Live Commentary: Live Commentary: Croatia 2-0 Iceland - as it happened

Croatia have beaten Iceland 2-0 to gain qualification to next year's World Cup in Brazil, following goals from Mario Mandzukic and Darijo Srna either side of half time.

Going into the game Iceland held hopes of reaching the finals having kept Croatia to a goalless draw in the first leg of their encounter in Reykjavik.

However, Croatia turned on the style at home as they outplayed their opponents with a superb display of passing football, which allowed for a comfortable victory despite a first-half sending off of Mandzukic, who scored and was then dismissed all in the space of 10 minutes.

Read how it all unfolded in our minute-by minute live commentary below.

9.11pmWell, there we have it. Croatia reach the World Cup finals with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Iceland. Despite the sending off, it never really looked like Iceland were prepared to put themselves in a position to win the game. That said, Croatia pressed superbly all night and were bolstered by a creative masterclass from both Modric and Kovacic.

90+3 minFULL TIME: Croatia 2-0 Iceland - Croatia qualify for next year's World Cup in Brazil.

91 minRebic should add a third for his side as he is played through by Perisic, but Halldorsson does well to keep out the sub's effort.

90 minWe're going to have three minutes of added time here at the Maksimir Stadium as Croatia look headed to the World Cup next year.

89 minSUBSTITUTION Dejan Lovren replaces Luka Modric for Croatia. A defensive decision to add some height in these closing stages, one would imagine...

88 minCroatia break with Jelavic who tries to delay for as long as possible to allow his teammates to catch up with him, but his forward pass is mopped up by the defence with two other options open to the striker.

86 minIceland can't seem to do anything with the ball when they have it. This time the ball is collected in midfield, before being sprayed out wide where the collecting winger fails to control, leaving Croatia to pick up possession again.

85 minYELLOW CARD Emil Hallfredsson shows his frustration as he clatters into Modric, earning himself a yellow card in the process.

82 minALMOST! Great play from the newly-introduced Jelavic sees the striker exchange passes with a midfielder on the edge of the box, but the ball just evades the Everton player as he looks to latch onto the return pass.

80 minSUBSTITUTION: Croatia's Nikica Jelavic replaces Ivica Olic in attack. Again the crowd burst into applause in praise of the striker's efforts as he leaves the pitch to be replaced.

76 minSAVE! Iceland have Halldorsson to thank again as he keeps out another great move by Croatia, this time as Pranjic pulls off a one-two with Olic before trying to poke the ball past the advancing keeper.

74 minSUBSTITUTION: Ante Rebic replaces Mateo Kovacic for Croatia. Kovacic is given a standing ovation by the crowd. The midfielder has looked menacing all evening and provided the assist for Srna's second-half goal.

73 minCroatia still looking the dominant side despite being down to 10 men. It wouldn't be surprising to see them go on to grab another goal or two this evening.

72 minSUBSTITUTION: Emil Hallfredsson replaces Aron Gunnarsson.

70 minDANGER! Simunic gets caught in his own box having tried to trick the Icelandic frontline, but Modric steps in to carry the ball away and earn his side a free kick at the other end of the pitch.

68 minCHANCE! Iceland exchange more than five or six passes for the first time this evening and their move almost ends up in the back of the net, but Bjarnason is crowded out in the box as he looks to head home from close range.

64 minSAVE! Top save from Halldorsson to keep out Perisic's left-footed effort from the centre of the box. The move started with Modric who broke away on the counter before feeding the midfielder, but the Icelandic goalkeeper was onto him in a flash to keep out his low effort.

59 minOFF THE BAR! Olic rattles the bar with a stunning overhead kick from the centre of the box. The ball was turned in from a corner after Kovacic's run had produced a last-ditch save from Halldorsson who turned the midfielder's shot away with his right foot.

57 minCHANCE! Modric again at the centre of things as he pings a ball with the outside of his boot to the left wing, where Perisic whips in an inviting ball which is punched clear by Halldorsson.

55 minIceland show their first piece of attacking intent in the second half as Finnbogason works the ball on the outside of the box with Bjarnason but their move is thwarted.

53 minModric dictating terms here for the home side, with plenty of inventive passing on show as he nearly picks out Olic's run in behind the Iceland defence.

51 minYELLOW CARD! Croatia's Simunic picks up a yellow card for a late challenge having tried to retrieve the ball for his side.

47 minGOAL! Croatia 2-0 Iceland (Darijo Srna) Croatia extend their lead as Srna unleashes a powerful strike which evades Halldorsson far too easily. Much credit owed to Kovacic though as his winding run found Srna with space to run into.

46 minGreat play from Modric as he retrieves the ball before playing in Olic down the left hand side of the pitch, but the striker's cross is easily collected by Halldorsson.

45 minKICKOFF Here we go then...

8.17 pmThe players are back out on the pitch and we are waiting to get the second half underway.

8.12pmAs was evident from the way things played out in the first half, Croatia have dominated possession by holding 65.9 per cent of the ball.

8.07 pmIceland will want to try and keep the ball a little better in the second half. They looked lost in the opening exchanges as Croatia sought to press with intensity. The visitors may have a little more space to maneuver the ball now that the hosts are down to 10 men.

8.06 pmWell, it looked as if Croatia were about to coast through the game following their opener. The second half could prove to be a different affair now, as Mandzukic's red may have given Iceland a route back into the game.

45+3 minHALF TIME: Croatia 1-0 Iceland

45+1 minGylfi Sigurdsson finds himself with space having been played in by Gudmundsson, but he can't make the most of his right-footed effort as it is blocked by the Croatian defence.

44 minYELLOW CARD! (Ragnar Sigurdsson) Sigurdsson is booked for a foul on Olic as the Croatian striker looks to have backed into the Icelandic defender just outside of the box.

41 minCroatia looking a little more cautious now as they try to keep the ball in the last five minutes before the break. Rakitic delivers a free kick into the box but it is headed away by the first defender as Iceland clear their lines.

38 minRED CARD! (Mario Mandzukic) Game changer? Mandzukic looks to continue Croatia's pressing tactics but catches an Icelandic defender late and is shown a straight red card. Perhaps a debatable decision, but Iceland will not mind as they could now have a route back into the game.

34 minGood work from Saevarsson as he gets across to keep out Corluka's cross-field ball just as it looks headed for Pranjic on the left hand side of the box.

31 minThe home side are camped inside Iceland's half. The visitors just can't keep hold of the ball when they do win it back, allowing Croatia to exert further pressure.

29 minCHANCE! Olic should put Croatia two ahead here, but he heads over from close-range having pulled away from his marker with ease.

27 minGOAL! Croatia 1 - 0 Iceland (Mario Mandzukic) The Icelandic door finally opens following good work from Rakitic whose delayed cross evades the defence and finds Mandzukic free at the back post to prod home.

25 minMore invention here from Croatia as Simunic slides the ball into Pranjic whose cross is cleared at the front post.

24 minAll Croatia here as Modric weaves his way through the Icelandic defence before eventually being crowded out.

22 minSAVE! Croatia earn a free kick, which is taken by Srna. The home side's captain bends the ball over the wall towards the top corner, but Halldorsson gets across to tip the ball wide.

18 minPENALTY SHOUT! Croatia are shouting for a penalty as Modric's long-range shot hits Skulason, though the referee is not interested and waves play on.

16 minModric earns Croatia a corner after the ball breaks to him inside the box before the midfielder crashes a cross against the defender.

14 minIceland produce the game's first real piece of attacking intent as Saevarsson breaks down the right, but his ball into the box is cleared.

12 minThings are looking ominous already for Iceland as Croatia begin to work the ball in neat triangles around the visitor's box.

10 minIceland finding it hard to keep hold of the ball as Croatia continue to press with a high line. Olic commits another foul on the left hand side of the pitch as he attempts to close the ball down.

9 minCroatia's creativity showing already here as Olic combines with Modric, but the midfielder's pass is collected by the Icelandic goalkeeper with ease.

7 minYELLOW CARD! Ivica Olic is shown a yellow card for a poor challenge after trying to close down Iceland's defence.

2 minCroatia dominating the opening stages here as the home side look to play in their attacking midfielders down the flanks with balls in behind the visitor's defence.

0 minKICKOFF! Croatia get us underway here, kicking from right to left.

7.13pmPREDICTION! As much as a giant killing would make for interesting news, it would be a shame for next year's tournament to miss out on the creative talent of this current Croatia side. Going forward it looks as though the hosts may have too much for Iceland. I'm backing a 2-0 win for Kovac's men.

7.05pmAs expected, Eidur Gudjohnsen comes in to take the place of the injured Kolbeinn Sigthorsson.

7.03pmHowever, it's also hard to ignore Iceland's impressive away record of late.

7.02pmJust under 15 minutes until we get underway at the Maksimir Stadium and it seems hard to look past Croatia given the display of attacking talent in their starting XI.

6.58pmICELAND STARTING XI: Halldorsson; Saevarsson, R. Sigurdsson, Gudmundsson, Bjarnason, G. Sigurdsson, Finnbogason, Arnason, Gunnarsson, GudJohnsen, Skulason

6.53pmCROATIA STARTING XI: Pletikosa; Simunic, Perisic, Corluka, Rakitic, Modric, Srna, Mandzukic, Olic, Kovacic, Pranjic

6.47pmCroatia, however, will fancy their chances with Luka Modric expected to pull the strings from midfield. The home nation also boast the attacking talents of Mario Mandzukic, Ivica Olic, Ivan Perisic and Eduardo.

6.41pmFascinating stat ahead of the game tonight: Iceland are unbeaten in their last five games on the road having scored 17 goals in 10 trips away from home.

6.36pmWe're currently waiting on official team news for both sides. In the meantime, here's Iceland boss Lars Lagerback on his side's chances tonight: "I always try to find solutions to problems rather than lament over them. We are in a win-win situation because we have nothing to lose and everything to gain. "We have to make changes but we'll try to stick to our own style as much as possible."

6.30pmThe visitors will also be without the talismanic Olafur Skulason who was sent off during last Friday's clash, with reports in the press suggesting that Eggert Jonsson could feature as his replacement.

6.28pmIceland head into tonight's encounter knowing that they will be without injured Ajax striker Kolbeinn Sigthorsson, who picked up an ankle knock during the first leg. Former Chelsea man Eidur Gudjohnsen may come in to replace him in attack.

6.23pmCroatia were unlucky not to grab an important away goal against a 10-man Iceland side in the first leg. However, Croatia coach Niko Kovac is confident his side are capable of getting a win on home soil tonight. Here's what he told reporters recently: "The impression remains that we are the better team and have a better overall repertoire. They play very simple football with a lot of vertical switching and that's always risky. "I am confident that we will repeat our dominant display in Zagreb and will ultimately get to Brazil."

6.16pmHello everyone! We're just under an hour away from kickoff this evening as Croatia host Iceland in the second leg of the sides' World Cup qualifying playoff. The visitors are just one good result away from reaching their first major tournament in recent history.

Live Commentary: Live Commentary: Croatia 2-0 Iceland - as it happened

Teams mentioned in this article :

Croatia

Iceland