Croatia Wins Semi-final Game against England - Advances to World Cup Final

Croatia and England felt the pressure and enormity of what was at stake going into yesterday’s semi-final. Croatia felt that pressure early with England earning a free kick five minutes into the first-half, and then went onto to dominate the game in what looked like they might see their first World Cup final in over 50 years.

When the second half got underway, Croatia seemed to have changed, and it was England on the defence. Croatia scored this first goal 68 minutes in after Ivan Perisic put one past England’s goalkeeper, Jordon Pickford, to tie up the match after England scored in the first-half.

Commenting on the goal, and staying in the game, Ivan Rakitic said,

“Mentally strong team. It’s just unbelievable to get back in the game in this way.”

With Croatia’s second goal coming late in the second half by the feet of Mario Mandžukić after a lucky kick in England’s zone, and as the final whistle blew, England’s hopes of going to the final came to an end. For Croatian, it was time to celebrate.

Croatian fans cheered, both in Russia, abroad and at home, as they released that for the first time, Croatia was going to the World Cup finals. Considering the favoured nations of Germany, Brazil, Spain and Argentina all made early exits in this year’s tournaments, no one could have predicted this outcome. Speaking about Croatia, Gareth Southgate, England’s coach said,

“They’ve had an incredible route to the final. They’ve shown remarkable character.”

The final will take place on Sunday, and with France getting an extra days rest, they will be slightly more rested, but Croatia is a team to reckon with, and the final will be one that goes down in the history books for many reasons.

An unforgettable road to the #WorldCupFinal 🇭🇷🙌

Croatia's route to the #WorldCup decider is the subject of our latest Visual Story 🖼️⚽️

👉 https://t.co/Tu99bK1JIP pic.twitter.com/2MDHNp04Yb

— FIFA World Cup 🏆 (@FIFAWorldCup) July 12, 2018

For Croatia, this will be its most important sporting event in the nation’s history since gaining independence in 1991. Speaking about the team’s achievements, Ivan Perisic said,

“We started slowly, but we’ve shown our character, just as we did in the previous two knockout rounds when we were one-goal down.”

Adding to Perisic’s comments, Croatia’s coach said,

“We are a nation of people who never give in, who are proud and who have character. There’s no weakness in a team that is in the final.”

Ticket sales for England’s games increased over the course of the tournament as fans flocked to Russia to show their support. The semi-final game saw supporters proudly displaying the Red Cross of St. George, and in England, fans went out in droves to London’s Hyde Park to watch the game on big screen monitors.

Anticipation was high after Kieran Trippier sent the ball above the defender’s heads to score five minutes into the first-half electrifying U.K fans. The reaction saw them chanting “God Save the Queen”, and while he may, he seemed not to do the same for her majesty’s representatives.

In post-game interviews, England’s captain, Harry Kane said,

“We had a couple chances after that to get the second, give ourselves a bit more breathing room, but it didn’t work out.”

The Championship will not be coming to England, at least not this time, but they will live to see another day and hopefully, their day will come. For punters, the time to get in your World Cup bets is coming to an end, and with the final set to take place on Sunday, Canadian sports betting sites are primed for action with favourable odds. Take a look at our list of top-rated Canadian sportsbooks, place your bets and get ready for a final that is sure to leave one nation celebrating and another heading home in disappointment.