Player Ratings: Croatia 2-1 England - Three Lions fall short as Croatia's quality prevails
A closer look at the performances and explanation of the player ratings from Croatia's 2-1 win over England in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup.
Croatia - 6.92
Danijel Subasic - 6.48 - Couldn’t do anything to stop Kieran Trippier’s early free-kick, but made two successful cross claims to ease pressure on the defence when England did attack and put the ball in the box.
Simo Vrsaljko - 7.59 - Provided the assist for Ivan Perisic’s equaliser with a delightful cross from the right and made a clearance off the line to deny John Stones his third goal of the tournament. Two interceptions and three clearances in total was a solid return for the right-back, who had been expected to miss this match through injury.
Dejan Lovren - 7.18 - Perhaps fortunate not to be booked as he gave away three fouls, but dominated aerially when called upon, winning seven clearances.
Domagoj Vida - 7.12 - The boos from the crowd didn’t affect the 29-year-old, who put in an imperious performance. Made eight clearances, four interceptions and two tackles to cap off a memorable evening.
Ivan Strinic - 6.36 - Far from his best. Pressed forward without needing a second invitation, but attempted seven crosses, none of which found a teammate, and didn’t create a goalscoring chance of note.
Marcelo Brozovic - 7.12 - Initially looked anonymous, but quickly settled and grew into the game. Made the joint-most key passes for Croatia, with three, and made an additional two tackles to keep the England attack at bay.
Ivan Rakitic - 6.63 - Not as his best tonight with fatigue affecting the Barcelona man. Made just one tackle and one key pass, while a pass success rate of 81% was sub-standard for Rakitic.
Ante Rebic - 7.15 - Booked early in extra time and missed a guilt-edged chance after Ivan Perisic struck the woodwork in the second half. Was a thorn in the side of the England backline both on and off the ball, completing three dribbles and making four tackles and two interceptions. Disrupted their flow by making six fouls, which was a blip on an otherwise solid showing.
Luka Modric - 6.62 - Like Rakitic, he looked dead on his feet as the minutes ticked by, but showed flickers of his excellence with a handful of vintage outside-of-the-boot passes.
Ivan Perisic - 8.70 (man of the match) - Scored the second half equaliser and provided the assist for Mario Mandzukic’s winner. Three key passes and two tackles contributed to his impressive rating and ensured an Inter player as been in every World Cup final since 1982.
Mario Mandzukic - 7.75 - Scored the winning goal in the second half of injury time and hit the target with all three of his shots on goal. Was a menace in the final third as he won five aerial duels and was fouled three times.
Subs: Josip Pivaric (6.72), Andrej Kramaric (6.23), Vedran Corluka (6.30), Milan Badelj (5.96)
Jordan Pickford - 6.98 - Made a few mistakes but also produced one of the saves of the tournament to deny Mario Mandzukic early in extra-time. He made five saves in total.
Kieran Trippier - 8.36 - Gave England a huge chance to reach the final with a stunning free-kick in the fifth minute and produced four goalscoring opportunities. He tired towards the end after putting in a real shift down the right flank
Kyle Walker - 7.28 - A few nervy moments with a needless yellow, combined with some huge blocks, making 13 clearances. He won four aerial duels but was ultimately beaten in the air for Croatia’s equaliser.
John Stones - 7.65 - Was brave and unnerved on the ball at the back, throwing himself in the way of everything. Seemed to lose his head for a period during the second half and gifted Ivan Perisic a golden chance to score.
Harry Maguire - 6.83 - Was a threat from set-pieces early on and stepped out of the back with confidence, but disappeared as a threat towards the end of the match.
Ashley Young - 6.23 - Really struggled defensively and looked slow against the likes of Ante Rebic and Sime Vrsaljko. Was a surprise he lasted 90 minutes before coming off.
Dele Alli - 6.44 - Won the free-kick that England scored from but struggled to have any influence on the game thereafter. He only completed one dribble, made one goalscoring opportunity and failed to have a single shot on goal.
Jordan Henderson - 6.16 - As England’s only recognised central midfielder, Henderson really struggled against the likes of Luka Modric and Marcelo Brozovic. The game bypassed the Liverpool midfielder, who only completed 72.9% of his passes.
Jesse Lingard - 6.40 - Wasted a glorious opportunity to double England’s lead and failed to test the goalkeeper in the second half. He slipped in Harry Kane for a clear-cut opportunity but tired towards the end.
Raheem Sterling - 6.28 - His pace caused Croatia’s defence nightmares in the first half but his final ball let him down after getting into good positions. His influence waned in the second half before he was subbed off with more than 15 minutes of normal time remaining.
Harry Kane - 7.03 - Spurned three great goalscoring opportunities, despite the fact one was wrongly flagged for offside. The England captain looked like he was carrying a knock as he dropped deeper and deeper as the game went on.
Subs: Marcus Rashford (5.94), Jamie Vardy (6.04), Eric Dier (6.23), Danny Rose (5.98)
