Croatia in World Cup final for 1st time, beats England 2-1

MOSCOW (AP) — When the final whistle blew and they knew they were going to their first World Cup final, the Croatians ran to their jumping and cheering fans in their iconic red-and-white checkered jerseys.

Mario Mandzukic scored the winning goal in the 109th minute and Croatia shocked England, rallying for 2-1 victory Wednesday.

Defender Sime Vrsaljko kept the score even in extra time by heading a shot off the goal line about 10 minutes before Mandzukic scored for Croatia, which is the first team in 28 years to come from behind to win a World Cup semifinal match.

"Mentally strong team," midfielder Ivan Rakatic said. "It's just unbelievable to get back in the game in this way.