Euro 2020 qualifiers: Croatia thump Hungary to stay on course, Slovakia hold Wales
Euro 2020 Qualifier - Group E - Croatia v Hungary
Croatiaremained firmly oncourseto reach Euro 2020 after two goals from striker Bruno Petkovic helped them to a 3-0 home win overHungarywhileWaleskept alive their hopes with a 1-1 draw atSlovakiain qualifying Group E on Thursday.
TheCroatians top the group with 13 points from six matches and will secure a berth in next year's finals with a match to spare if they beatWalesaway on Sunday.
Slovakiaare second on 10 points from six matches, one ahead of third-placedHungary, whileWalesare fourth with seven points from five games. The bottom team Azerbaijan has one point from five matches.
TheCroatians dominated after captain Luka Modric fired them into a fifth-minute lead when he picked up a loose ball in midfield, raced down the middle and steered a shot pastHungarygoalkeeper Peter Gulacsi.
Petkovic made it 2-0 with a delightful back-heel from close range after Ante Rebic left his marker for dead on the left flank and squared the ball to the Dinamo Zagreb hitman.
A catalogue of defensive errors allowed Petkovic to bundle in the third late in the first half, as Tamas Kadar and Gulacsi misjudged Ivan Perisic's low cross from the right.
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Gulacsi made amends in the 55th minute when he saved Perisic's penalty after Rebic was fouled but any slim hopes of aHungarycomeback were dashed moments later when Laszlo Kleinheisler was sent off for a second bookable offence.
Walesmissed a chance to close in on the top two after a sumptuous second-half volley bySlovakiadefender Juraj Kucka cancelled out Kieffer Moore's 25th-minute opener.
Moore headed home after Daniel James delivered a fine cross into the penalty area but the visitors failed to clear a Peter Pekarik cross in the 53rd minute and Kucka blasted in the equaliser from 20 meters.
Gareth Bale hit the crossbar forWaleswith a first-half header and theSlovakians had defender Norbert Gyomber sent off in the 88th minute for a second yellow card after a poor tackle on Moore.