Mandzukic, Kalinic net hat-tricks as Croatia hits San Marino for 10

Against weak opposition, Croatia head coach Ante Cacic decided to field his strongest XI, with Luka Modric getting the nod in midfield after his Champions League success with Real Madrid, while Ivan Rakitic, Ivan Perisic and Mandzukic also featured from the start.

Published : Jun 05, 2016 09:27 IST , Rijeka

Mario Mandzukic and Ivan Rakitic celebrate a Croatian goal against San Marino.
Mario Mandzukic and Ivan Rakitic celebrate a Croatian goal against San Marino.
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Mario Mandzukic and Ivan Rakitic celebrate a Croatian goal against San Marino.

Mario Mandzukic and Nikola Kalinic each netted a treble as Croatia demolished San Marino 10-0 in its last friendly before its Euro 2016 opener against Turkey on June 12.

Against weak opposition, Croatia head coach Ante Cacic decided to field his strongest XI, with Luka Modric getting the nod in midfield after his Champions League success with Real Madrid, while Ivan Rakitic, Ivan Perisic and Mandzukic also featured from the start.

Croatia was on top right from the opening whistle, but needed 20 minutes to break the deadlock via Marko Pjaca. Mandzukic and Darijo Srna then made it 3-0 within four minutes of the opener, before Mandzukic completed his hat-trick and Perisic also added his name to the scoresheet to make it 6-0 at half-time.

Rakitic continued the rout early in the second period after being set up by Srna, before making way for Andrej Kramaric, while Kalinic took Mandzukic's place up front.

Kalinic immediately showed his worth as he make it 8-0 within three minutes of his introduction, then doubled his tally in the 73rd minute before completing his treble with six minutes left.

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