3/1 To Win
Derby County goalkeeper David Marshall saw his UEFA European Championships journey with Scotland come to an end on Tuesday night.
Marshall, who is 36, picked up his 47th cap for Scotland at Hampden Park as they sought to extend their interest in the Tartan Army’s first major tournament since 1998.
Scotland went into their final Group D game knowing that a victory would secure their passage to the knockout stages of the competition, following a 2-0 loss to the Czech Republic and the goalless draw against England in their previous two outings.
However, they were beaten 3-1 in Glasgow despite a valiant effort to progress beyond the group stages.
Former Everton midfielder Nikola Vlasic put Croatia ahead after 17 minutes with a low finish from inside the box which was beyond the reach of Marshall.
Scotland stayed in the game and hauled themselves back onto level terms just before half-time as Celtic’s Callum McGregor drilled home his first international goal from 18 yards out.
Steve Clarke’s side knew they had to take the game to the 2018 FIFA World Cup finalists in the second period, but Marshall still had work to do and he twice kept out Josko Gvardiol before the hour mark.
Those signs were ominous for Scotland and Real Madrid midfielder restored Croatia’s lead on 62 minutes with a delightful finish from 20 yards out which left Marshall with absolutely no chance.
A third followed with 13 minutes left as Ivan Perisic headed home a corner from Modric to end Scotland's hopes of getting the result they craved.
Croatia secured the victory they needed to reach the knockout stages at Scotland’s expense, who despite the disappointment of not progressing further can look back with pride on the achievement of reaching the European Championships finals for the first time since 1996.
Marshall featured in all 270 minutes across Scotland’s three matches in the tournament, after playing an instrumental role in their qualification campaign, and on the international stage they will now focus their efforts on aiming to reach the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
