Nikola Moro and Davor Lovren goals were enough to see Croatia beat Germany 2-0 and advance to the last eight of the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Adrian Šemper did, however, put in a stunning performance in the Croatian goal.
Croatia remained unchanged after their triumph against Nigeria, with Dario Bašić confident in the side that had got them this far. For Germany and Christian Wück, they made four changes. Niklas Schmidt, Daniel Nesseler, Erdinc Karakas and Vitaly Janelt returned to the starting eleven, as Mats Köhlert, Jonas Busam, Enes Aykol and Görkem Sağlam dropping to the bench.
Entertaining first half sees Croatia lead at the break
The game took a while to get going and it wasn't until the 15th minute that a meaningful chance was created. Gökhan Gül took aim from all of 25 yards with a free-kick, curling a powerful effort up and over the wall. Unfortunately for the VfL Bochum defender, Adrian Šemper managed to claw it away.
Croatia then marched straight down the other end and had their first shot on goal. Josip Brekalo managed to get free on the edge of the area and wasn't closed down by the Germans, who almost paid the price. His drive needed a strong stop from Constantin Frommann, as he pushed it onto the post.
The Croatians had spotted a weakness and were keen to exploit it, and they did just that moments later. After Brekalo went past a handful of German defenders on the left, he crossed towards Karlo Majic but his effort was blocked. The rebound fell kindly for Nikola Moro, who rounded his fallen team-mate to slot past Fromman to give his side the lead.
It looked like a repeat of the game against Mexico, with Germany stuck in second gear, but there was an immediate response. Felix Passlack sparked into life and almost picked out Johannes Eggestein in the middle, though it was just too long for the forward. He then had a side-footed effort saved by Šemper, as the Croatian 'keeper denied Salih Özcan just moments before. Despite the late surge, Germany couldn't get back on level terms.
Germany can't force an equaliser
The second half began with the Germans will on top, with Passlack testing Šemper's reflexes with a powerful drive. Schmidt then had his shot tipped just over the bar before a wonderful ball from Vitaly Janelt created a golden opportunity for Eggestein. The Werder Bremen forward just couldn't get the contact he wanted, passing up the chance in the process.
Germany's chances of getting back into the game were handed a boost when Moro went down in a heap. He had to be carried off on a stretcher after seemingly twisting his ankle. That sparked an immediate response from the German bench, with Köhlert coming on for Nesseler to switch into a back three.
Croatia then began to come forward again through Brekalo and they sealed the win in the final minutes. A wonderful turn by the Croat's star player set them away on the break, as Davor Lovern tapped into an open goal with Germany's defence all at sea. The Croats can now look forward to a quarter-final against Mali, while Germany are heading home.