The battle for runners-up spot tonight as France will be overwhelming favourites for the final. Croatia clearly the stronger team of the two here, but they have had a much harder path to this stage, and had to endure two consecutive matches with extra-time periods. Still favourites to win though. In my book anyway.
Can’t tell you much about he ITV buildup as I simply can’t stomach any more of the smugness. I’m sure we can all guess anyway.
Trippier scored a free-kick after just five minutes as Croatia looked like a weary side. Clive Tyldesley waxed lyrical as he reminisced about Harry Maguire’s “legendary forehead”, just before he foreheaded the ball wide. And when Kane missed from a foot he nearly wet himself. But when Kane bounced off an opponent and rolled over on the turf several times the awful play-acting was completely ignored of course.
Croatia had a couple of half chances towards the end of the half but nothing really threatening apart from a penalty shout very similar to ones Kane got in previous games. But this intensified in the second as they got a second wind, England began to look nervy and Perisic got ahead of Walker (who I have been saying from the start of the tournament is out of his depth here) to fire in the equaliser. He also hit the post soon after as class began to tell.
They couldn’t get the winner their dominance deserved though so it was on to extra time. Stones had a header cleared by a defender at the “semi back post” according to Hoddle. Eh? Mandzukic almost scored right on the break despite being kicked by Pickford.
Three minutes into the second though he put Croatia ahead following chaos in the England defence after a ridiculous Walker attempted clearance. He was quickly hooked, just a little too late.
Despite their extra rest, it was England looking tired and ragged now and they offered little resistance from then on.
“England are contenders again” claimed Tyldesley at the end. Croatia’s seven shots on target to England’s one tell a different story. As do the facts that Harry Kane was anonymous while Luka Modric was immense. Know your place England.
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