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Croatia wins easy in a warm-up for Italy

Xinhua, June 8, 2015 Adjust font size:

Playing without newly crowned UEFA Champions League winner Ivan Rakitic of FC Barcelona and injured Real Madrid star Luka Modric, Croatian national football team easily beat Gibraltar 4-0 in an international friendly match played on Sunday in Varazdin, baroque city in the northern continental part of Croatia.

This was a warm-up match for Niko Kovac's squad before an important EURO 2016 qualifier against Italy that awaits Croatian team on Friday, June 12. The newest 54th UEFA member couldn't match a quality of Croatian players who created many scoring chances and managed to convert just four.

Anas Sharbini, attacking midfielder from Rijeka, opened scoring in the 7th minute. Inter Milan midfielder Mateo Kovacic made it 2-0 in the 15th minute. Mario Mandzukic finally broke his scoring drought that lasted almost four months converting a penalty kick in the 53rd minute.

Ateletico Madrid's striker last scored for his club on February 21. Leicester City striker Andrej Kramaric beat Gibraltar's goalkeeper in the 77th minute to make it 4-0.

On Monday Croatian team will travel from north to south of the country and spend five days in the biggest Croatian coastal city Split but not to enjoy sun and the sea but to prepare for a qualifying match against Italy.

It will be a clash of the first and second placed team in the Group H of EURO 2016 qualifiers, Croatia being a leader of the group with 13 points, two more than Italy.

This will be the first time in four years that Croatian team will play a qualifying match in Split at famous Poljud Stadium but home team will be without a loud support of its passionate fans. UEFA Disciplinary Commission hit Croatian Football Federation with a one match ban for fans behavior at the qualifying match against Norway played this March in Zagreb, so the match against Italy on Friday will be played behind closed doors of Poljud Stadium. Endi