Croatia fall to England ace

Tennis triumph
Three years ago, Ivanisevic stunned the tennis world by becoming Wimbledon champion when initially ranked 125th and given no chance of glory. This afternoon, the fit-again 32-year-old took the acclaim again at the Centre Court where, in 2001, he won the hearts of the English nation and sparked mass celebrations in his native Split.

Perfect scheduling
Naturally, Ivanisevic was a winner again today and he thanked the Wimbledon organisers for scheduling his match so as not to clash with tonight's showdown in Lisbon. Despite Croatia needing victory as opposed to England, who just required a draw, Ivanisevic was not downhearted beforehand. He said: "England are not going to win, so why be depressed?"

Low expectations
However, unlike the great side of the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Otto Baric's men had been realistically given little chance of progressing from a strong group. Lacking in experience, they were not considered among the seven or eight sides that routinely appeared in pre-tournament lists of the possible winners.

Mixed performances
Much of that pessimism has been down to famed inconsistency. Like Ivanisevic's self-confessed 'Split personality', it was uncertain which Croatian team would turn up. Would it be the side that struggled to a 0-0 draw with Switzerland or would it be the one that pushed defending champions France all the way before settling at 2-2?

Set-piece specialists
Key today would be left-sided No7 Milan Rapaic, going head-to-head against his opposite number in England captain David Beckham. Both men seem to take every set-piece and each has the reputation of carrying their team when it matters most. Indeed, at the 2002 FIFA World Cup both scored in famous victories, Beckham in the 1-0 success against Argentina, Rapaic in the 2-1 defeat of Italy.

Rapaic strikes first
First blood tonight went to Rapaic. Beckham clumsily brought down his opponent on the left-hand side of the penalty area, allowing Rapaic to pick himself up and curl in a free-kick that led to Niko Kovac, who would impress throughout, scrambling in from close range.

Scholes goal
It was a dream start but the Croatians, who have had their share of distractions in these finals, seemed to lose their way after that as England found their focus. The signs were not good and, five minutes before the break, a mistake by Rapaic ultimately finished with the ball in the back of the net from a Paul Scholes header.

Assured finish
No one was then surprised when Wayne Rooney rifled in the second in first-half added time. Needing two goals in the second half and with Rapaic substituted in the 55th minute, the game was gone. Certainly it was when Rooney burst clear, thanks to wonderful play by Michael Owen, to strike again in the 68th minute. Two minutes later Rooney went off to great acclaim.

Lampard lift
There was still time for Igor Tudor to raise Croatian hopes only for Frank Lampard to be allowed to make sure of a 4-2 final scoreline. That topsy-turvy spell summed up a mixed but plucky Croatian performance watched by millions around the world.

Commendable perseverance
Among them was Ivanisevic, in front of a television somewhere in London, presumably with his feet up after just upsetting the 31st seeded Russian player Mikhail Youzhny. No one should have been surprised. A three-time beaten Wimbledon finalist before his eventual triumph, Ivanisevic's example is there to be followed.