Croatia vs. Russia final score, recap: Rakitic's penalty kick sends Croatia to World Cup semifinals
Croatia will face England with a spot in the final on the line
The semifinals are set.
After France, Belgium and England all clinched a spot in the World Cup semis, Croatia joined them on Saturday after beating host Russia 4-3 in penalty kicks. A wild 1-1 match after 90 minutes saw each team score again in extra time, with penalty kicks deciding consecutive matches for both teams.
Croatia goalkeeper Danijel Subasic once again came up big, making some big saves in regulation, one after getting injured, and saving Russia's first penalty kick. Ivan Rakitic scored the winning penalty as Croatia returns to the semifinals for the first time since 1998.
It was a match that, frankly, was pretty boring for the first 30 minutes. After that, it was far from it, producing one of the most intense, heart-wrenching games we've seen in Russia. With the score 0-0 and neither team looking like much of a threat, Russia start Denis Cheryshev scored the opener with one of the goals of the tournament, freezing Subasic from outside the box:
MY GOODNESS, Denis Cheryshev 😱 pic.twitter.com/GC70eDB7cv
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 7, 2018
But that lead was short lived. Croatia began to control the ball more and play down the wing, and that's when Mario Mandzukic found Andrej Kramaric for the equalizer eight minutes later:
Kramaric equalizes for Croatia! pic.twitter.com/ANkbNb8haH
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 7, 2018
The teams then went back and forth in regulation, and neither could find the winner, sending the game into extra time. Both teams went 30 extra minutes in their round of 16 clash, with Russia beating Spain and Croatia beating Denmark.
And in the extra session, it looked like Croatia was well on their way to the victory and avoiding penalty kicks. Domagoj Vida headed home from a corner kick in the 101st minute for the 2-1 lead:
Croatia take the lead in extra time!
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 7, 2018
Can Russia make a comeback? pic.twitter.com/VMOk4HlEsu
But then, with just five minutes to go, Mario Fernandes played the role of hero, heading home a set piece to make it 2-2.
RUSSIA EQUALIZE! pic.twitter.com/OdHGvfLyBZ
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 7, 2018
And in the penalty kicks, Russia lost its composure. Fyodor Smolov tried a cheeky lofted shot to open it, and Subasic read it well to save it. Fernandez went from hero to villain, missing the goal completely on his opportunity, as Rakitic sent his team into the next round:
HE DOES IT AGAIN!
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 7, 2018
For the second game in a row, Rakitic wins the penalty shootout for Croatia. pic.twitter.com/H3aH1Em3DP
And with that, the field is set. It's Belgium vs. France on Tuesday, and England vs. Croatia on Wednesday.
Breathe.
Relive Croatia vs. Russia match commentary
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