McLaughlin is fouled midway inside the Croatia half of the pitch, resulting in a free-kick for Northern Ireland and one last chance to push forward. Davis takes the set-piece quickly and chips it into the path of McNair, but it's slightly overhit and fails to find the youngster before bouncing out of play for a goal-kick.
90'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be two minutes of added time.
89'
Northern Ireland keep pushing forward and do well to win themselves a corner over on the right wing. It's sent into the middle of the penalty area and finds Lafferty, but the striker is unable to hit the target with his looping headed effort.
88'
Chance for Lafferty! Davis slips into the right-hand side of the Croatia box and quickly sends a volleyed cross over to the back post, where it finds Lafferty. The striker does well to meet the ball before unleashing a low half-volley, but Vargic is just about able to parry the strike away with his feet.
87'
J. Pivarić enters the game and replaces M. Rog.
Croatia have made their final alteration of the night, with Pivaric coming on to take the place of Rog.
86'
Northern Ireland string together a series of good passes before Hodson fires a looping cross down the right wing. McNair flies towards the edge of the penalty area as he desperately tries to latch on to the ball, but Vargic is there to cut out the danger with his first save since coming on to the pitch.
84'
A handball from Bradaric results in a free-kick for Northern Ireland on the halfway line and a chance for the home side to push forward, but they're unable to take advantage of the set-piece and are immediately closed down by Croatia midfielders, who do well to deal with the danger.
82'
I. Vargić enters the game and replaces L. Kalinić.
Croatia have made a late change, with Vargic coming on to replace Kalinic in goal.
81'
Croatia are starting to see a lot more of the ball at the moment, but, unsurprisingly, they don't seem to be in too much of a rush to push forward. They're doing well to keep it away from a Northern Ireland side that are starting to tire, particularly in the middle of the pitch.
79'
Croatia move the ball around nicely deep inside the Northern Ireland half of the pitch before Coric is clumsily tripped over by Evans not far away from the penalty area. Cop steps up and fires a great shot towards the bottom left-hand corner of the net, but the ball ends up bouncing a yard or two wide of its intended target.
Minute
Description
77'
Grigg once again gets himself into a good position inside the Croatia half of the pitch as he tries to battle his way down the right flank, but Jedvaj, who is now operating as a left-back, keeps the striker at bay before sending the ball back to Kalinic, who then thumps it away from danger.
75'
A loose ball is picked up by Grigg and the striker quickly tries to kick-start a counter-attack. He's swiftly closed don by white and red shirts, however, and is forced into spinning and poking the ball back to Davis on the halfway line.
73'
Lafferty breaks through the Croatia back line and darts towards the edge of the penalty area as he tries to latch on to a lovely lofted pass forward from Davis, but Kalinic flies out of his box to deal with the danger before the linesman's flag is eventually raised for offside.
72'
A. Ćorić enters the game and replaces M. Mandžukić.
Croatia have made their third change of the night, with Mandzukic making way for 19-year-old Coric.
71'
Lafferty goes close! The striker breaks into the left-hand side of the Croatia box and out-muscles his marker before trying to beat Kalinic with a scooped volley, but the goalkeeper does well to save the effort at full stretch.
70'
Northern Ireland win themselves a free-kick over on the right flank, and it's sent into the heart of the Croatia penalty area. It's fired far too high into the air, however, and, as a result, Kalinic is easily able to let the ball drop straight into his hands under very little pressure.
68'
W. Grigg enters the game and replaces L. Boyce.
Grigg comes on to replace Boyce, and Will Grigg's on Fire rings around the stadium to welcome him on to the pitch.
67'
A. Kramarić has scored a goal for Croatia! Assist by D. Čop.
GOAL! What a strike by Kramaric! The forward, who has seen little of the ball since the break, picks up possession in plenty of space 25 yards out before unleashing an absolute rocket of a shot that flies past the outstretched limbs of Mannus and into the top right-hand corner of the net. That was totally unstoppable!
Assist Duje Čop
66'
Northern Ireland move the ball around nicely as they continue to put pressure on the Croatia back line, but a poor touch from Hodson brings a dangerous attacking move to a disappointing end and allows the visitors to regain possession.
64'
Northern Ireland are starting to cause the Croatia defence problems thanks to the introduction of Lafferty. He's linking up well with Boyce, and almost does so again after a lofted pass is thumped forward, but he's beaten to the ball by Kalinic at the last minute and is unable to get a shot away.
63'
Boyce picks up the ball on the edge of the Croatia penalty area and quickly tries to tee up McNair with a chipped pass, but Kalinic reads the flight of the pass well and is there to cut it out before the ball can find the midfielder inside the box.
62'
P. Paton enters the game and replaces N. McGinn.
McGinn makes his way off the pitch to be replaced by Paton in Northern Ireland's latest substitution.
61'
McGinn cuts inside from the right wing and skips past his marker with ease before whipping a dangerous cross into the heart of the Croatia penalty area, but it's slightly too high for Boyce, who, despite his best efforts, is unable to reach the ball with his head.
60'
Š. Vrsaljko enters the game and replaces D. Vida.
Croatia have made their second change of the evening, with Vrsaljko taking the place of Vida.
58'
Almost a chance for Boyce! A Croatia attack comes to an end and Northern Ireland immediately counter quickly. A thumping pass is sent up the pitch and finds Boyce, who seems to keep the ball in play after Mitrovic tried to shepherd it out of play, but the referee blows for a throw-in as the striker is flying towards goal.
56'
K. Lafferty enters the game and replaces J. Magennis.
Evans goes close! Northern Ireland win themselves a corner on the right wing and it's swung straight on to the head of Evans, but after doing well to beat his marker he's unable to hit the target with his effort and has to watch the ball loop a yard or so over the top of the crossbar.
55'
Northern Ireland have made another alteration, with Magennis making way for Lafferty.
54'
What a miss by Brozovic! The free-kick is eventually taken a poked over to Brozovic to the left, but the substitute's first touch of the ball sees him fire a shot well over the top of the crossbar. He really should have done better with that!
53'
Indirect free-kick inside the penalty area! Evans pokes the ball back to Mannus, who picks the ball up midway inside the Northern Ireland box and immediately gives away a free-kick. Croatia take it quickly before slotting the ball into the back of the net, but the referee isn't happy and tells them to re-take the set-piece.
52'
Croatia have made their first change of the night, with Badelj making way for Brozovic.
51'
M. Brozović enters the game and replaces M. Badelj.
A lofted pass down the right flank finds Jedvaj, who had got himself into a good position just outside of the penalty area, but as soon as he makes contact with the ball he's out-muscled by Hodson and the defender is able to shepherd the ball out for a goal-kick.
49'
A determined Croatia attack fails to result in a chance on goal, and Northern Ireland do well to deal with the danger before hitting their opponents on a quick counter. They initially manage to get forward swiftly, but a poor pass from Davis fails to find a teammate and is easily picked up by Rog.
47'
Northern Ireland immediately put Croatia under pressure and present Boyce with a chance to break into the visitors' penalty area, but he's out-muscled by Vida and is unable to reach a lofted pass forward despite being able to push past the defender at the last moment.
46'
R. McGivern enters the game and replaces G. McAuley.
C. McLaughlin enters the game and replaces C. Brunt.
S. Davis enters the game and replaces M. Lund.
Northern Ireland have decided to make a triple substitution during the half-time break. The first player to come on is Davis, who replaces Lund.
And we're underway once again!
The second is McGivern, who takes the place of McAuley.
And the third is McLaughlin, who replaces Brunt.
45' +1
Rog clumsily handles the ball just outside of the Croatia penalty area and gives away a free-kick in a dangerous position. Brunt steps up and curls a looping cross into the middle of the box, but it's sent too near to Kalinic and the goalkeeper is easily able to collect the ball.
45'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be just one minute of added time.
44'
A lofted pass forward finds Magennis, who rises high above his marker before nodding the ball down into the path of Boyce. The striker does well to keep the ball in play and then tries to tee up Lund, but his pass is sent slightly behind the midfielder and is unable to find him in a good position in front of goal.
43'
Kramaric twists and turns deep down the right flank before beating Brunt and firing a low cross into the Northern Ireland penalty area. It's well hit and finds Cop, but the latter is unable to get a decent touch on the ball and his effort ends up rolling well wide of the goal.
42'
Northern Ireland win themselves a corner over on the right flank, and Norwood tries to catch out Kalinic with a curling cross towards the near post. The goalkeeper isn't fooled by it, however, and he's easily able to deal with the danger before the linesman indicates that the ball had gone out of play.
40'
The first corner finds Mitrovic, whose headed effort from close range is deflected out for a fifth corner of the game. Kramaric then decides to go slightly deeper, but his cross ends up swinging out of play before finding the head of McAuley.
39'
A lofted pass into the Northern Ireland box almost finds Mandzukic, but Evans is just about able to beat the striker to it before poking the ball out for a corner. Once again a dangerous cross is sent into the heart of the penalty area, but McAuley is there to deal with the danger before Croatia win themselves yet another corner.
37'
Northern Ireland immediately fly forward on a determined attacking move from the restart, and Lund does well to penetrate the right-hand side of the box. He's left in a pocket of space and is able to unleash a shot, but it's scuffed slightly and fails to hit the target as a result.
35'
D. Čop has scored a goal for Croatia! Assist by M. Mitrović.
That was a lovely flick on from Mitrovic, but questions have to be asked of the Northern Ireland defence, who completely fell asleep and left too many players unmarked.
GOAL! It's 2-0! Croatia win themselves a free-kick over on the right flank, and it's whipped right on to the head of Mitrovic. The defender meets the ball well and quickly nods it over to Cop, who is easily able to poke a close-range volley into the back of the net from close range.
33'
Jedvaj picks up the ball over on the right wing and quickly tries to pick out Kramaric, who had made a good run into the box. However, Evans keeps a close eye on the flight of the ball and is easily able to cut out the danger before it can find the striker in front of goal.
31'
McGinn darts down the left flank and tries to muscle his way past Rog, but the winger does well to dispossess the Northern Ireland captain before attempting to kick-start a quick counter-attack for the visitors.
29'
Croatia move the ball around patiently inside the Northern Ireland half of the pitch before Jedvaj tries to muscle his way past Brunt on the right flank, but the West Bromwich Albion man stands tall and does well to keep the Croatia full-back at bay before shepherding the ball out for a goal-kick.
27'
McNair is clumsy fouled by Cop midway inside the Croatia half of the pitch and Northern Ireland are awarded a free-kick in an advantageous position. Norwood steps up and fires a looping cross over to the back post, but the visitors do well to deal with the danger before thumping the ball down the right flank.
25'
Croatia, who have been surprisingly quiet since going ahead, push forward on a rare foray into the Northern Ireland half of the pitch before Rog gets himself into a good position just outside of the box. He decides to shoot but fails to do so well enough to beat Mannus, who is easily able to deal with a low effort that flies straight into his hands.
24'
A long throw-in from Magennis causes problems for the Croatia defence, who are unable to fully clear the danger. The ball pinballs around the penalty area before falling to Lund, but the midfielder is unable to control it and the visitors just about manage to survive.
23'
Hodson gets himself into a good position deep down the right flank before swinging a dangerous, curling cross into the middle of the box, but it's sent slightly too near to Kalinic and the goalkeeper is able to cut out the danger.
21'
Once again, a lofted cross-field pass is sent towards Magennis, who then tries to nod the ball down into the path of Boyce. This time his header is slightly too powerful, however, and is easily cut out by Kalinic at the near post.
19'
Hudson fires a volleyed pass down the right flank and into the path of McNair, but Leovac is just about able to cut out the danger. He's then put under plenty of pressure by the Northern Ireland midfielder, but he does well to keep him at bay before finally clearing the ball.
17'
Magennis and Boyce link up well on the edge of the Croatia penalty area before the latter brings down a looping ball and tries to shoot. Under pressure from Vida, he ends up missing the ball and catching the legs of the defender, leaving the referee with no choice but to award the visitors' a free-kick.
15'
Magennis, who looks to have started the game wide on the right, almost picks out McGinn at the far post with a fierce cross from the right wing, but just as the number seven is about to make contact with the ball, he has it stolen away from him by Jedvaj.
14'
Great opportunity for Leovac! Mandzukic and Kramaric link up well over on the right flank before the latter swings a wonderful cross into the heart of the Northern Ireland penalty area. It misses Mandzukic before finding Leovac at the back post, but the full-back's glancing header ends up sailing comfortably wide of the goal.
13'
Norwood picks up the ball over on the right wing and immediately tries to pick out Boyce with a lovely cross-field pass. It flies over the top of the Croatia defence before bouncing into the box, but Kalinic is there to cut out the danger before the forward can get a head on it.
11'
Northern Ireland immediately push forward from the restart as the try to quickly get back into the game, but after doing well to penetrate the Croatia box, Boyce brings down Vida as they battle for the ball and the striker gives away a foul.
9'
M. Mandžukić has scored a goal for Croatia!
GOAL! Croatia have taken an early lead! Cop darts into the left-hand side of the Northern Ireland penalty area and immediately fires a dangerous cross-cum-shot that Mannus is unable to hold on to. The goalkeeper does well to save the effort but can only push it out to Mandzukic, who somehow wrestles his way past three defenders before poking the ball into the back of the net from a few yards out.
7'
A long throw-in causes problems for the Croatia defence, and they're only able to clear the ball out to McNair. He's in a good position on the edge of the box and immediately fires a rocket of a shot towards goal, but it's slighlty mishit and is deflected out for another Northern Ireland corner.
5'
Almost a poor mistake by Croatia! A mix-up at the back allows Boyce to charge towards the visitors' penalty area as he tries to latch on to a bouncing loose ball, but Kalinic is just about able to deal with the danger with a volleyed clearance at the vital moment.
3'
Northern Ireland immediately break forward on a determined attacking move down the right flank before a low pass is fizzed across the face of goal and just about dealt with by the Croatia defence. The resulting set-piece is half cleared to Brunt, who then unleashes a thumping volley from the edge of the penalty area, but it's overhit and fails to trouble Kalinic.
1'
And we're off!
Good evening and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s international friendly between Northern Ireland and Croatia at Windsor Park.
Things are currently looking good for Northern Ireland, who, thanks to a comfortable 4-0 thrashing of Azerbaijan on Friday evening, sit in second place in their World Cup 2018 qualifying group with two wins and a draw from their opening four games.
Only current world champions Germany have managed to beat Northern Ireland since their impressive display at Euro 2016, and they will be confident about their chances of impressing again today against a Croatia side that are currently in good form but will be without several key players.
An unbeaten start to the qualifying campaign means that Croatia are currently in pole position to reach the next World Cup in Brazil, and they head to Belfast with three consecutive wins under their belts. Kosovo, Finland and Iceland have all fallen to Ante Cacic’s men in recent weeks, with only Turkey managing to score against them since their exit from Euro 2016.
Croatia will be without Luka Modric this evening, however, as the Real Madrid midfielder has returned to Spain to work on his fitness. Ivan Rakitic, Dejan Lovren, Danijel Subasic and Mateo Kovacic are also unavailable, whilst there’s only a place on the substitutes’ bench for Ivan Perisic. As a result, tonight’s clash could end up being a closely-fought one.
There’s just over 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up this evening…
ANNOUNCEMENT: Due to traffic congestion in Belfast, kick-off has been delayed by 15 minutes.
Michael O’Neill has decided to make six changes to the Northern Ireland side that started the 4-0 victory against Azerbaijan, with Alan Mannus, Lee Hodson, Matthew Lund, Paddy McNair, Niall McGinn and Liam Boyce coming into the starting line-up to replace Michael McGovern, Conor McLaughlin, Corry Evans, Steven Davis, Shane Ferguson and Kyle Lafferty, respectively.
Meanwhile, Croatia boss Ante Cacic has made eight alterations to the side that featured against Iceland in their last outing, with only Domagoj Vida, Milan Badelj and Mario Mandzukic retaining their places in a heavily-altered line-up. There’s a spot in the team for 23-year-old Filip Bradaric, who is set to make his first senior start.
The two sides are making their way out on to the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
HALF-TIME: NORTHERN IRELAND 0-2 CROATIA
It's been a relatively comfortable opening 45 minutes for Croatia, who have taken their chances well and haven't been made to work too hard at the back. Northern Ireland have looked bright down both flanks, with Magennis performing particularly well, but they seem to be lacking the intensity needed to test a compact and well-organised Croatia defence.
The two teams are making their way back out on to the pitch ahead of the start of the second half.
FULL-TIME: NORTHERN IRELAND 0-3 CROATIA
Northern Ireland improved slightly after the half-time break, but in the end it was a comfortable victory for the visitors, who weren't worked particularly hard and were able to leave with a well-deserved victory thanks to impressive goals from Mandzukic, Cop and, in particular, Kramaric. Once the third goal went it, the game was as good as over, and from then onwards it was just a case of Northern Ireland trying not to concede a fourth.
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