Croatia thrashes Argentina 3-0, leaving them on the brink of elimination.
Croatia capitalized on a glaring error by Argentine goalkeeper Willy Caballero and a stunning goal by Luka Modric to defeat Argentina 3-0 on Thursday, a result that qualifies Croatia for the World Cup's Round of 16 and leaves Argentina on the brink of elimination.
NIZHNY NOVGOROD, Russia (Reuters) - Croatia took advantage of a scandalous error by Argentine goalkeeper Willy Caballero and a stunning goal by Luka Modric on Thursday to defeat Argentina 3-0, a result that qualifies Croatia for the World Cup's round of 16 and leaves Argentina on the verge of elimination.
Ante Rebic opened the scoring with a volley in the 9th minute of the second half after Caballero made an inexplicable mistake when trying to pass to a teammate.
Modric increased the lead in the 35th minute with a stunning long-range goal, and Ivan Rakitic made it 3-0 in stoppage time, taking advantage of the Argentine defense's lack of response.
With the victory, Croatia maintained its lead in Group D with six points and secured a place in the round of 16. Argentina and Iceland have one point each, while Nigeria has none. Iceland and Nigeria conclude the second round of the group stage on Friday.