Croatia edge Estonia in elite round opener
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
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Estonia 0-1 Croatia
The mini-tournament hosts have an early share of the lead in Group 1 thanks to Marin Mić's first-half goal.
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Marin Mić scored the only goal as Croatia began UEFA European Under-19 Championship elite round Group 1 with a narrow victory against Estonia.
The breakthrough came with five minutes left of a first half in which clear-cut chances were at a premium, Mić finding the back of the net with a free-kick from the left which took a deflection on its way past Marko Meerits. Croatia will next face Matchday 1's other winners, Belgium, on Thursday, when Estonia – who had Martin Ustaal sent off early in the second half – encounter Portugal.
Mić's intervention aside, the few efforts of note in the match also belonged to the mini-tournament hosts. Antonio Jakoliš twice tried his luck with shots from the edge of the penalty area, while Nebojša Popović drew a save from Meerits before the decisive goal. Estonia's hopes all but disappeared when Ustaal received his second booking eight minutes after the restart.