Czech Republic vs Croatia match report: Crowd disturbances mar Czech comeback on sorry night

Czech Republic 2-2 Croatia: Flares thrown onto pitch by Croatian fans as team throw away lead

Stewards attempt to clear the pitch in Saint-Etienne as Croatia supporters taunt riot police (AFP/Getty Images)

What should have been a victory that demonstrated Croatia’s billing as the swiftest dark horses of this tournament ended with flares being thrown on to the pitch, a steward struck by a firecracker, fans fighting among themselves and both sets of players taken off. The Croatia manager, Ante Cacic, called the supporters who started the incident “sports terrorists”.

Uefa said that they would open disciplinary proceedings against Croatia. Since this is the second, successive time there has been an incident inside the stadium involving their fans, they are likely to join Russia in being threatened with expulsion if there is a repetition.

Croatia have a beautifully-balanced football side who might just win this tournament but they also have a psychotic minority who appear determined to embarrass their FA at every opportunity.

In qualification, Croatia were docked a point and ordered to play two matches behind closed doors after chemical agents were used to carve a swastika on the pitch before they played Italy in Split 12 months ago.

That match itself was being played in an empty stadium because of racist chanting during a 5-1 win over Norway less than three months before. Their first qualification game against Italy, in Milan, saw flares thrown on to the San Siro pitch.

A steward is helped up after being hit by a firecracker in Saint-Etienne (Getty)

“They are ruining everything we are doing,” said Cacic. “Ninety-five per cent of our supporters are ashamed. I hope the Croatian FA are doing everything they can to stop it but these people are really scary. We learnt of threats of violence before the game but these people are sports terrorists. The main thing is that our country doesn’t seem to want to mess (deal with) these kinds of hooligans.”

On the pitch, Croatia’s iron grip on the game had begun to loosen when Cacic substituted Luka Modric since the Real Madrid playmaker was complaining of muscle fatigue. Since Croatia needed to win their final match, against Spain, to ensure they would avoid the probability of facing Italy in Paris in the round of 16, Cacic took the reasonable decision to rest his best player.

Tomas Necid scores from the spot to rescue a late point for the Czech Republic (Getty)

However, a quarter of an hour later, Tomas Rosicky, who was to finish the evening far more seriously injured, produced a fine cross that Milan Skoda headed home. Then, a legion of black-clad riot police marched into the stadium and cordoned off the stand behind Cech’s goal.

This was ostensibly to prevent Croatian fans getting on to the pitch. One supporter had run on to congratulate Modric at the Parc des Princes after his fabulously-conceived goal against Turkey last weekend. The arrival of the riot police had the opposite effect, the latest failure in an abysmally-organised tournament. It produced a volley of flares that went on to the pitch. One struck a steward trying to remove them.

After the referee, Mark Clattenburg, had taken the players off, some, led by their captain, Darijo Srna, went over to the stand, yelling at their own fans to stop fighting among each other. A sort of calm was restored but, once the game restarted, Croatia fell apart completely. Domagoj Vida conceded a penalty for handball that was icily converted by Tomas Necid. Had the game lasted much longer, it is probable that Croatia might have lost this match.

Ivan Perisic celebrates after opening the scoring for Croatia (Getty)

Ivan Perisic, who scored what looked certain to be the winner with a delightful finish past Cech, said the stoppage had drained the momentum from his side. Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic, who had been voted man of what had become a bizarre and ugly match, spoke for his team when he said: “We just have to say sorry to Uefa, the Czech Republic and all people around the world who love football. I hope Uefa can understand this. We have to play our World Cup qualifiers in empty stands because of all these stupid supporters.”

The sadness was that Croatia’s footballers had started the match intending to honour the dead and they so very nearly achieved their aim. Srna and their goalkeeping coach, Marijan Mrmic, had lost their fathers in the past week. When Croatia’s captain returned to his home on the Dalmatian coast he was told that Uzeir Srna’s last wish was that his son should continue to play in the European Championship.

Milan Skoda started the Czech Republic comeback with a fine header (Getty)

During the Croatian national anthem, Srna broke down uncontrollably and when Perisic opened the scoring after 37 minutes of complete domination he ran first to Srna and then to Mrmic on the bench. When Rakitic clipped the second past Petr Cech’s weary grasp, his captain was the man he most wanted to embrace.

Croatia had played the perfect game and then their own supporters took the ground from beneath their feet.

Czech Republic: (4-1-4-1) Cech; Kaderabek, Hubnik, Sivok, Limbersky (Skoda, 67); Plasil (Necid, 86) ; Rosicky, Skalak (Sural, 67), Krejci, Darida; Lafata.

Croatia: (4-2-3-1) Subasic; Srna, Corluka, Vida, Strinic; Badelj, Modric (Kovacic, 60); Brozovic, Rakitic (Coric, 90), Perisic; Mandzukic.

Referee Mark Clattenburg (England)