With Wales having dropped points following their draw to Armenia prior to Croatia’s game kicking off, Zlatko Dalic’s team knew a win would move them back into second as they fight for a place in next summer’s competition.
And 21-year-old Gvardiol was deployed at left-back in an experienced Croatian side.
Croatia struck quick with a Lovro Majer strike which he buried into the bottom right corner after seven minutes.
With Latvia struggling to find their rhythm Croatia scored again. This time, Andrej Kramaric fired his shot past goalkeeper Roberts Ozols nine minutes later to double his nation’s lead.
The two goals saw Gvardiol grow in confidence with his passes becoming more clinical deeper in the first half.
And the defender looked to turn provider just before the half-time whistle but his cross into the Latvia box was cleared to deny Croatia a potential third goal.
The second half was a much tamer performance by Croatia who dominated possession to see out the win and move to second with 13 points, two ahead of Wales.
Gvardiol was composed, helping his side regain possession high up the pitch as well as positive runs forward to overload the Latvia third.
It was also the perfect defensive showing for the youngster and his teammates as Latvia failed to register any shots on target on home soil.
Gvardiol and Croatia will face Armenia in their final game on Tuesday 21 November.
A win against the fourth-placed team would guarantee Croatia’s place at EURO 2024.
