Kuphelile ngoonkqiyoyo kwindebe yehlabathi

Ekugqibeli,
oonqiyoyo banikezele emva kwamashumi alithoba nexesha elongezelelweyo
emdlalweni. ICroatia lilizwe lokugqibela elithe lazibekela indawo kumjikelo
olandelayo wendebe yehlabathi emva kokubetha iRussia ngo’4-3 kumapenela
kumdlalo obunzima kakhulu ophele ebambene ngo’2-2, eSochi Stadium, namhlanje. AmaRashiya ancedwe ehamba emva yibhola
efakwe ngentloko nguMario Fernandes – ngelishwa ongakwazanga ukuyifaka ipenela
yakhe. UDomagoj Vida noDenis Cheryshev ngabona badlali bafake amagowuli
weCroatia emdlalweni. Ilizwe laseCroatia liya phambili kufanelekile emva
kokudlala umdlalo ophucukileyo ukusukela ekuqaleni kwendebe yehlabathi. Ngoku iCroatia
ibonakala njengelinye lamazwe elinokuthi lithathe indebe yehlabathi kwiveki
ezayo. IBelgium, iNgilane, iFrance neCroatia ngawona mazwe azakuthi alwele
indawo kumdlalo wokugqibela kwiveki ezayo.

Kuyiwe kwixesha
lokuphumla iyinkwa nenkwa kungekho ibanakala ingathi ifuna ukugoba iphondo. Umdlalo
uqale ngesantya esiphezulu, kanye ngendlela obulindeleke ngayo umdlalo. Ixheshiwe
iRussia ngabadlali beRussia – kodwa abadlali beyo basemva baye baxhathisa
nakubeni iCroatia ibizama ukuyivikiva amacala. Bekubonakala kodwa ukuba iRussia
izimisele ukubhakuzelisa umnatha kwangoko emdlalweni. Umdlali oyifolosi,
u-Artem Dzyuba, ezibalule ngokufaka amagowli kwindebe yehlabathi, ugcine
abadlali beCroatia bexakekile emva. UDenis Cheryshev ufake igowuli elihle
kakhulu elimshiye unozinti weCroatia, uDenjel Subasic, eme bhungxe emva
kokufumana ibhola kuDzyuba kumzuzu wamashumi amathathu. Igowuli liyothusile
iCroatia engakwazanga ukugqobhola kwiRussia izihlandlo eziliqela. Kwimizuzu elithoba
emva koko, u-Andrej Kramaric, ufake igowuli lokulinganisa ngentloko.

Abuye axhwithana
la mazwe kwisigaba sesibini somdlalo. Uphantse wachitheka umphothulo ngethuba
u-Ivan Perisic ekhaba imbumbulu yebhola ethintelwe yipali kumzuzu wamashumi
amahlanu anesibhozo. Kwelinye icala uDzyuba weRussia unyanzele uDanjel Subasic
ukuba asebenze ngethuba engquba ibhola ngentloko ebisuka  ekunene iphezulu. ULuka Modric uzibonakalisile
kwakhona nanamhlanje ukuba ungumdlali ophezulu ngokuyibamba iCroatia iphantsi
kohlaselo. Ebekwaluncedo kekambe naxa ihlasela iCroatia. Idlale kakuhle kakhulu
iRussia phantsi koxinizelelo obelufakwa ngabadlali beCroatia. Iphelile imizuzu
engashumi alithoba kungekho eliphumeleleyo. Amathuba ebekhona macala
okuwuphetha umdlalo – kodwa akasetyenziswanga. Kumzuzu wekhulu uDomagoj Vida
ifake igowuli lesibini ngentloko – yatsho yahamba phambili iCroatia. Mario Fernandes
uphendule ngentloko kumzuzu wekhulu nesihlanu elinesihlanu. ICroatia iphumelele
ngamapenela.

Croatia: Danjel Subasic, Ivan Strinic, Domagoj Vida,
Dejan Lovren, Sime Vrsaljko, Ivan Perisic, Luka Modric, Andrej Kramaric, Ivan
Rakitic, Ante Rebic, Mario Mandzukic.

Russia: Igor Akinfeev, Fedor Kudriashow, Sergey Ignashevich,
Iya Kutepov, Mario Fernandes, Denis Cheryshev, Daler Kuziaev, Aleksandr
Golovin, Roman Zobnin, Alexander Samedov, Artem Dzyuba.