hallenbeck on Nostr: Yes, maybe. But had Croatia had the rub of the green and scored early, it might have ...

Yes, maybe. But had Croatia had the rub of the green and scored early, it might have been a different story. Croatia were pushing when the first goal for Spain came. That seemed to unsettle Croatia and opened them up for Spain's new-style direct play. I suspect, perhaps, they were not expecting this new, non-tiki-taka, more transitional, directly attacking Spain. But yes, agree for sure that the goals changed the complexion of the match.