Croatia seal victory to end England's World Cup dream

Although the Three Lions had a fantastic start to the match, the players may regret not taking their chances to double their early lead, as Croatia bounced back to win in extra time. Croatia is buzzing right now, since this is the first time they have ever reach the World Cup finals.

English players heartbroken 120 minutes after kickoff

Image Source: Telegraph

In the 5th minute, Tottenham midfielder Kieran Trippier scored an excellent free kick and hit it at the top right corner to give England the perfect start. Eight minutes later England had another opportunity, as Trippier crosses the ball to Harry Maguire who heads it wide. 29 minutes into the match, Tottenham striker Harry Kane had two huge opportunities to score. The first shot was in the penalty box where Kane shoots straight at Monaco keeper Danijel Subasic. However Subasic wasn’t able to hold on to the ball, giving Kane another crack at goal as he shoots from the left side of the goal only to be denied by Subasic and the post. A decent first half performance by England as they were on the driving seat, however they may regret not scoring another goal by half time.

Kieran Tripper celebrates after giving England an early lead

Image Source: Zimbo

Croatia were beginning to get back into the game at the start of the 2nd half, but hadn’t figured out how to break the English defense just yet. In the 68th minute, Croatia levels the score as Sime Vrsaljko crossed the ball from the right flank for Inter Milan forward Ivan Persic to strike the ball at the bottom left corner of goal. Two minutes later Persic had an opportunity to take the lead for Croatia, but his shot hits the post. Since Croatia’s equalizer, the English defense was starting to look shaky and were in panic mode. With eight minutes to go in regular time, Inter Milan midfielder Marcelo Brozovic was left unmarked after Everton keeper Jordan Pickford’s save and hits it over the top.

Ivan Persic levels the score for Croatia

Image Source: BBC Sport

As the match went into extra time, Croatia were becoming more and more confident of reaching the World Cup Finals. Just before the 1st half of extra time finished, Pickford makes a crucial save as Juventus forward Mario Mandzukic misses an opportunity when he just needed to beat the keeper to score. However in the 2nd half of extra time, Mandzukic redeems himself as he scores to get the party started in Croatia.

Croatian players in disbelief as they took control of the match

Image Source: Reuters

The match finished 2-1 to Croatia in extra time, as the Three Lions were heartbroken since they haven’t been in a World Cup semi final in 28 years. However England can be proud of themselves as they have a young talented team, have restored pride in England, and will be looking forward to Euro 2020. As Croatia play France in the final, this is their golden generation.


Sources:

1. https://webapp.onefootball.com/en/match/croatia-vs-england-12-566035?period=FullTime&variable=g3 - Onefootball
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDZhwRA_4qA - Croatia 2-1 England Extended Highlights