Andrej Kramaric’s brace helped Croatia thump Canada 4-1 in the Group F clash to knock them out of the FIFA World Cup at the Khalifa International Stadium on Sunday.
Croatia overcame an early setback in the game after Alphonso Davies’ spectacular header gave Canada a strong start but the 2018 World Cup runner-ups played with poise and tenacity to clinch a significant victory to maintain its lead in Group F. The second half started with Jonathan Osario going for the glory shot from a distance that missed the Croatian goalpost by whiskers.
Kramaric was a live wire in the field and he again created a chance for Croatia in the 51st minute as he sent a cross in the Canada box but it missed everyone to go in vain. The forward came close to scoring his second goal in the 55th minute after he was left unmarked in the box but Milan Borjan made a brilliant stop to keep his team in the hunt.
The 2018 finalists were all over the Canadian team but the team had an opportunity to level through Jonathan David in the 58th minute but the chance went begging as the Croatian goalie kept the shot from finding the back of the net.
Croatian forward Kramaric turned magician for his second goal as he made a magical first touch as he twisted, turned and shot to find the Canadian net for his second goal of the match.
Absolute dominance is what defined Croatia’s game during the last 20 minutes as they kept the possession and attacked relentlessly.
The continuous attacks bore fruit for them as attacking midfielder Lovro Mjaer scored in injury time for Croatia to pile up the misery of Canada, ending the game reflecting his team’s dominance in the game.
Canada suffered a massive defeat as the final whistle ended the team’s chances of advancing into the knockout stage.
Strikes from Andrej Kramaric and Marko Livaja put Croatia ahead against Canada in a Group F match being played here at Khalifa International Stadium. The Croatians at one stage were trailing behind by one goal but they made a comeback to level as well as take the lead going into half-time.
Alphonso Davies headed in Tajon Buchanan’s cross from close range to score Canada’s first-ever World Cup goal. The Canadians took an early 1-0 lead in the second minute of the match.
Seven minutes later goal scorer Davies tried a through ball but Cyle Larin was caught offside.
Marko Livaja made a first on-target attempt for Croatia with the help of Mateo Kovacic’s assist but the attempt was saved in the 22nd minute of the match. Four minutes later Marcelo Brozovic tried a through ball but Marko Livaja was caught offside.
Croatians kept pressing as in the 35th minute Marko Livaja’s right-footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
In the 36th minute, the 2018 finalists scored their first goal as Ivan Perisic’s attempt allowed Andrej Kramaric’s take a left-footed shot from a difficult angle on the left to the centre of the goal to level the score.
Croatia took a lead in the 44th minute when Marko Livaja’s right-footed shot from outside the box went onto hit the bottom left corner. They maintained the lead going into half-time.
Croatia came into this match after being held to a 0-0 draw against Morocco in their first match. On the other hand, the Canadians narrowly lost out to Belgium in their first game. (ANI)
