Croatia defender Hrvoje Vejic jokingly suggested that he is glad his side won't face Portugal in the quarterfinals of Euro 2008, as he would not want to see Cristiano Ronaldo face such an early exit from the tournament

Croatia sealed top spot in their group with a surprising and impressive 2-1 victory over Germany on Thursday, with Portugal having done likewise with a 3-1 win over the Czech Republic the day before.

They will now avoid each other in the quarterfinals, with Portugal likely to face pre-tournament favourites Germany, and Croatia to come up against the winner of Czech Republic versus Turkey, to be played tomorrow.

While there is a possibility Croatia may come up against Portugal in the semi-final, Vejic jokingly fanned some flames in a press conference today: "We are glad that we are not playing Portugal in the quarter-finals because it would be a pity for Ronaldo to make such an early exit from the tournament.

"Of course, we have the utmost respect for Portugal, who are one of the best sides in the tournament, but we are also very confident of going all the way.

Croatia coach Slaven Bilic, meanwhile, was a lot less outspoken than usual regarding his side's prosperous position in the tournament. "It is a nice feeling to move up the scale in people's eyes but all teams that reach the last eight are favourites because they will be only two games away from the final."