Rakitic credits Croatian effort in 'deserved' win over Spain

Croatia midfielder Ivan Rakitic is adamant that his side deserved its 2-1 win over European title holder Spain in Bordeaux, crediting his teammates for their collective effort in securing a berth in the knockout stage of Euro 2016.

The Barcelona man stood opposite many of his club teammates, battling against Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets for control in the middle of the park.

But despite the quality of their opposition, Rakitic believes the better team won on the night.

"When you play against the best team in the world, if you do not run as hard as you can, they will dance past you, as they did at times," Rakitic said, according to ESPN FC.

"They caught us with the first goal, we left a lot of space. They are a team who can punish you very quickly, and they did without doing much. But we deserved it in the end, we left everything out on the pitch, and sometimes the effort you put in matches their quality."

The win puts Croatia in an ideal position in the Round of 16, slotted in the considerably easier side of the bracket; Spain's loss created a huge disparity in the Round of 16 allocation, with the likes of Germany, Italy, Spain, France, England, and potentially Portugal all on the same side of the bracket.

Croatia, conversely, faces the likes of Belgium, Wales, and Poland as potential opponents, a significantly easier route than Spain's. But, Rakitic says, it's too early to make any assumptions about Croatia's fate in the tournament.

"It depends on if you keep up this rhythm, this aggression," Rakitic explained, of his team's chances of making the final from the less daunting side of the Round of 16 bracket. "We will enjoy the victory today and then think about what is coming.

"It will be difficult. But if we keep playing like this we can do something."