Argentina vs Croatia: Live blog, text commentary, line-ups, stream & TV channel Jorge Sampaoli's side have a point on the board but will need much more in their second game if they are to have a chance of getting out of the group That's all from us tonight, we hope you enjoyed the game! Argentina now sweat on the result of Iceland's clash with Nigeria tomorrow in Group D - and a win for the former would leave them three points off second place ahead of their own game against the African nation next week. Croatia will face Iceland themselves next week as they look to go unbeaten to the knockout stages. It all started going wrong for Argentina when Willy Caballero made a dreadful error to gift Ante Rebic a golden chance to volley home for the lead - but the simple fact is they were outclassed and outgunned across 90 minutes by a fantastic Croatia performance as the latter book their place in the knockout stages with a wonderful 3-0 win. A gorgeous strike from Luka Modric sealed the deal 14 minutes from time and an Ivan Rakitic injury time tap-in added some gloss; they march on to the round of 16 and leave Argentina's World Cup hopes out of their hands. Full-time at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, it finishes Argentina 0-3 Croatia. FULL-TIME: ARGENTINA 0-3 CROATIA 90+4mins: Corluka immediately picks up a yellow card as he slides in on Messi, denying the Argentina captain a final chance to break towards the Croatian box. 90+3 mins: Vedran Corluka wins his 100th cap for Croatia as he replaces Mandzukic for the final few minutes of what has been a stunning second-half performance by his country. 90+2 mins: Lionel Messi cuts a hunched forlorn figure down in the centre circle; his World Cup dreams look like they are on their way to being dashed once again. 90+1 mins: RAKITIC! CROATIA LEAD ARGENTINA 3-0! From the corner down the other end of the field, Rakitic, Kovacic and Mandzukic break down the middle of the park with a leisurely pace. It's Rakitic who puts the first shot on Caballero, saved by the keeper - but the ball deflects back to Kovacic who simply squares it back to the Barcelona man to clip home. What a showing from Croatia. 90 mins: Meza cuts a neat path around three Croatian defenders on the edge of the box and turns a shot back in upon himself towards the right post; Vida slides in and puts it out for a corner. Four added minutes on the way. 87 mins: Acuna comes in heavy on Vrsaljko on halfway and another yellow card is brandished by the referee. It's been a feisty encounter, and tempers are spilling over at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium. 86 mins: Off the crossbar from Rakitic! That's a brilliant free-kick, lifted over the wall and back off the top left corner as it dips. Croatia spear the rebound wide and away for a goal-kick. 85 mins: Mascherano comes in with a clattering challenge on Rakitic and Otamendi tries to follow up with an attempted clearance that catches the Croatian in the face on the ground. A bit of a scuffle erupts between both sets of players, resolved with a free-kick 25 yards out for Croatia and a booking for Otamendi. 82 mins: Mateo Kovacic is the latest change of the game, coming on for Perisic as the game gets back underway. 81 mins: Brozovic gets the assist, but the credit goes to both him and Rakitic after the pair combined down the left wing to cut open the opposition defence. Fantastic stuff from Croatia; they are in full flow now. 80 mins: GOAL! WHAT A SENSATIONAL STRIKE FROM LUKA MODRIC! CROATIA LEAD 2-0! That was pure class from the Real Madrid man as, played a square ball by Brozovic out on the right, launches a beautiful right-footed effort that curls around Tagliafico and nestles in at the right post. Croatia wheel away in wild celebration; halfway up the field, Lionel Messi stares with misery at the turf. Argentina are heading for defeat. 79 mins: Acuna and Perisic hurtle down the right wing chasing a ball clipped on by Modric; the former goes down under pressure from the latter as they approach the Argentina box and wins a free-kick. 77 mins: Rakitic walks slowly to the side of the field after a prolonged break in play, but is not substituted as the game continues. 75 mins: Rakitic goes down in the centre circle and stays down as play continues around him. Eventually play is halted by the referee in the midst of a sustained spell of pressure from Argentina, to the outrage of their players who react furiously. 73 mins: Strinic clips Messi to the ground near the Argentina box and the two have a little bit of afters, following which the latter is awarded a free-kick. 71 mins: Dybala makes a quick impact, spearing a shot over the crossbar from 18 yards out on the right. It's not too shoddy an effort either; Croatia's defence is still somewhat loose around the box. 69 mins: Argentina's desperation is palpable right now, especially as another loose pass in midfield allows Modric and Rakitic to tear down the left wing. They manage to defuse the danger through Otamendi but Croatia aren't sitting back to protect their lead, pressing for a second goal of their own. 68 mins: Perez is the final man to be substituted by Argentina as Paulo Dybala arrives. 67 mins: Vrsaljko now gets a booking after he clatters Acuna out on the left wing with a heavy-footed challenge for the fourth yellow card of the game. 66 mins: Mandzukic hits the side netting! He is gets a glorious cross from Vrsaljko on the left and just steers it wide with his right foot under pressure from Tagliafico. 64 mins: Meza and Messi miss on the goal-line! Superb scrambling defence from Subasic and Rakitic deny close-range efforts to scuff the ball over at the left post after Higuain puts a lovely flat ball in from the left wing. Croatia come away with their lead intact - just. 60 mins: Croatia are playing with such buoyancy on the back of that goal now, but Argentina's new changes are already making an impact; Pavon spears a neat pass through for Higuain whose square ball in near the opposition box takes a glance off Rakitic who clears before any serious danger presents itself. 58 mins: Mandzukic cuts down Meza as he looks to break up a potential Argentina counter-attack and is booked for his foul by referee Irmatov. 57 mins: Now Croatia make a change as goalscorer Rebic pulls up with a problem; he is off after a moment with Andrej Kramaric on to take his spot. 56 mins: Perisic rockets another cross into the box for Croatia though Mandzukic can't make anything of it. Argentina make another change now too; Salvio makes way for Cristian Pavon. 54 mins: What a mistake from Caballero. As Croatia return to restart from their celebrations, Argentina make their first change as they seek to recover from a goal down; Aguero is off and Gonzalo Higuain is on. 53 mins: REBIC SCORES! 1-0 TO CROATIA! That is an absolute howler of a goalkeeping error from Willy Caballero! Supplied a back-pass from Mercado, he mistimes his kick and chips it high - straight into the path of the Croatian winger who volleys it at close range into the top right corner. Argentina have just shot themselves in the foot. 52 mins: Aguero gets through on goal through the left, only to stick his shot straight to Subasic with a tame finish. Argentina still looking for that instinctive touch in the opposition box. 51 mins: Rebic breaks down the left wing on the back of a lovely Modric pass, and Mercardo catches him sharply to halt his stride. The Argentinian man is booked straight away for his foul.<doc-sep>​Croatia put three past Argentina to advance to last 16 With one point to their name, La Albiceleste stand on brink of elimination RELIVE: As it happened, stats, more | Post-match press conferences Croatia advanced to the Round of 16 for the second time in their history after cruising to victory over Argentina. With Lionel Messi lacking in inspiration, *La Albiceleste *paid for their defensive frailties on a dark night and are now on the verge of exiting the competition. The eastern Europeans were content to sit back in the first half, aware that Jorge Sampaoli’s side had the greater need to attack. Though Argentina tried to take the initiative and enjoyed the lion’s share of possession, they were unable to convert it into chances, with Sergio Aguero and a visibly ill-at-ease Messi largely anonymous. And when the South Americans finally carved out a clear-cut opportunity, Enzo Perez contrived to shoot wide with the goal gaping. Showing more ambition after the restart, the Croatians promptly revealed the shortcomings of their opponents’ rearguard. A penetrating presence on the right, Ante Rebic capped a fine display by capitalising on a Willy Caballero error with a superb finish. Sampaoli turned to his bench for an immediate solution, and though Gonzalo Higuain, Paulo Dybala and Cristian Pavon all showed flashes of inspiration after coming on, there was to be no revival. Taking full advantage of Argentina’s lack of composure at the back, Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic both scored to compound their misery. Gallery: Argentina 0-3 Croatia Argentina v Croatia: Group D - Domagoj Vida of Croatia celebrates his team's second goal NIZHNY NOVGOROD, RUSSIA - JUNE 21: Domagoj Vida of Croatia celebrates his team's second goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group D match between Argentina and Croatia at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on June 21, 2018 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) © Getty Images Argentina v Croatia: Group D - Lionel Messi of Argentina shows his dejection NIZHNY NOVGOROD, RUSSIA - JUNE 21: Lionel Messi of Argentina shows his dejection during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group D match between Argentina and Croatia at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on June 21, 2018 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images) © Getty Images Argentina v Croatia: Wilfredo Caballero of Argentina looks dejected NIZHNY NOVGOROD, RUSSIA - JUNE 21: Wilfredo Caballero of Argentina looks dejected after conceding for the third time during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group D match between Argentina and Croatia at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on June 21, 2018 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. (Photo by Maja Hitij - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images) © Getty Images Argentina v Croatia: Ivan Rakitic of Croatia scores his team's third goal NIZHNY NOVGOROD, RUSSIA - JUNE 21: Ivan Rakitic of Croatia scores his team's third goal past Wilfredo Caballero of Argentina during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group D match between Argentina and Croatia at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on June 21, 2018 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) © Getty Images Argentina v Croatia: Group D - Luka Modric of Croatia celebrates NIZHNY NOVGOROD, RUSSIA - JUNE 21: Luka Modric of Croatia celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group D match between Argentina and Croatia at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on June 21, 2018 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) © Getty Images Argentina v Croatia: Luka Modric of Croatia celebrates NIZHNY NOVGOROD, RUSSIA - JUNE 21: Luka Modric of Croatia celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group D match between Argentina and Croatia at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on June 21, 2018 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. (Photo by Maja Hitij - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images) © Getty Images Argentina v Croatia: Group D - Lionel Messi of Argentina looks dejected NIZHNY NOVGOROD, RUSSIA - JUNE 21: Lionel Messi of Argentina looks dejected during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group D match between Argentina and Croatia at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on June 21, 2018 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images) © Getty Images Argentina v Croatia: Group D - Luka Modric of Croatia scores NIZHNY NOVGOROD, RUSSIA - JUNE 21: Luka Modric of Croatia scores his sides second goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group D match between Argentina and Croatia at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on June 21, 2018 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) © Getty Images Argentina v Croatia: Ante Rebic of Croatia celebrates NIZHNY NOVGOROD, RUSSIA - JUNE 21: Ante Rebic of Croatia celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group D match between Argentina and Croatia at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on June 21, 2018 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. (Photo by Maja Hitij - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images) © Getty Images Argentina v Croatia: Group D - Lionel Messi of Argentina reacts NIZHNY NOVGOROD, RUSSIA - JUNE 21: Lionel Messi of Argentina reacts during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group D match between Argentina and Croatia at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on June 21, 2018 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) © Getty Images Argentina v Croatia: Jorge Sampaoli, Head coach of of Argentina reacts NIZHNY NOVGOROD, RUSSIA - JUNE 21: Jorge Sampaoli, Head coach of of Argentina reacts during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group D match between Argentina and Croatia at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on June 21, 2018 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. (Photo by Gabriel Rossi/Getty Images) © Getty Images Argentina v Croatia: Ante Rebic of Croatia celebrates NIZHNY NOVGOROD, RUSSIA - JUNE 21: Ante Rebic of Croatia celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group D match between Argentina and Croatia at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on June 21, 2018 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) © Getty Images Argentina v Croatia: Ante Rebic of Croatia celebrates NIZHNY NOVGOROD, RUSSIA - JUNE 21: Ante Rebic of Croatia celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group D match between Argentina and Croatia at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on June 21, 2018 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) © Getty Images Argentina v Croatia: Wilfredo Caballero of Argentina looks dejected NIZHNY NOVGOROD, RUSSIA - JUNE 21: Wilfredo Caballero of Argentina looks dejected after his mistake leads to a Croatia goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group D match between Argentina and Croatia at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on June 21, 2018 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) © Getty Images Argentina v Croatia: Ante Rebic of Croatia scores his team's first goal NIZHNY NOVGOROD, RUSSIA - JUNE 21: Ante Rebic of Croatia scores his team's first goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group D match between Argentina and Croatia at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on June 21, 2018 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) © Getty Images Argentina v Croatia: Lionel Messi of Argentina challenge for the ball with Luka Modric NIZHNY NOVGOROD, RUSSIA - JUNE 21: Lionel Messi of Argentina challenge for the ball with Luka Modric during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group D match between Argentina and Croatia at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on June 21, 2018 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. (Photo by Gabriel Rossi/Getty Images) © Getty Images Argentina v Croatia: Mario Mandzukic of Croatia heads the ball on target NIZHNY NOVGOROD, RUSSIA - JUNE 21: Mario Mandzukic of Croatia heads the ball on target during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group D match between Argentina and Croatia at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on June 21, 2018 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images) © Getty Images Argentina v Croatia: Lionel Messi of Argentina reacts NIZHNY NOVGOROD, RUSSIA - JUNE 21: Lionel Messi of Argentina reacts during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group D match between Argentina and Croatia at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on June 21, 2018 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. (Photo by Adam Pretty - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images) © Getty Images<doc-sep>Don't miss a moment of the World Cup! Visit "My Teams" in your Settings and select your favorite team to set up scores and news alerts. Croatia has control of Group D at the 2018 World Cup after beating Nigeria 2-0 on Saturday. With Argentina's surprising draw against Iceland earlier in the day, Croatia has three points and a two-point advantage in the group. It wasn't a challenging match for the victors as Nigeria struggled to put much of anything together. They were sloppy, couldn't hold on to the ball and lacked creativity in the final, but Croatia was far from convincing as well. They scored on an own goal and a penalty kick to win. Oghenekaro Etebo knocked the ball into his own net in the first half for what was the winning goal: Then a penalty kick was awarded to Croatia for a challenge in the box, and Luka Modric made no mistake, finishing with accuracy: It's a great start to the tournament for Croatia, and now Nigeria is in a tough spot, needing something against Iceland next week if it wants to have a chance to advance. Relive Croatia vs. Nigeria If the live blog doesn't load properly, click here.<doc-sep>
Croatia and Argentina met in Nizhny Novgorod for the second match of Group D in the World Cup. The duel between Croatia and Argentina was the most anticipated and toughest match of Group D in the World Cup. Slobodan Kadić The first half of the match saw quality opportunities on both sides. An unlucky Perišić almost led Croatia in the 5th minute although Argentina’s goalkeeper Caballero made an incredible save to keep the game 0:0. Lovren blocked a shot from Messi shortly after, and Brozović shot in the 21st. A brilliant cross from Vrsaljko saw a Mandžukić header barely miss the goal in the 33rd. At the end of the first half, a perfect through ball by Modrić found an open Rebić who hit over the post. The half ended 0:0. Slobodan Kadić Croatia came out even harder in the second half. While both sides continued to ferociously attack, it was a catastrophic mistake by Argentina’s goalkeeper that found the boot of Ante Rebić who hit an incredible volley to put Croatia in the lead in the 53rd minute! Croatia's hero was then substituted for Andrej Kramarić minutes later. Slobodan Kadić Subašić's excellent goalkeeping proceeded to stop chances by Argentina and Mandžukić had another missed opportunity in front of the goal in the 66th. Croatia continued to play smart and waited for the game to open, though Argentina's Dybala had a chance that just flew over the post in the 71st. Slobodan Kadić Croatia continued to press and Argentina began to lose momentum - and in the 81st minute, it was an unbelievable 20-meter strike by Croatia captain Luka Modrić for a 2:0 Croatia lead! What. A. Goal. In the 85th minute, Argentina's Otamendi was booked for a horrific play on Rakitić, who hit a free kick to the post which could have been 3:0... But then it happened. An incredible tease by Mateo Kovačić and Ivan Rakitić in Argentina's box saw yet another goal by Croatia. The game ended 3:0, and Croatia had achieved what many thought wildly impossible. Congratulations to Croatia - the dreams of 1998 don't look so far out of reach now...