equalizer. Their persistence paid off in the 30th minute when Sergio Ramos scored from the spot after Andrew Robertson fouled Marco Asensio in the box.

The second half saw Scotland come out with renewed energy, and they once again took the lead through John McGinn in the 60th minute. The midfielder produced a stunning half-volley from outside the box that left the Spanish goalkeeper with no chance. With just a few minutes left in the game, Spain pushed forward in search of an equalizer, but the Scottish defense held firm to secure a famous win.

Croatia vs Turkey

Turkey started the match on the front foot and took the lead in the 15th minute when Hakan Calhanoglu’s shot from outside the box found its way into the net. However, Croatia was quick to respond and drew level just two minutes later through Bruno Petkovic. The forward made the most of some poor Turkish defending to score from close range.

The second half saw Croatia take control of the game and they took the lead in the 68th minute through a spectacular goal from Marcelo Brozovic. The midfielder unleashed a thunderbolt from outside the box that left the Turkish goalkeeper stranded. Turkey had a chance to level the scores in the 75th minute when they were awarded a penalty, but Cenk Tosun’s spot-kick was saved by the Croatian keeper.

The rest of the game saw Croatia comfortably hold onto their lead and secure a crucial three points.

Other matches

Elsewhere, there were a number of other matches played on the second day of the Euro 2024 qualifiers. Here’s a quick roundup of all the action:

• Italy continued their impressive form by beating Ukraine 2-0. Goals from Lorenzo Insigne and Ciro Immobile sealed the win for the Azzurri.
• France got their campaign back on track with a 3-1 win over Finland. Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe, and Olivier Giroud were all on target for the reigning world champions.
• Belgium maintained their perfect record with a 3-0 win over Estonia. Romelu Lukaku scored twice, while Thorgan Hazard added a third.
• Germany bounced back from their opening day defeat with a 2-0 win against Iceland. Goals from Timo Werner and Julian Draxler secured the victory for the four-time world champions.
• Portugal were held to a 1-1 draw by Serbia. Cristiano Ronaldo scored for the visitors, but a late equalizer from Aleksandar Mitrovic salvaged a point for the hosts.

Conclusion

The second day of the Euro 2024 qualifiers provided plenty of entertainment for football fans across the continent. The shock results in the Scotland vs Spain and Croatia vs Turkey matches showed that anything can happen in international football. With the groups starting to take shape, it will be interesting to see which teams will secure their place in the tournament and who will be left to battle it out in the playoffs.[/expander_maker]