Niko Kovac scored a late header Wednesday as Croatia beat Estonia 1-0 in a sluggish Group 8 European Championship qualifier

The Croatians dominated possession for much of the match and created a host of excellent chances, but wound up stymied by the stubborn Estonian defense, which had conceded just one goal before Wednesday's loss. Not until the 76th minute, after a succession of near misses by Croatia, did Kovac finally manage to head a long pass inelegantly into the back of the goal, helped in part by a fortunate bounce off the back of an Estonia defender. Despite the return of Andres Oper, Estonia's best striker, the hosts rarely posed much of an offensive threat - reduced to firing wildly several times from more than 20 meters (yards) out. Oper didn't play Saturday when Estonia beat Andorra 2-0. Estonia's Vjatsheslav Zahovaiko did take a powerful driving shot a minute before time from the top of the box, but it was pulled in deftly by Croatia goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa The two sides tied 0-0 when they played in Croatia, a disappointing draw that the Croatians had vowed to avenge. The Estonians entered the game as the surprise of Group 8, sitting in second place behind Bulgaria. Croatia was third - just a point behind Estonia - followed by Belgium and Andorra.