Mario Mandzukic, Croatia Shock England, Finals of the 1st World Cup | Bleacher's report



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  MOSCOW, RUSSIA - JULY 11: Mario Mandzukic of Croatia celebrates his second goal of the team with his teammates in the semifinal of the 2018 FIFA World Cup between Croatia and Croatia. England at Luzhniki Stadium on July 11, 2018 in Moscow, Russia. (TF-Images / Getty Images)

TF-Images / Getty Images

Croatia will face France for the 2018 FIFA World Cup after beating England 2-1 in overtime at its semi-finals at Luzhniki stadium in Moscow Wednesday

Kieran Trippier's free kick in the fifth minute propelled the Three Lions to the forefront in the Russian capital, but Ivan Perisic equalized in the 68th minute to equalize and force the additional time. 19659004] Perisic also played a role in the arrival of Mario Mandzukic for Croatia in the 109th minute, completing their comeback to score their first appearance in the World Cup final.

Zlatko Dalic's men will return to Luzhniki Stadium on Sunday to face France, who achieved a 1-0 win over Belgium on Tuesday with a goal from Samuel Umtiti.

The Knack of Croatia for defeating Mbappe in France

Doing things with ease has never been an option for Croatia, especially because There was no easy road for a nation with a population But it is fair to say that they take the hardest route, having followed two consecutive penalty shoot-outs against Denmark and Russia coming from behind for

The boxing commentator Paulie Malignaggi had 44 fights as a professional, but he even hailed the spirit of the warrior shown by Croatia – that immaterial thing that France can not necessarily fight:

Paul Malignaggi @ PaulMalignaggi

This Croatian team has never resigned. Tons of character. It was time to dig deep for #ENG now # WorldCupRussia2018

There was 63 minutes between Trippier's free kick, which pushed the Three Lions into an early lead, and Perisic's equalizer on a cross of Sime Vrsaljko, the writing was on the wall:

France will demand even more from Croatia, as it sports an attack featuring superstars Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann, but Croatia has already tamed individual stars in Russia, »

Even Croatia's second goal came out of nowhere – a misplaced clearance by a Perisic speculative head and devoured by predator Mandzukic via Fox Soccer (USA only): [19659012] FOX Soccer @ FOXSoccer

MANDZUKIC GIVES CROATIA LEAD! https://t.co/mz8WLlqiQm

C'was the third knockout game successively that the Dalic team conceded first – a tactic that maybe more teams should think about adapting in their future World Cup attempts.

In truth, however, even those who dropped out of the tournament at the expense of Croatia could hardly blame poor countries for their quest against all odds – at least, according to writer James Benge:

Although their extra minutes and shots in Russia may seem a burden compared to the trajectory of France, since they finished all their matches in normal times, Croats seem to have been galvanized by having their backs against the wall.

Even leading Group D in front of Argentina, Iceland and Nigeria fought all the odds, even though their group race was much more comfortable. will be the favorites for their last clash against Croatia, but this is not a script that Dalic and company do not know. Pressure makes diamonds, and Croatia's gemstones were the brightest when tensions were highest.

England is experiencing family problems

This England team will stand out from previous editions of the team, regardless of their defeat, but there were parts of Wednesday's clash that echoed

The change of confidence was clear once Perisic got his equalizer. The pbades that were arriving for England no longer went to the feet, while Croatia, more familiar with adapting to their plight, grew up after reaching the level limits.

Suddenly, the 90 minutes ended with the Three Lions. a groan, which stands out from the proud pack that started the match with such a zip. Goal's Kris Voakes emphasized the pressure on Gareth Southgate to intervene:

For many English, it was a first trip to the World Cup. Croatia may not have as many surnames among its 22 players, but their extra experience in such circumstances and a more familiar group reported their benefits.

By the time Mandzukic forced the winner into overtime, BBC Sport's Simon Stone noted late:

Even one thing as simple as Jordan Pickford's victory over Mandzukic for his first touch in the second half was unsettling. These slips can be attributed to a lack of stamina, nervousness, or both, but these are mistakes that can not be made.

England and Southgate have one advantage: there can be no ill will. , whereas the expectations were the lowest they had been in the decades. Roger Bennett of NBC chose to celebrate rather than mourn their release:

Journalist Harsha Bhogle looks forward to the next World Cup – Qatar 2022 – as a major opportunity for this promising group: [19659009] Harsha Bhogle @ bhogleharsha

Deception for England but they played better than they did for a long time. Young team of strong suitors for 2022.

As we have mentioned, it was not the same as the past failures of England and, in all fairness, it was not the same. there may have been no team mentally strengthened in the last four.

The talent seems to be there, as in previous tournaments, but the failure of England to push a winning position and to take its place in the final suggests that mental weakness is at the origin of their output.

Perisic Powers in Croatia instead of catching Modric

Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic were presented as the most dominant powers of Croatia for the most part of this World Cup, The stars were simmering Wednesday, Perisic was on hand to lead with his best display of competition.

The great player from Inter Milan showed a great sense of nicking in front of Kyle Walker and volleyball in the Croatian second half equalizer, via Fox Soccer (United States only):

ITV provided a snapshot of the lens for British viewers:

Modric grew up in the game as things progressed and finished with a 89 percent success, by WhoScored.com -Rakitic finished with 81 percent

The England attack movement meant that they had first been forced into the depths and prevented from influencing any of them. other grounds, but Perisic was not overburdened by such tactics and did well

And after Perisic helped set up Mandzukic's overtime winner, Jan Aage Fjortoft, an expert described him as the man of the match: [19659012] Jan Aage Fjortoft @ JanAageFjortoft

Perisic! Man of the Match Returns the Help. Mandzukic pointed. Sleeping stones ….. 1-2

FIFA's Twitch streamer, Kurt, admitted that Croatia's central stars have not resumed fighting with the same quality as before:

There was even a moment in added time where Modric, in a most unusual hiccup, simply He rolled the ball to his English marker while the tired legs seemed to wreak havoc on Real Madrid.

Fortunately for him, he has a host of other stars to tidy up even when he's out. of his usual rhythm. Dalic can only hope that Perisic will rise to the same extent against France on Sunday.

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