England 1-0 Croatia: 5 hits and flops as Raheem Sterling on target for insipid Three Lions | UEFA Euro 2020

Hit: Luka Modric (Croatia)

Luka Modric was on fire against England.

So often the talisman for his club and country, Luka Modric produced another midfield masterclass. England had to resort to fouling the Real Madrid star to win back possession. There was literally no other way to stop the 36-year-old player on the night.

🇭🇷 Luka Modrić during his 138th international outing for Croatia ©️#EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/4i8J9qE0xC

— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) June 13, 2021

He read the game brilliantly and laid down a marker once again with his passes, registering a 93% success rate. Modric also created two good chances for Croatia, which, rather, unfortunately, went begging.

Like in the Champions League a few weeks ago, the 36-year-old came up against Mount once again. Their duel was entertaining to watch, with Modric emerging on top most of the time.

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Flop: Ivan Perisic (Croatia)

England had no issues dealing with Ivan Perisic.

Inconsistency has been the biggest Achilles heel of Ivan Perisic. Against England, Perisic endured one of his worst nights.

The Inter Milan forward did not come close to threatening the England citadel. He wasted a good chance to score for the visitors, producing a loose touch that allowed Tyron Mings to hook the ball off him.

Perisic made some of the fewest passes on the field. Kyle Walker comfortably held him off on a few occasions, negating any attacking move he could've started.

If the Vatreni are to mount another deep run in the Euros, they'll desperately need their attackers to fire at all cylinders.

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Hit: Raheem Sterling (England)

Raheem Sterling continued his prolific run for England with a match-winning goal.

Not everyone was impressed to see Raheem Sterling start the match. But after full-time, most of his doubters must have been silenced, as the Manchester City star put on a fine display and saved England's blushes with a crucial winner.

19 - Raheem Sterling has been directly involved in 19 goals in his last 17 England games (13 goals, 6 assists), while the Three Lions have won all 10 of the previous games he has scored in. Charm. #ENG #CRO #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/18sKNzeYee

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 13, 2021

Right from the off, Sterling gave Croatia plenty to think about with his piercing runs, as he came close to scoring early on. He worked nicely with Declan Rice to work out a few openings while also producing eye-catching footwork on the ball.

His run through the middle of the pitch was spotted brilliantly by Philipps. Sterling then latched on to the ball before making a composed finish beyond Livakovic to break the deadlock and eventually win the match for England.

It was a good start to his Euro 2020 campaign for the 26-year-old Manchester City star.