My favourite bar in London is Bradley’s Spanish Bar, just off Oxford Street, and when there’s a Spanish match on, there are usually many Spanish fans in there but as I discovered last Wednesday most of them have returned to Spain due to the economic effects of the lockdowns. I’m hoping this afternoon’s match will lure a few survivors out to add some atmosphere. Spain looked impressive against Slovakia but Croatia have warmed up a good deal since England beat them and will be no pushovers.
When I got to the bar at 4.30, I was the first one in so I ordered a couple of Guinnesses upfront and sat in my favourite seat. Pretty soon three young Spanish folks came in and I was pleased. Shouting in bars isn’t allowed at the moment of course but I expected they’d provide a bit of liveliness. We were spared the anthems because the internet jukebox was still playing in the bar which upset the Spanish contingent a little but the TV sound was on for the start of the game.. They then produced a modest sized Spanish flag and draped it over the back of some empty seats.
Croatia were playing in a defensive formation and in the opening stages Spain did all the pressing By eight minutes in, the ball had hardly been out of the Croatian half and three more Spanish fans had arrived in the bar suitably flagged up. Sarabia had a good shot a few minutes later and I thought it had gone in but it hit the top of the side netting. Koke really should’ve scored not long afterwards but Livakovic in goal made a good block with his legs. Morata had a decent header and was shouting for a penalty and it seemed just a matter of time before Spain got a goal. However, in the twentieth minute fate took a hand, or a foot really, when a very long-distance back-pass from a Spanish player went under the foot of Simon in goal and suddenly Croatia were in the lead. The barman, who’s from Cork and is the best in London imho, exclaimed, “What the fok happened there?!” as silence descended over the Spanish fans. Croatia took heart from this gift and started to put together some tasty attacks of their own with Kovacic looking menacing. The Spanish folks didn’t seem unduly disheartened by this as they knocked back the Estrella and laughed together but as most of them weren’t looking at the match very much, I supposed it was largely a social occasion for them. One Spanish lad was sitting in the corner looking mournful and I identified much more with him. Around the half-hour mark Spain won several corners but Croatia were looking solid. As soon as I typed that of course, Spain equalised. They’d had a couple of shots and when Livakovic palmed one away, Sarabia lammed it back and into the net. Cue kisses in the bar (but I think they were in a bubble). Spain continued to press well as we approached half-time but Croatia looked dangerous on the break and Simon atoned for his earlier howler with some timely interceptions.
As we kicked off again I felt the game could go either way, maybe after a penalty shoot-out, but more goals seemed likely. Spain took up where they’d left off and pressed well but in the bar the mournful lad in the corner had failed to return – oh ye of little faith! Croatia still seemed happy to soak up the pressure and make the occasional break. In the fifty-seventh minute there were cries of, “Fantastico!” in the bar as a great cross from the left was met by the head of Azpilicueta and whizzed into the net. A classic goal. Simon made a great save ten minutes later to keep it at 2-1 and he did the same just afterwards but the whistle went for offside. There was still a quarter of the match left and Croatia looked like they had a goal in them but so did Spain. Surprisingly Sarabia was swapped for Olmo with twenty minutes left and next thing Spain had the ball in the net but it was clearly offside. In the seventy-seventh it was effectively game over when Croatia conceded a sucker goal. They failed to get back into formation after a break and a long ball from the left found Torres racing forward down their right. The defender slipped as he went past him and smashed the ball into the net. Cue much clinking of glasses in the bar. With about five minutes to go Croatia pulled one back after a spot of pinball action in the Spanish box till the ref pointed to his watch and awarded the goal – Orsic got it. It certainly made the closing stages more interesting and the six minutes of stoppage-time added more flavour to this. In the second minute of stoppage-time Pasalic put in a fantastic header from a cross from the left and it was 3-3. Fair play to Croatia – they’d fought back when other sides might’ve wilted.
And so it went to extra-time and the Spanish fans in the bar went outside for some serious smoking before we started again. Both sides went at it hammer and tongs from the restart and after five minutes Simon made a great stop from Kramaric but five minutes later Spain went ahead, for a while at least, when Morata controlled a cross from the left and looped a great shot into the net. A few minutes later it was 5-3 when another cross from the right was met by Oyarzabal and he hit it home. I still felt there’d be another goal. The second period was a more sedate affair and apart from a good attempt by Morata which was well-blocked and a shot against the Croatian left post, not much of note happened. It ended 5-3.
What a great game for us neutrals and credit has to go to Croatia for the part they played. This doesn’t look like the Spanish side of recent glories but they’ve scored five goals twice recently and are a force to be reckoned with.
Toro! Toro! See you tomorrow!
