Croatia edge Estonia in elite round opener

Marin Mić scored the only goal as Croatia began UEFA European Under-19 Championship elite round Group 1 with a narrow victory against Estonia.

The breakthrough came with five minutes left of a first half in which clear-cut chances were at a premium, Mić finding the back of the net with a free-kick from the left which took a deflection on its way past Marko Meerits. Croatia will next face Matchday 1's other winners, Belgium, on Thursday, when Estonia – who had Martin Ustaal sent off early in the second half – encounter Portugal.

Mić's intervention aside, the few efforts of note in the match also belonged to the mini-tournament hosts. Antonio Jakoliš twice tried his luck with shots from the edge of the penalty area, while Nebojša Popović drew a save from Meerits before the decisive goal. Estonia's hopes all but disappeared when Ustaal received his second booking eight minutes after the restart.