Turkey 0 Croatia 1: Luka Modric nets stunner to hand Ante Cacic’s side big Euro 2016 win
Real Madrid maestro fires in outrageous dipping volley to ensure 'the Blazers' grab three points in Group D clash and put one foot in the knockout stages ahead of Czech Republic clash
LUKA MODRIC netted a screamer as Croatia put in a commanding display to beat Turkey and underline their credentials as Euro 2016 dark horses.
Real Madrid maestro Modric volleyed in a brilliant dipping effort to ensure Ante Cacic's side got off to a flyer in Group D and planted one foot firmly in the knockout stages.
The former Tottenham man and Barcelona star Ivan Rakitic made up up one of the star central midfield pairings of the tournament.
And it was Modric who came up with the moment that mattered when he fired in four minutes before the break.
Modric was not the first player to land a blow, as Cenk Tosun's challenge left the scorer's ex-Spurs team-mate Vedran Corluka soaked in blood on the half-hour mark.
It was a sight that evoked memories of former England man Terry Butcher as Corluka's head was wrapped in a bandage that required constant running repairs.
Just minutes earlier Turkey starlet Ozan Tufan came about as close as his team got to scoring, but Croatia keeper Danijel Subasic managed to get his body behind the free header and clear off the line.
Croatia should have wrapped the game up in the second half as a stream of chances came and went.
Skipper Dario Srna - winning his 130th cap - rattled the bar with a majestic dipping free-kick before Marcelo Brozovic squandered a great chance by firing wide a close-range volley.
Legendary Turkey boss Fatih Terim then surprised everyone by taking off Barcelona playmaker Arda Turan and bringing on Burak Yilmaz - but to no avail.
Ivan Perisic then crunched the woodwork with a header from a Mario Mandzukic cross before Turkey keeper Volkan Babacan was required to pull off a smart save from a Brozovic header.
Turkey now face the daunting prospect of a clash with reigning champs Spain in Nice, while Croatia will face the Czech Republic in Saint-Etienne.
DREAM TEAM RATINGS
TURKEY: Babacan 7, Ozyakup 6 (Sen 45, 5), Turan 6 (Yilmaz 65, 5), Tosun 5 (Mor 69, 5), Balta 6, Erkin 6, Tufan 6, Topal 7, Gonul 7, Inan 6, Calhanoglu 7
BOOKED: Tosun, Balta, Sen
CROATIA: Subasic 7, Perisic 7 (Kramaric 87, 5), Rakitic 8 (Schildenfield 89, 6), Mandzukic 7 (Pjaca 93, 5), Badelj 7, Corluka 7, Modric 8, Srna 8, Strinic 7, Brozovic 6, Vida 7
BOOKED: Strinic
STAR MAN: Dario Srna (Croatia)