Mario Mandzukic scored in the 109th minute as Croatia came from behind to beat England 2-1 after extra time on Wednesday and reach their first World Cup final, where they will face France on Sunday, and send the Balkan nation into raptures.

England, appearing in their first semi-final since 1990, had looked on course for their first final since 1966 as they led through Kieran Trippier’s fifth-minute free kick and totally dominated the opening half.

Croatia, in their first semi since 1998, levelled through Ivan Perisic after 68 minutes and then looked the more dangerous side.

But just when it looked as if they would become the first team to appear in three shootouts at a single World Cup Mandzukic struck with a well-taken low shot.

England had got off to a flying start when Trippier curled a superb free kick into the top corner.

It was his first goal for his country, England’s 12th of the tournament and ninth from a set-piece, but they should have added more from open play as they revelled in the space they were being given in the first half.

The best chance for a second goal, however, was wasted by an unmarked Jesse Lingard when he curled wide when a goal looked certain. Croatia had been desperately poor but started to get a foothold in the game as the match rolled past the hour mark and Luka Modric’s influence grew.

England paid the price for those early misses when Perisic showed great determination to get in front of Kyle Walker to meet a curling Sime Vrsaljko cross and though his boot was arguably high, Walker was stooping and there were few complaints.

Perisic should have added another three minutes later when ragged defending presented him with a great shooting chance but he cannoned the ball against a post.

It was a different game from then on, with Croatia suddenly playing with accuracy and purpose as England lost their shape and composure, though Kane missed a chance to win it in stoppage time when he headed wide from a free kick.

Vrsaljko cleared a John Stones header off the line midway through the first extra period.

But it was Croatia who struck in the 109th minute when Perisic won a header on the edge of the box and the ball dropped for Mandzukic whose firm low finish beat Pickford.

(REUTERS)

Croatia have ended Russia’s World Cup dream after they won 4-3 on penalties to meet England in the World Cup semifinals in Moscow on Wednesday.

Croatia were better side of the match, but Villarreal midfielder Denis Cheryshev put Russia ahead in the 31st minute with curling shot from outside of the box.

Andrej Kramaric leveled the match for Croatia before the break from a Mario Mandzukic cross. Domagoj Vida gave Croatia advantage in extra-time from a Luka Modric corner.

Russia’s Defender Mario Fernandes brought his side level through a header in the 115th-minute to send the match to penalty shootout where Russians journey through their own World Cup ended in heartbreak at the Fisht Olympic Stadium.

England have finally ended the decades long penalty jinx after beating Colombia on spot kicks at 4-3 to set up a quarterfinal match against Sweden.

The 3-Lions got on the score-sheet when Harry Kane netted his 6th goal of the tournament from the spot, 8 minutes after the break. But, Yerry Mina equalized in the 3rd minute of injury time with a towering header to send the match into Extra Time.

In the shoot-out, Colombian keeper David Ospina saved Jordan Henderson’s penalty to give Colombia the advantage, but Mateus Uribe struck the crossbar and Jordan Pickford denied Carlos Bacca brilliantly to give Eric Dier the chance to win it for England.

 
Source: Presstv

A Swedish national football team that resisted having famed Zlatan Ibrahimović in its World Cup 2018 roster has stunned many by advancing to the quarter-finals of the top global soccer event.

It was a deflected shot from Emil Forsberg on the 66 minutes that sealed Sweden’s 1-0 victory against Switzerland in St Petersburg on Tuesday.

The mostly dull game between the two European teams had nothing special to offer to the cheerful Swedish and Swiss fans as both teams hardly reached the area and had very few shots on target.

However, the Swedes outclassed their opponents in creating a few clear chances in the box with Marcus Berg and Albin Ekdal missing notable opportunities in the first half. It was RB Leipzig’s Forsberg, whom many have seen as a right replacement for Zlatan, who struck with a deflection off Swiss defender Manuel Akanji.

Sweden could make it 2-0 in the stoppage time when the referee first awarded a penalty but then revised his decision after consulting the video assistant referee (VAR) to award a free kick, which was saved by Swiss goalie Yann Sommer.

Sweden opened the World Cup against the backdrop of rumors that Zlatan was ready to rejoin the national team two years after he had announced retirement. Coach Janne Andersson rejected the offer and said the towering forward, known for his long and productive career in some of Europe’s top clubs, would have no place in his World Cup squad.

In the quarter-finals, Sweden will take on the winner of the last game of the round of 16 between England and Colombia later on Tuesday.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia will end on July 15 with the final match in Moscow. Teams will begin the round of eight on Friday.

Source: Presstv

Former Argentine great Diego Maradona has offered to coach his country for free, eight years after his last attempt ended in World Cup failure.

Maradona, who watched his side eliminated 4-3 by France last weekend in Kazan, was asked if he fancied another shot at the job, even though current coach Jorge Sampaoli has a contract until 2022.

“Yes, and I would do it for free,” Maradona said on a Venezuelan TV show. “I wouldn’t ask for anything in return.”

Maradona the coach

The former Boca Juniors and Napoli player coached Argentina at the 2010 World Cup, where his team were beaten 4-0 by Germany at the quarter-final stage.

Since then, the player who guided Argentina to their last World Cup win in 1986, has only coached two club sides in the United Arab Emirates.

He is still one of the most controversial faces in football, and he hit the headlines in Russia for his colourful appearances at Argentina games.

Never a stranger to extremes, Maradona produced some of this World Cup’s lasting images, celebrating victories in iconic poses, giving the finger to fans, and being helped into a hospitality box to be seen by doctors after suffering from low blood pressure.

“People think I am happy but my heart is heavy,” Maradona said about Argentina’s elimination. “I feel really bad that everything we built with so much effort we destroyed so easily.”

REUTERS

Belgium threw caution to the wind to reach the World Cup quarter-finals as substitute Nacer Chadli scored in the dying seconds against Japan to snatch a 3-2 comeback win on Monday and set up a clash with five-time champions Brazil.

The distraught Japanese, who went 2-0 up with goals by Genki Haraguchi and Takashi Inui early in the second half, fell to the turf after Chadli poked the ball home from Thomas Meunier’s cross four minutes into added time at the Rostov Arena.

Belgium, who had taken a conservative approach to the game, got back into contention with late goals by Jan Vertonghen and substitute Marouane Fellaini before Chadli struck.

“That’s what happens in the World Cup. It was a test of character and a test of the team. It tells you everything about this group of players,” said Belgium coach Roberto Martinez.

One of the most exciting teams of the group phase, Belgium faced an embarrassing exit but finally clicked to become the first team to win a World Cup knockout game from two goals down since West Germany beat England 3-2 after extra time in 1970.

Belgium’s ‘golden generation’ have now scored 12 goals in four games in Russia ahead of a mouthwatering last eight clash with Brazil who beat Mexico 2-0 earlier on Monday.

With center back Vincent Kompany back in the lineup for the first time since picking a groin strain in a warm-up game, Belgium had looked safe at the back but uninspired up front.

Both teams fought a tight midfield battle but their forwards froze in the area and Belgium’s wide players, Meunier and Yannick Carrasco, did not take risks going forward, effectively turning a 3-4-3 formation into a more conservative 5-2-3 system.

Japan got closest to a goal in a dull first half when Belgium keeper Thibaut Courtois let the ball slip from his hands and between his legs but recovered before it crossed the line.

The Japanese were ahead soon after the break, though, when Haraguchi beat the offside trap and ran into the area to beat Courtois with a cross-shot in the 48th minute.

Belgium responded but Hazard’s shot rattled the post and Japan doubled their tally in the 52nd when Inui picked up the ball 25 metres out and fired a missile into the back of the net.

The Red Devils were still struggling but they pulled a goal back after 69 minutes when Vertonghen looped a header from a high clearance back across goal into the far top corner.

The momentum had shifted and in the 74th, Eden Hazard’s cross was met by Fellaini, who equalized from close range with a powerful header.

Belgium continued to push forward and both Chadli and Lukaku forced Japan keeper Eiji Kawashima into a couple of spectacular saves with powerful headers four minutes from full time.

In stoppage time, Keisuke Honda’s 30-metre free-kick was parried away by Courtois. The keeper then launched the ball to Kevin De Bruyne, who made a beeline through the field before finding Meunier, whose cross was met by Chadli for the winner.

Culled from Presstv

An now the latest news of the 2018 World Cup news, Uruguay Edinson Cavani’s double has ended Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo’s journey in Russia.

PSG striker Cavani put Uruguay on the score sheet after 7 minutes when he scored with a header. Portugal managed to level the match when central defender Pepe scored with a powerful header before the hour mark.

However, Uruguay went back in front soon after when Cavani scored his second of the match with a curled finish in the 62nd minute, therefore Cristiano Ronaldo follows Lionel Messi to leave the tournament. Uruguay will come up against France in the quarterfinals on Friday at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium.