Brave Croatia left to wonder

He kept on running and running. Sheer strength of spirit saw him reach the byline in the second-half to retrieve a ball that seemed bound to go out of play after another lungbusting run. He got there but his cross was just too high for Mario Mandzukic.

And then what of Marcelo Brozovic’s clearance from Griezmann just after the hour mark? It saved a sure fourth for France, even if one did arrive soon afterwards through Mbappe. Yet still Croatia kept on trying to find a way back into the game. Many strikers might have let Hugo Lloris deal with a passback, even if it had seemed to put the goalkeeper under pressure. Not Mandzukic, another star of the last month. He chased him down and got his reward: 4-2.

There were still 22 minutes left. Ivan Rakitic dragged a shot wide shortly afterwards. No wonder Croatian tennis player Marin Cilic tweeted after the final whistle: “Thank you for giving your all out there.”

A team that had emerged triumphant from each knockout match prior to the final despite going behind were not going to go gently into the Moscow night.

People say Croatia’s success – and it is still success, despite yesterday’s result – is a lesson for Scotland. Perhaps. It was a lesson to Scotland 20 years ago, when Croatia, helped by a spine of ball-playing talents such as Suker, Robert Prosinecki and Zvonimir Boban, reached the last four at France 98. After finishing third then, the Croats were eliminated from the group stage at the 2002, 2006 and 2014 tournaments. The only time they have failed to qualify was for the 2010 World Cup.

They are already a lesson. A country of just over four million people, where a top tier match was attended by just 80 people last season, has achieved all this.

against Switzerland. “I think we’ve always found a balance of making the decisions that need to be made and looking at how we grow a group of players and a togetherness and spirit that will stand us in good stead,” Southgate said. “We try and find that balance of an environment where people can improve and learn and get better and recognise at the time you have to make selection decisions as well.

“It can’t just be that I pick a group of players to get a result today, we’ve got to keep trying to develop, invest in some young players, try things in the games in the autumn. They’re going to be brilliant challenges for us and it’s the only way we can look to improve.”

Southgate has already had a frank discussion with Chelsea defender Gary Cahill, pictured. The 32-year-old played only one match at the tournament and Southgate has made it clear he and his staff are already in the process of identifying his replacement. Southgate refuses to rule out any player – he has been particularly impressed by 33-yearold Ashley Young’s performances at leftwing-back – but told Cahill if he is not playing regularly or consistently then his place is under threat. Liverpool’s Joe Gomez is in his plans