Croatia triumphs late to reach World Cup final
Mandzukic’s extra-time winner sends Croats to title clash vs France, leaves England to rue missed chance
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Croatia reached the World Cup final for the first time after an extra-time goal from Mario Mandzukic gave it a 2-1 win over England in their semifinal on Wednesday night.
Ivan Perisic headed the ball into the area, the England defense hesitated and Mandzukic drove his finish past ’keeper Jordan Pickford with 11 minutes of extra time left to earn the Croats a place in Sunday’s final against France.
England got off to a flying start when Kieran Trippier curled in a free kick after five minutes to put it ahead, and the English looked more dangerous throughout the first half.
Croatia took control of the contest after halftime and hit back when Perisic got in front of his marker to flick in a high cross from Sime Vrsaljko in the 68th minute.
French peaking perfectly for final
Should France go on to win the World Cup on Sunday, it would have peaked perfectly after starting the tournament in Russia slowly but gaining momentum when it mattered most.
Tournament experience has been key for both the players and coach Didier Deschamps, who has learned lessons from the last World Cup in Brazil, where Les Bleus lost to Germany in the quarterfinal, and the disappointment of missing out on home soil in the European Championship two years ago.
No more so than on Tuesday as France edged Belgium in the semifinal to put itself within one game of a second World Cup win, 20 years after its first.
While there were questions asked after a far-from-inspiring start, which included a controversial win over Australia and narrowly beating Peru, France still expectedly secured a knockout round spot early from a first-round group where it was the heavy favorite. It has looked better in each game.
There were, however, no easy rides in the knockout stages where the French had to show their full capability in beating Argentina, Uruguay and then Belgium 1-0 in Tuesday’s semifinal at Saint Petersburg.
“We have prepared well, I can brag a little about that,” laughed Deschamps after securing a place in Sunday’s final in Moscow.
“The older players all played their role as leaders and the youngsters brought their energy. I have a squad with a good blend. They have co-habited happily together.
“No one complains and they all realize the importance of the competition. When there was an opportunity to be seized, they took it.”
For France, losing in the 2016 European Championships final to Portugal in Paris has provided added motivation.
“It was very difficult to accept what happened two years ago, and we do not want it to happen again. We want to finish this tournament in the best possible way,” said captain Hugo Lloris after another series of heroic saves on Tuesday.
Deschamps, who captained France’s only World Cup winning side in 1998, said the march to Sunday’s final has been underpinned by a steely determination.
“There is a spirit in the squad that can move mountains,” he said. “They are young and they will be even stronger in two and four years’ time.
“We have created an opportunity to become world champions but we are still not there. But we want to fulfill our destiny.”