EURO 2024: It took Red Fury just 15 minutes to burn down Croats' fortress to the ground

The Germans were ruthless on the opening night of the European Championship, but to be honest, Scotland are miles and miles away from Europe's crème de la crème.

However, Croatia won the bronze medal in the last FIFA World Cup, and the fact that Spain destroyed them 3-0 on Saturday night in the EURO 2024 Group B derby speaks volumes.

The iconic Olympic stadium in Berlin - the one that saw Zidane headbutting Materrazzi 18 years ago - witnessed a superb game between two elite teams, with one being remarkably productive and efficient. The Red Fury showcased impeccable class as they managed to burn their excellent rivals in, basically, just 15 minutes, between 29th minute and the half-time break.

After those shy half an hour, which resembled a chess party of two experienced players, the Spaniards broke the Croats's code and subsequently the deadlock through Fabian Ruiz and Alvaro Morata. The former served a fantastic ball for the Atletico Madrid striker, whose finishing was never doubtful for 1-0. But that was just the beginning of Spain's blitzkrieg, with Ruiz adding a remarkable solo effort to that previous assist to make it 2-0 just three minutes later.

Shocked and confused, Luka Modric and his teammates found themselves stranded on the Spanish shore. Still, it was after his Real Madrid companion Dani Carvajal netted his side's third goal that they were literally decapitated. Interestingly enough, Carvajal scored somewhat similar to that recent goal in the Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund, as he sneaked again to the near post to head it home. And it was not even half-time.

Spain's boss, Luis de la Fuente, created a true monster, imposing a football philosophy totally opposite to the infamous tiki-taka. Simple ball movement, without too many touches, based on lots of runs and crosses tactically puzzled their today's rival, who was able to create a couple of very decent chances, though. However, they lacked that much-needed accuracy in the opposite area and it stayed 3-0 on the scoreboard.

It seemed we were getting some excitement after all when Unai Simon made a horrible mistake, which resulted in a deserved penalty for Croatia. The Spanish keeper made amends with a spectacular save, and although Bruno Petkovic managed to bag it after a miss and rebound, the goal was voided due to alleged offside.

This is still far from over for both Spain and Croatia, but it seems to us that the new world order is about to be established. And those two are about to change their seats.

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP - GROUP STAGE

Friday

Germany - Scotland 5-1 (3-0)

/Wirtz 10, Musiala 19, Havertz 45+1, Fullkrug 68, Can 90+3 - Rudiger 87 og/

Saturday

Hungary - Switzerland 1-3 (0-2)

/Varga 66 - Duah 12, Aebischer 45, Embolo 90+3/

Spain - Croatia 3-0 (3-0)

/Morata 29, Ruiz 32, Carvajal 45+2/

22.00: (1.42) Italy (4.30) Albania (8.50)

Sunday

16.00: (5.70) Poland (3.80) Netherlands (1.63)

19.00: (5.00) Slovenia (3.50) Denmark (1.75)

22.00: (7.50) Serbia (4.40) England (1.50)

***odds are subject to change***