Turkey beat Croatia in critical World Cup qualifier

By Satuk Bugra Kutlugun

ANKARA

Turkey's National Football Team defeated Croatia 1-0 on Monday night in a 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier Group I match.

After falling to Ukraine 2-0 on Saturday in Kharkiv, Turkey was battling to stake its place in the group and found a golden opportunity to beat group leaders in New Eskisehir Stadium.

In front of some 30,000 fans, the Turkish team managed to oust Croatia, thanks to a follow-up goal from striker Cenk Tosun in the 75th minute, after Oguzhan Ozyakup's long-range shot was denied.

Croatia was dangerous in the first half, when a shot by the visiting team was denied by the woodwork.

Before the match, Turkey had never beaten Croatia in a 90-minute match. Turkey's record was five draws and three losses to Croatia.

The most memorable previous bout with Croatia was back in 2008, when Turkey won to advance to the semifinals, as decided by a penalty shootout.

Tonight's win kept Turkey's qualification dreams alive, as they increased to 14 points in eight matches.

In the other matches of the group, Iceland defeated Ukraine 2-0 and Finland beat Kosovo 1-0.