Greece fall as Croatia move within reach of a historic World Cup final

Croatia's socca team is one step from a historic World Cup final after overturning an early setback to beat Greece 6-2 in Essen.

The opening did not suggest an easy Croatian victory. Croatia started slowly, applying little pressure and failing to test the Greek goal during the first 10 minutes. Greece then took the lead in unusual fashion when goalkeeper Kalamaridis advanced deep toward the centre, collected the ball and tried a long-range shot. Croatia's goalkeeper could not react properly, and the ball ended in the net.

That goal jolted Croatia into action. The team became more aggressive, created chances and spent increasingly long periods near the Greek goal. Haluška quickly equalised, and Robert Franjkić completed the turnaround at the end of the first half.

Franjkić remained central after the break. He missed two major chances in quick succession, then converted his third opportunity to make it 3-1. Daniel Sudar added another goal less than five minutes later, leaving Greece shaken and Croatia in control. The supplied report ends as Greece searched for a way back into the match.

The semifinal is Croatia's third in the World Cups it has entered. It reached the last four in Essen in 2023, where Ukraine ended its run before Mexico beat it in the bronze-medal match. Croatia also reached the semifinals in Oman the following year, losing to Kazakhstan, but defeated Romania in the bronze-medal game. Croatia did not take part in the most recent World Cup in Mexico.