FINAL COUNTDOWN

Marathon men of Croatia will need to prove extra special again to halt French march and lift trophy for the first time tomorrow

CROATIA can become the ninth country to win the World Cup when they face 1998 winners France in Moscow tomorrow.

They have reached the final despite being behind in all three of their knockout matches, playing three periods of extra-time and going to two penalty shootouts. France have trailed for just nine minutes and 12 seconds throughout the tournament. Here are some other statistics that might point the way to the destiny of the World Cup trophy tomorrow. Croatia emerged from the break-up of Yugoslavia, becoming an independent country in 1991 and appearing in its first World Cup tournament in 1998. They reached the semi-finals before losing to hosts France, who went on to win their only world title with victory over Brazil.