Croatia 2-1 England: Hits and flops from the game, World Cup 2018

Zlatko Dalic's resolute Croatian side will face France in the finals of the 2018 World Cup after the Vatreni showed nerves of steel to clinch the semifinal against England late in extra time.

Kieran Trippier scored within five minutes of the start from a free kick after Dele Alli was fouled in the vicinity of the box. England had much of the momentum during the 40-odd minutes that followed but failed to register a shot or target during the entire match thereafter.

Croatia, on the other hand, organized themselves much better in the second half - closing the half-spaces, cutting off midfield links and forcing England to go wide or take the aerial route only for the attack to be snuffed out with crucial interceptions or headers.

It was a question of when – not if – that Ivan Perisic’s equalizer finally arrived, courtesy of a brilliant cross from the right by Sime Vrsaljko; wave after wave of Croatian attack was kept at bay by a nervy England who could not penetrate their opponents’ defensive solidity either.

In the closing stages of extra time, Perisic laid on a superbly-won header for Mario Mandzukic; the latter gave the cross its due by beating Pickford and sending his country through to their first ever World Cup final on Sunday in Luzhniki where Didier Deschamps’ men await.

Here are the five players who were among the best/worst in the crucial fixture.

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#5 Hit: Kieran Trippier

Barely five minutes into the game, Dele Alli was fouled and England had a free kick. Gareth Southgate’s squad had made the utmost use of set pieces until this game and as the players stood over it, there was a sense of confidence and ease.

It was a scorching free kick taken by Kieran Trippier and he had scored before Croatia had as much as gotten into the game or found their feet. They spent the rest of the first half recovering from the aftermath of energy and enthusiasm that came over their youthful opposition.

Dalic’s men failed while trying to beat Trippier out wide – he was as efficient in defence as effective as in attack. Ivan Strinic had his cup full and required a tremendous shift from Perisic as well to cope with the right wing-back’s forays into Croatian territory when England were on the attack.

He was a figure of such surety and his performance outstanding on a night when his defensive partner could barely cope. This brings us, of course, to one of the two major flops tonight.

#4 Flop: Kyle Walker

On today’s showing, it is a wonder that Kyle Walker is a starter for Premier League champions Manchester City. He was not only sloppy but also quite clumsy which is what eventually earned him a booking - a needless tiff with Perisic.

The former Spurs full-back also went down too easily, conceded needless fouls and was most definitely a passenger in an overall bright English side. Dele Alli is the only one who probably rivalled him in terms of contribution to England’s cause.

Walker is picked ahead of his former teammate in here simply because he could have prevented several Croatian attacks and also the Mandzukic goal in extra time had he stayed focused on positioning and duty instead of picking a fight.

There is no doubt that the defender is a crucial peg and plays a role in both attack and defence. However, on one of the biggest stages in the world, when he had a chance to make it count, he fell down and refused to get up.

#3 Hit: Domagoj Vida

Vida picked up pretty much from where he left off against Russia, solid and reliable as ever, and ensured Subasic was rarely troubled.

The centre-back was calm and poised while in possession - sweeping up any stray passes, winning headers, sliding into tackles and making simple clearances when Kane or Sterling lurked or tried to come in from the channels.

His composure and positioning were especially important when England tried to play Sterling in behind via a flurry of short passes; any long balls were also steered clear of the box as Vida is quick and strong in the air.

He also managed to keep the game ticking by passing out from the back when in control and not trying anything dramatic when simplicity would have sufficed. The same cannot be said for his partner Dejan Lovren and in light of this, it makes Vida’s contribution all the more vital.

Without his immense performance in central defence, it would have been easy for the English speedsters to make inroads into the Croatian backline and threaten Subasic’s goal more often. That Vida stood like a rock in front of it and helped the midfield contain the opponent while they were in free flow means he is among the biggest hits today.

#2 Flop: Harry Kane

This is not to exaggerate, but the number of chances sent begging by Harry Kane could have won England, not only the semifinal but even the World Cup.

Kane was sent clear through on goal in the first half after Croatia fluffed their lines and messed up big-time in communication. What did he do? Hit the post, then sent the rebound flying over when the opposition defence was still playing catch-up.

One event which would repeat through the night, only the circumstances and types of shots would vary. Kane did try to play Sterling through a couple of times but was himself quite poor on the number of occasions he found himself with a chance to extend his team’s lead.

He was marked and targeted at times, but not to the extent he kept going down theatrically. As someone who is trying to stake claim to be the world’s best pure striker, he did his reputation more harm than good on this evening.

Southgate may even wonder ‘what could have been’ if he had introduced Jamie Vardy a bit earlier than deep in extra time.

#1 Hit: Ivan Perisic

Ivan Perisic was everywhere for Croatia tonight and was a treat to watch for a majority of it. He worked hard to help out in defence and was the chief nuisance-maker for England in and around the box.

He ran into obstacles a tad too often in the first half when England were going gung-ho but refused to be bogged down by it, instead of keeping his head down and trying to pick out his chances.

His patience and efforts were eventually rewarded as he directed a Vrsaljko cross from the right into the net to level scores. The Croatian number 4 also struck the post and forced a save from Pickford later and one kept wondering if all the missed chances and ‘almost goal’ would come back to haunt his side.

It was Perisic again to the rescue, deciding he had had enough of drama and penalty shootouts, stepping up and taking matters into his own hands - or head, so to say.

He won a difficult header on the left and kept running despite Mandzukic seeming to have given up at first. Perisic’s persistence gave the Juve forward impetus to keep running and when the ball arrived, he was in the perfect position to slot home the winner.

The forward had turned creator after initially providing the equalizer and also putting in a commendable shift alongside Strinic in trying to contain England’s pace and wingers and was tonight’s man-of-the-match.

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Who do you think was the best player on the pitch tonight? Tell us in the comments below!