It took a whole 88 minutes and a careful finish by Jesús Navas, but Spain have qualified from their group to advance to the quarterfinals and keep alive their dreams of winning three major international tournaments back-to-back. Just. The relief was palpable. Before the breakthrough came, with Italy winning against the Republic of Ireland in the tightly contested group, a Croatia goal would have sent the reigning European and world champions home. The Spanish TV commentators insisted that everything was fine and going according to plan, but a nation was biting its nails, hurling abuse at the screen and collectively holding its breath as Iker Casillas was forced to make two crucial … [Read more...] about Euro thriller against Croatia highlights Spain’s need for goals