Croatia and France to face off in 2018 World Cup final [View all]
England saw its best chance of ending several generations’ worth of World Cup pain slip away on Wednesday night, as Croatia fought back for a 2-1 win in extra time, securing a spot against France in Sunday’s final.
England had not been to a semifinal since 1990, and not reached the title game since it won soccer’s greatest prize for the only time back in 1966. This, for much of a wild and rugged evening at Luzhniki Stadium, looked like the time. Until it wasn’t.
Croatia was one of the most impressive teams of the group stage before surviving two penalty shootouts to reach this point. Its technical ability and fierce resiliency allowed it to capitalize on England’s nervous lapses when victory was in sight.
Mario Mandzukic got the winner in injury time to put Croatia, with previously a tournament-best semifinal in 1998 to its name, one game away from winning it all.
At: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/worldcup/2018/07/11/croatia-england-mario-mandzukic-world-cup-semifinals/776569002/
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