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It will be France vs Croatia!

Posted in Featured, Sports

Published on July 15, 2018 with No Comments

TRUMP AND MAY GET CROATIAN JERSEYS
Croatian president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic gave her US counterpart Donald Trump and British prime minister Theresa May Croatia jerseys  ahead of the World Cup semifinal against England. The president posted photographs on her Twitter account showing her with Trump and May holding red and white jerseys bearing their respective names in meetings at a NATO summit in Brussels. Trump was given the number nine jersey of striker Andrej Kramaric — that number was also worn by the top scorer at the 1998 World Cup, Davor Suker. May received the number 10 jersey of Croatia captain Luka Modric. After a dramatic win on penalties against hosts Russia, Croatia has repeated the success of the 1998 team which reached the semifinals in the country’s first World Cup as an independent nation. The country of about four million people has been gripped by football fever with squares packed with red-and-white painted fans and stalls selling football jerseys and flares.
Mario Mandzukic scored in the 109th minute as Croatia came from behind to beat England 2-1 after extra time on Wednesday and reach their first World Cup final, where they will face France on Sunday.
England, appearing in their first semi-final since 1990, had looked on course for their first final since 1966 as they led through Kieran Trippier’s fifth-minute free kick and totally dominated the opening half. Croatia, in their first semi since 1998, leveled through Ivan Perisic after 68 minutes and then looked the more dangerous side.
It stayed level at 90 minutes, meaning Croatia faced extra time for the third successive game, having got past Denmark and Russia on penalties. But just when it looked as if they would become the first team to appear in three shootouts at a single World Cup Mandzukic struck with a well-taken low shot.
England had got off to a flying start when Trippier curled a superb free kick into the top corner. It was his first goal for his country, England’s 12th of the tournament and ninth from a set-piece, but they should have added more from open play as they revelled in the space they were being given in the first half.

Harry Kane shot weakly at Danijel Subasic when through, then forced the rebound against a post and Raheem Sterling was a constant thorn in the Croatia defence, though again his final ball was too often astray. The best chance for a second goal, however, was wasted by an unmarked Jesse Lingard when he curled wide when a goal looked certain.

 

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