How Croatia arrived at the 2018 World Cup final

Playing in front of an empty house in Zagreb because of a stadium ban stemming from an Euro 2016 issue, Croatia looked like an uninspired side while drawing Turkey 1-1 to open World Cup qualifying in September 2016. Each team scored late in the first half, but the point meant more to Turkey than the hosts.

Mario Mandzukic recorded a hat trick to help the Croatians bounce back from the opening draw with Turkey by rolling to a 6-0 win over Kosovo in their next contest. Croatia followed with wins over Finland, Iceland and Ukraine before things got dicey, especially for manager Ante Cacic.

After beating Euro 2016 darlings Iceland in November of the same year, Croatia lost 1-0 in the reverse qualifying fixture in June 2017. Another win over Kosovo followed, but only by a 1-0 scoreline. A 1-0 loss to Turkey that was next caused concern within the Croatian camp.

On October 6, 2017, Croatia played Finland to a 1-1 draw, allowing a goal in the 90th minute and adding more frustration to the national program. The result knocked the Croatians from the top spot of their qualifying group and a day later Cacic was fired — just two days before facing Ukraine in their final group match.

The same day Cacic was sacked, Zlatko Dalic was named as his replacement. A former midfielder, most notably with Croatia's Varteks Varazdin, Dalic coached Al-Ain in the United Arab Emirates. However, he made a smashing managerial debut for Croatia in a 2-0 win over Ukraine to move into a playoff.

The road might have been rocky, but Croatia officially punched its ticket to the World Cup with a 4-1 aggregate win over Greece in the playoff. The result secured Vatreni their fifth berth in the World Cup as an independent nation. They drew into Group D and became immediate underdogs with Argentina considered the favorite of the foursome despite its own qualifying woes.

With their qualifying issues behind them, the Croatians looked like a focused team while taking advantage of some Nigeria mistakes in a 2-0 victory to begin World Cup play. An own goal in the 32nd minute opened the scoring and star midfielder Luka Modric converted a penalty in the 71st to get Croatia off and running.

If the soccer world wasn't ready to take Croatia seriously one game into the tournament, it had no choice after a resounding 3-0 victory over a rattled Argentina side. After sitting back and frustrating Lionel Messi and Co. in the first half, Dalic's side took to the attack in the second. Ante Rebic scored in the 53rd minute and late goals by Modric and Ivan Rakitic iced the match and secured Croatia's first berth in the knockout round since the 1998 run to the semifinals

It's tough to find anybody who has played harder in this tournament than Modric, the Real Madrid star whose motor never seems to stop. While most players, even his own teammates, are left gasping for air or wasting time on the ground late in matches, Modric is still buzzing. Everything Croatia does go through Modric, who has played a tournament-high 604 minutes and has two goals with an assist.

Croatia exacted a bit of revenge on group qualifying pals Iceland with a 2-1 victory that eliminated Strakamir okkar from the World Cup thanks to Ivan Perisic's goal in the 90th minute. Though Croatia kept some of its key performers out of the starting XI, its effort never lacked and reinforced just how focused this side was on making a memorable run.  

Both Croatia and Denmark scored in the first five minutes of this last-16 matchup, but the contest needed penalties to be decided. The Croatians prevailed 3-2 in the shootout, thanks to Danijel Subasic, who became the first goalkeeper since 2006 to save three shootout attempts at a World Cup. For Subasic and his teammates, going the extra mile would become a theme .

While Croatia proved it was more than an underdog, host Russia seemed happy to embrace the Cinderella angle while making an improbable run to this quarterfinal match. The Russians opened the scoring first but Andrej Kramaric equalized in the 39th minute. Croatia appeared to be sitting pretty after Domagoj Vida's successful header in the first half of extra-time. However, Russia countered late, but the Croatians showed their mettle again to win 4-3 on penalties to match their farthest progression in a World Cup.

While Modric might be the glue that holds the Croatian project together, 33-year-old keeper Subasic has blossomed into one of the unsung heroes of the tournament. His composure and quick thinking in shootouts against Denmark and Russia are obviously a big reason Croatia is one win away from making national soccer history, Subasic, who battled through a leg injury against Russia, wasn't necessarily a recognizable name to casual soccer fans before the tournament, but should be now.

It was only fitting Croatia needed a little something more to reach the World Cup final with a comeback 2-1 semifinal victory over England. Down a goal, Perisic tied things in the 68th minute and Mandzukic shattered the hearts of the aching English faithful with his goal in the 109th. With the result, Croatia became the first team in World Cup history to win three straight matches after regular time.

Jokingly referred to by his Juventus teammates as "Mr. No Good" because of his sometimes frigid attitude, Croatia's Mandzukic has been spirited in his play here even though he's spent a good deal of the knockout rounds on the ground. Granted, the Croatians have endured plenty of extra football at this World Cup, and Mandzukic has felt the pain on his body. But he had enough left in the tank to deliver the winner against England, his second goal of the tournament to go along with 518 minutes played. 

Modric is the star, but Croatia's success at the World Cup has hardly been because of one man. In fact, eight different Croatian players have scored in the tournament — only Belgium had more with nine. Modric, Mandzukic and Perisic each have two and there was the own goal against Nigeria.

Croatia is known for its versatile midfield led by Modric and Rakatic, but it's back four led by Liverpool veteran Dejan Lovren has certainly done its part. Croatia allowed one goal during group play and after Kieran Trippier's nifty free kick bent in on five minutes in the semifinals, they stifled the Three Lions by frustrating the likes of Harry Kane when it mattered most.

With a population of just over four million people, Croatia is the second-smallest nation to play in a World Cup final since 1950. That was the year Uruguay, with a population under 2 1/2 million, stunned heavily favored Brazil to win its second title. It's likely population hasn't factored into the equation for these Croatian players, who get their shot at another giant in France.

Russia's improbable run and England soccer revitalization thanks to some blossoming, youthful talent seemed to grab most of the headlines at this World Cup, but Croatia's story is just as compelling. It's only the second time Croatia has advanced past the group stage as an independent nation, and to the every-four-year soccer fan, their names aren't too familiar. Regardless, the Croatians should be admired for the resiliency, balance and overall effort they've displayed in every match. 

It's a wonder the Croatian players are still standing after all the soccer they've played at this World Cup. Then again, adrenaline can do wonders for the body. While French fans are sure to celebrate a second World Cup title with passion, it's quite possible a Croatian victory rally back home might be like nothing the country as seen before. This is an easy team for any soccer fan to get behind, and their rookie international manager makes the story even better and worthy of a world-wide celebration.