Euro 2016: Croatia crumbles amid chaos, Spain dazzles, Italy wins again

"Is Croatia a Euro 2016 title contender?"

At around 1:20 p.m. EST on Friday, that seemed a very reasonable title for this very article. Croatia led the Czech Republic 2-0 and was accelerating toward a comprehensive victory. Luka Modric looked like a candidate for player of the tournament. The Croatian midfield was balanced and its attack expressive.

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And there was passion, perhaps fueled by captain Dario Srna, who returned home in between games for the funeral of his father.

Then Modric went off injured. Then things snowballed.

Croatia's dominance waned. Then the Czechs announced themselves on the scene with a goal. Then a soccer game turned into a futile quest for control by a team that once seemed so comfortable. And it was incited by something totally out of the team’s control.

In the 86th minute, Croatian fans in the corner behind Petr Cech's goal showered the field with flares. The ugly scenes turned grotesque when one object that had been hurled onto the pitch exploded, blowing back a steward who had gone to pick it up.

The explosion was only a few feet away from Ivan Perisic as well. The game was halted for over five minutes. When play resumed, Perisic and other Croatian players had distraught looks on their faces. There's no way to prove that the chaos affected the players, but they appeared to be mentally rattled.

Three minutes into what would eventually be 10 of added time, Croatia crumbled.

The Croats barely held on for a 2-2 draw, which should see them through to the knockout round. But the downward spiral continued postgame. Players looked stunned. Manager Ante Cacic called the fans who threw the flares "sports terrorists." And a Croatian team doctor ruled Modric out for the group finale against Spain.

SPAIN VS. TURKEY

Speaking of Spain, La Roja cruised to a 3-0 win over Turkey, and it did so via … forwards? A striker? Yes! Nolito and Alvaro Morata, both appearing at their first major tournament for Spain, combined for a delightful opening goal.

Nolito scored the second, Morata got the third and from there things were relatively straightforward for the Spanish.

PLAYER OF THE DAY

Andres Iniesta, noted soccer warlock, was up to no good Friday. This is wizardry.

Sure, it was offside. But that was a pretty good representation of Iniesta's day. He was darn near impeccable. His vision was otherworldly, his control delicate yet overbearing and his passing sliced Turkey apart – pun very much intended.

Let's feast our eyes on more Iniesta magic.

TACTICS TALK

Spain's performance Friday was an improvement on Monday's showing in a 1-0 win over the Czech Republic. The game opened up for the Spanish for a few reasons.

One was Turkey. Fatih Terim's team boldly came at Spain, picking and choosing spots to press. Early on, the approach wasn't a complete failure, but as ESPN's Roberto Martinez noted, it had a trickle-down effect. It motivated Spain's front five to take chances running in behind the opposition back line, which in turn opened up space for players like Iniesta, David Silva and Cesc Fabregas in front of that back line.

Chance-taking also plays a big role in shaping our perception of Spain's performance. There probably isn't as big a gap between the Turkey game and the Czech game as you think. But hours after Croatia was seemingly on the verge of announcing itself as a contender, it was the Spanish who confirmed they really do belong among that select group of teams at the top.

ITALY BEING ITALY

Italy was the talk of the first round of group games. Its 2-0 defeat of Belgium prompted talk of a deep run.

It also, unfortunately, prompted Italy to stay in its shell against what should have been an overmatched Sweden squad. A point would've suited Antonio Conte's men just fine.

One of the most boring games of the tournament had 0-0 draw written all over it until a (possibly illegal) throw-in from Giorgio Chiellini gave Eder the stage.

Six points, no goals conceded and only Ireland stands between Italy and a perfect group stage.