Round-up: Nikola Kalinic rocket keeps Croatia in driving seat
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ByEurosport
Updated 24/03/2017 at 22:47 GMT
Croatia stayed top of World Cup qualifying Group I after a superb first-half goal by striker Nikola Kalinic gave them a 1-0 home win over Ukraine in an action-packed game on Friday.
Croatia's Nikola Kalinic celebrates a goal.
Image credit: Eurosport
The result left the Croatians on top of their group with 13 points from five games, three ahead of second-placed Iceland who moved one place up after a 2-1 win in Kosovo. Third-placed Ukraine and Turkey in fourth have eight points each.
The home side missed several chances either side of Kalinic's 38th-minute thunderbolt while a cagey Ukrainian outfit rarely troubled Croatia's rearguard in the Maksimir stadium.
Mario Mandzukic hit the post for Croatia and Kalinic twice came close before he broke the deadlock in the 38th minute, drilling an unstoppable shot into the top corner after good work by Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic.
Kalinic should have doubled Croatia's lead four minutes later but goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov smothered the striker's weak lob from 12 metres when the goal was at his mercy.
At the other end, Croatia keeper Danijel Subasic parried a pair of long-range efforts and defender Tin Jedvaj cleared the ball off the line after a goalmouth scramble.
Pyatov came to Ukraine's rescue in the dying minutes when he palmed away a stinging Modric shot after the midfielder's darting run into the box.
Croatia next visit Iceland on June 11, while Ukraine are away to Finland.
Austria squandered a hatful of chances before two goals in the last 15 minutes gave them a 2-0 win over Moldova which kept their World Cup qualifying hopes alive on Friday.
Marcel Sabitzer scored with a glancing header from Marko Arnautovic's cross in the 75th minute and substitute Martin Harnik added the second in the last minute to leave them four points behind leading pair Serbia and Ireland in Group D.
David Alaba struck the underside of the crossbar in an early attack, leading to a tale of frustration as the ball refused to go in for the hosts.
Arnautovic, Guido Burgstaller and Zlatko Junuzovic all missed chances in the run-up to halftime and it was little different in the second half as Austria enjoyed 63 percent of possession and forced 13 corners.
Austria last played at the World Cup finals in 1998 while Moldova, bottom of the group with one point, have never qualified.
Friday's World Cup qualifiers
- Georgia 1 - 3 Serbia
- Turkey 2 - 0 Finland
- Austria 2 - 0 Moldova
- Croatia 1 - 0 Ukraine
- Ireland 0 - 0 Wales
- Italy 2 - 0 Albania
- Kosovo 1 - 2 Iceland
- Liechtenstein 0 - 3 Macedonia
- Spain 4 - 1 Israel
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