Croatia 1-3 Mexico: Collapse within 10 minutes
The match between Croatia and Mexico ended with a well-deserved 3-1 victory for Mexico. The CONCACAF team secured their place in the Round of 16 as the second-placed team in Group A.
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| Mexico deserved the victory. |
Goals:
Croatia:Perisic (87')
Mexico:Marquez (72'), Guardado (75'), Chicharito (82')
Throughout the 90 minutes, Croatia had more possession and were more proactive in attack. This was simply because the European representatives needed a win to advance from the group stage. However, a lack of creativity was the prevailing attitude of Croatia in this match. Meanwhile, Mexico proved very dangerous with their flexible and cohesive attacking plays.
The three goals were a natural consequence of Mexico's effective play. Center-back Rafael Marquez opened the scoring in the 72nd minute with a decisive header. Guardado doubled the lead just three minutes later, and Javier Hernandez sealed the 3-0 victory in the 82nd minute. Croatia almost collapsed in the latter half of the second half, and by the time they rallied in the final minutes, it was too late. Perisic's consolation goal for coach Niko Kovac's team was merely a token of support.
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| Guardado and his teammates proudly advanced to the round of 16. |
Croatia's defeat was further marred by Rebic's red card after a brutal tackle on an opponent. The referee also made a serious error in the match, overlooking a penalty for Mexico when Srna handled the ball inside the penalty area. Nevertheless, Mexico secured a convincing victory to advance from the World Cup group stage for the sixth consecutive time. Their opponent in the Round of 16 will be the Netherlands, the winners of Group B.
Thus, after Spain and England, Croatia became the third European representative to be eliminated after the group stage.
Starting lineup:
Croatia:Pletikosa, Vrsaljko, Pranjic, Perisic, Corluka, Lovren, Rakitic, Modric, Srna, Mandzukic, Olic.
Mexico:Ochoa, Rodriguez, Marquez (c), Herrera, Layun, Dos Santos, Moreno, Guardado, Peralta, Aguilar, Vazquez.
