MIKE CORDER

AP writer

Ivan Klasnic scored yesterday to give Croatia a 1-0 win against Poland in a European Championship match stripped of significance by Germany's defeat of Austria in the other Group B match.

The 28-year-old striker became the first kidney transplant recipient to play at the European Championship, and in the 53rd minute he swept in a left-footed shot from a cross by stand-in captain Danijel Pranjic at Worthersee Stadium for his ninth goal in 30 internationals.

Playing their third European tournament, Croatia won all three group games for the first time. They will play Turkey in the quarter-finals on Friday in Vienna.

Poland needed to win convincingly and hope Austria beat Germany in Klagenfurt to advance.

They got neither.

Germany silenced Polish fans by taking the lead in the 48th minute for an eventual 1-0 win over the co-hosts. Five minutes later, Klasnic gave Croatia the lead after threatening the defence all night.

A second-string Croatia outclassed Poland for large parts of the match and it was only goalkeeper Artur Boruc who kept his team in the game. He twice rushed off his line to block shots by Klasnic and Ivan Rakitic after good passes by Mladen Petric had cut open Poland's defense in the first half.

In the 20th minute, Hrvoje Vejic flicked on a free kick with his head and Klasnic, lurking at the far post, just failed to get a foot on the ball.

In the 33rd, Klasnic used his chest well to control Petric's pass but Boruc dived at his feet to block the shot.

Boruc made another save to keep out a shot by Rakitic in first-half injury time to keep the match scoreless at the break.

Poland pressed for an early goal, but poor finishing again cost the team that had only scored only once in its first two matches.

Wojciech Lobodzinski put in a dangerous cross from the right in the ninth minute, but Croatia goalkeeper Vedran Runje punched it clear just before Jacek Krzynowek could head in. Two minutes later, defender Dariusz Dudka rose high above the defence at a corner but headed wide.

Croatia managed to stifle the creativity of Poland star Roger Guerreiro in the first half, not always fairly. Both Vejic and Nikola Pokrivac earned yellow cards for fouls on the Brazilian-born midfielder.

However, Roger was involved in Poland's best move of the match, crossing from the left in the 68th after substitute Euzebiusz Smolarek passed to Dariusz Dudka, but Marek Saganowski's powerful header was well saved by goalkeeper Vedran Runje.

Croatia had sealed a quarter-final place against Turkey with a match to spare by beating Austria 1-0 and Germany 2-1. Poland lost 2-0 to Germany and was denied victory over Austria by a controversial injury-time penalty for a 1-1 draw.

Croatia coach Slaven Bilic gave eight players their first start at Euro 2008, resting most of his first-choice team to avoid injuries or further yellow cards.

Despite needing a big win, Poland coach Leo Beenhakker dropped striker Ebi Smolarek and replaced him with Lobodzinski. Smolarek gave the attack fresh impetus in the second half as a substitute, sending a left-footed shot over the crossbar in the 81st. But by that time, Poland was already out of Euro 2008.

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Poland: Artur Boruc, Michal Zewlakow, Jakub Wawrzyniak, Marcin Wasilewski, Mariusz Lewandowski (Adam Kokoszka, 46), Dariusz Dudka, Rafal Murawski, Wojciech Lobodzinski (Euzebiusz Smolarek, 55), Jacek Krzynowek, Roger Guerreiro, Marek Saganowski (Tomasz Zahorski, 68).

Croatia: Vedran Runje, Hrvoje Vejic, Dario Simic, Dario Knezevic (Vedran Corluka, 26), Ognjen Vukojevic, Ivan Rakitic, Danijel Pranjic, Nikola Pokrivac, Jerko Leko, Mladen Petric (Niko Kranjcar, 75), Ivan Klasnic (Nikola Kalinic, 75).

Referee: Vassaras (Greece)

Scorer: Klasnic (Croatia)