Croatia saw out a goal less draw with Belgium to eliminate the Red Devils, one of the main title contenders on form & standings, as the runners up of the last World Cup moved into the knock out stages.
Croatia were awarded a penalty in the first half, when Carrasco brought Kramaric down inside the box, but VAR overruled the decision, as Lovren was found to be offside in the build up to the foul - a bizarre decision, as claimed by most of the experts.
Belgian Coach Martinez brought in Lukaku at half time to find a goal to keep alive their World Cup dreams, but the striker missed a golden chance to nose ahead, inside the box, with his hurried strike hit the post & came out. On the other end, Luka Modric & Brozovic were denied scoring opportunities by the very reliant Courtois under the bar for Belgium. The mad scramble from both sides finally did not produce any goals, as the match ended blank on score sheet, eliminating the Red Devils Belgium, ending the dreams of their illustrious Golden Era. It was the first time they failed to reach the knock out stages since 1998. The likes of De Bruyne, Mertens, Carrasco, Hazard, Meunier, Lukaku, Courtois - all stars in their own rights. The first of the heavyweights, & World Ranking No 2 team, exit in the group stage itself. A huge upset indeed.
Croatia advance to the round of 16 as the 2nd team behind Morocco, who have surprised many with their display to top the group. Croatia will meet the winner from Group E, which could be Spain or Japan or Costa Rica, all of whom have the chance to secure the top spot later in the evening.
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