Mario Mandzukic scored the winning goal in extra time as Croatia beat England 2-1 in a gripping World Cup semi-final in Moscow on Wednesday to set up a final date with France.

Merely a single game separate Croatia from their first appearance in the final of the FIFA World Cup and England from their first qualification to the summit clash of the mega event since 1966. The two teams will face each other in the much-anticipated 2nd semi-final to be played at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on Wednesday, July 11, 2018.

Final scores:

Croatia 2-1 England

The match will kick off at 21:00 MSK, which is 18:00 GMT.

As World Cup excitement mounts back home, England is dodging the hype as manager Gareth Southgate trains his side in their quiet center near St. Petersburg.

England advanced to the semifinals of football's premium competition for the first time since 1990 with a 2-0 victory against Sweden on Saturday while Croatia progressed by defeating the hosts Russia on penalties.

Croatia has got great players right through their team and, without a suspicion, they will be the biggest side that England has played at this World Cup - if we just ignore the group match against Belgium.

The winner of this game will face France in the final on July 15 in Moscow. France beat Belgium 1-0 in the first semi-final.

Croatia 2-1 England highlights

Team news:

According to a BBC's sports column report, Croatia's front-running right-back Sime Vrsaljko will not be available for this game due to a knee injury he sustained in the victory against Russia.

Goalkeeper Danijel Subasic will be observed after hurting his hamstring in that very quarter-final game.

The same BBC report also stated that the English boss Gareth Southgate was granted a mental relief when each of the 23 players in his unit practiced sufficiently on the build-up to the game.

Jamie Vardy is possibly fit and ready to play after he sat out with a groin problem during the quarterfinal triumph against Sweden, while Jordan Henderson has overcome a stiff hamstring.

Where to watch:

The match will be televised live by BBC and ITV in the United Kingdom. BBC and talkSPORT will also broadcast the game live via radio in the United Kingdom. In Croatia, HRT will be televising the game live.

In the United States, the broadcasting rights are held by Fox Sports and Telemundo. In India and its subcontinent, the match will be televised live by Sony Ten 2 and Sony ESPN channels. The online streaming of the match will be available on SonyLIV app and website at 18 GMT on Wednesday. Along with this, ESPN will also provide the live streaming in some countries.
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