Croatia beat Armenia, secure Euro 2024 spot
Ante Budimir’s second international goal was enough for Croatia to book their place at the Euro 2024 finals in Germany following a 1-0 victory over Armenia in Zagreb on Tuesday as they finished runner-up in qualification Group D, Reuters reports.
Croatia camped in the Armenia half without creating clear-cut chances until Budimir's headed goal two minutes before halftime. Borna Sosa's cross from the left was perfect for the forward to get ahead of his marker and score from six yards out.
Luka Modric was superb for the home side as he belied his 38 years and pulled the strings in midfield, allowing them to control the tempo in the second half and create several other scoring chances that were spurned.
Turkey topped the pool with 17 points from their eight games, one more than Croatia. Wales had to settle for a place in the playoffs, while Armenia's dream had been extinguished before their final game.