Make that four footballs! Welcome to this liveblog for Croatia vs Nigeria, the fourth football World Cup game of today and a match which should be thoroughly entertaining. If we get anything close to what Portugal and Spain produced last night, it's going to be just a wonderful time for us all.
So what can be expect from tonight's match? Nigeria have some really talented, skillful players but the general feeling about the squad is that it's a project and one which might not be ready for a few years yet. Croatia are carrying a lot of expectation from home and with players like Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic and Ivan Perisic, you can see why.
There are talented players throughout the Croatian squad - the goalkeeper is brilliant, Dejan Lovren is (mostly) a great option in defence and Mateo Kovacic is another name you'll recognise. But will it work on the night? Who will stand up to the pressure? Nobody knows!
Nigeria are no pushovers, although even England managed to tear them apart in a recent friendly, and will represent a threat on the counter-attack. Jon Obi Mikel - remember him? - is fantastic as a number 10 too. He was an attacking player as a youngster apparently but for some reason was moved to a six at Chelsea. Ah well.
We'll bring you the team news as soon as we have it, stay with us for all the buildup and action. Kick-off is 8pm.
Croatia vs Nigeria: Live blog, text commentary, line-ups, stream & TV channel
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Croatia and Nigeria will close Saturday's fixtures with the second Group D game at the Kaliningrad Stadium
Dalic's men will be looking for a second and they could well find it unless Nigeria raise their game. The African giants have just gone through the motions so far and they need to give Ighalo some support before they lose this evening.
An own goal from Etebo is the difference at the interval and Croatia definitely deserved to be in front. Modric has been superb so far as he pulls the strings, while Rakitic, Kramaric and Mandzukic have also looked sharp
HALF TIME: The game sprung into life during the last 15 minutes of the first half. Croatia look good value for their lead so far.
45+1 Mins: Two minutes of stoppage time...
45 Mins: CHANCE - Iwobi seems to have read this text commentary as he latches onto a clearance and drills a shot towards goal but Lovren throws himself in the way to make sure the scoreline remains 1-0.
44 Mins: The Super Eagles need the interval by the looks of things. Mikel, Iwobi and Ighalo have hardly featured and they maybe need some words of encouragement ahead of the second 45 minutes.
42 Mins: WIDE! A long spell of Croatian posession ends with Mandzukic laying off Vrsaljko who smashes the ball way wide of the goal.
39 Mins: CHANCE - Croatia produce another sensational team move and Kramaric is very unlucky to not grab a second for his team. Barcelona's Rakitic picked him out but the striker could only watch his header loop over the bar.
37 Mins: Nigeria are struggling to get back into the game and the likes of Iwobi and Mikel have barely had a kick so far. Still early days but they need to improve before they fall two-nil down.
33 Mins: Nigeria nearly make an immediate reponse but Ighalo's left-footed effort is blocked on the edge of the box. It remains 1-0 to Croatia and they will be confident of holding onto this until the interval.
32 Mins: GOAL Croatia! Mandzukic gets on the end of a Luka Modric corner with a diving header which is heading wide of the post it takes a deflection of of Etebo into the back of the net. Own Goal 1-0 Croatia.
31 Mins: Rakitic becomes the first man into the book after he chopped down Moses while he was trying to break away.
29 Mins: Whistling can be heard around the Kaliningrad Stadium and it appears that some of the neutrals have lost their patience with the lack of chances.
27 Mins: Croatia fans rise to their feet as Rebic latches onto a cross inside the box but the referee punishes him for a push in the back.
25 Mins: We are now over halfway through the first half and neither team have made too many inroads. Croatia have just about edged it due to their superior possession but Nigeria are certainly making life hard for them when they do not have the ball.
23 Mins: Balogun is forced off the field to get some running repairs after he picks up a facial injury following a collision with Vida.
22 Mins: After a number of attempted clearances, Nigeria eventually latch onto a loose pass from Croatia but Etebo volleys wide of the target.
21 Mins: Former Watford man Ighalo has made a bright start to proceedings and he wins Nigeria a corner after his shot was blocked at the near post.
19 Mins: Kramaric wins a free kick but Modric is unable to pick out Perisic at the far post and Uzoho comes out to collect before rolling the ball out for a team-mate.
17 Mins: Croatia win another corner but for the second time in a row Modric fails to produce a decent delivery.
15 Mins: Kramaric finds a yard of space and decides to try and test Uzoho from 20 yards out but he snatches his drive and it sails past the far post.
13 Mins: CHANCE - Croatia carve open the Nigeria backline but Perisic cannot find the back of the net. Modric started the move on the left wing before Mandzukic teed up the Inter man but he could only blaze his shot over the bar.
12 Mins: Nigeria are starting to settle into this tie and they nearly punish a rare mistake from Modric. Mikel and the Croatia star tussle for possession near the corner flag and the former wins the fight but his cross is straight into the hands of Subasic.
9 Mins: Real Madrid maestro Modric decides to take the corner short and his right-footed cross is cleared at the near post.
8 Mins: Croatia win a corner after Modric's long ball is knocked behind by Shehu.
6 Mins: Chelsea man Moses wins a free kick after Rebic barges into him from behind. The Nigeria star will have his work cut out tonight but he has proven his ability and superior fitness at Stamford Bridge in the last few years.
4 Mins: Croatia have now started to take control of the game and both Rakitic and Modric are the brains behind their early moves.
2 Mins: Nigeria make a solid start to the game after winning a free kick but Moses' effort is cleared at the first attempt.
1 Min: Nigeria get the game underway
5 Mins to KO: The two teams are now in the tunnel and we are just minutes away from kick off. The national anthems await!
10 Mins to KO: The good news for Nigeria is that Balogun has recovered from a recent injury worry after missing training on Friday.
Dalic has fielded an attacking lineup tonight, with Rakitic and Modric set to sit deeper and that will allow Rebic, Kramaric, Perisic and Mandzukic to flourish further down the field.
We could also be in for a spicy encounter, with the last four World Cup games involving Croatia having produced five red cards.
If Croatia are to grab three points tonight they will need to ignore the history books. They have lost their opening group game in each of their last three World Cups!
Nigeria will be led by Gernot Rohr at this summer's tournament but he may need some luck along the way after the Super Eagles were drawn in a tough group. Rohr's men have only won one of their last five and they were beaten by Czech Republic back on June 6.
Croatia are considered darkhorses by some ahead of their first game at the 2018 World Cup. Zlatko Dalic's troops have won two of their last five friendlies and they were last in action on June 8 when they beat Senegal 2-1. Several members of their squad have impressed around Europe this season and they will be confident of getting off to a good start.
30 Mins to KO: Hello and welcome to our live text commentary of the Group D match between Croatia and Nigeria in Kaliningrad in Russia. This will be the first ever meeting between the two sides and they head into the game knowing that Argentina were held to a 1-1 draw by Iceland earlier this afternoon
Game Croatia vs Nigeria Date Saturday, June 16 Time 8pm BST / 3pm ET Stream (US only) fubo TV (7-day free trial)
Confirmed line-ups
Croatia line up as strong as ever with one of the best midfield pairings you are likely to see at this tournament with Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic.
Confirmed Croatia XI: Danijel Subasic, Sime Vrsaljko, Dejan Lovren, Domagoj Vida, Ivan Strinic, Ivan Rakitic, Luka Modric (c), Ante Rebic, Andrej Kramaric, Ivan Perisic, Mario Mandzukic.
Croatia Subs: Lovre Kalinic, Mateo Kovacic, Duje Caleta-Car, Nikola Kalinic, Tin Jedvaj, Marcelo Brozovic, Milan Badelj, Josip Pivaric, Vedran Corluka, Marko Pjaca, Filip Bradaric, Dominik Livakovic.
Nigeria have left a lot of talent on the bench for this game against Croatia, opting for former Watford striker Odion Ighalo ahead of Leicester strikers Ahmed Musa and Kelechi Iheanacho.
Confirmed Nigeria XI: Francis Uzoho, Abdullahi Shehu, William Troost-Ekong, Leon Balogun, Brian Idowu, Wilfred Ndidi, Oghenekaro Etebo, Victor Moses, John Obi Mikel (c), Alex Iwobi, Odion Ighalo.
Nigeria Subs: Joel Obi, Chidozie Awaziem, John Ogu, Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Kelechi Iheanacho, Daniel Akpeyi, Simy, Tyronne Ebuehi, Elderson Echiéjilé, Kenneth Omeruo, Ahmed Musa, Ogenyi Onazi.
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).
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US TV channel Online stream FOX Sports 1 / Telemundo fubo TV (7-day free trial)
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on TV on ITV or streamed live online using the ITV Player.
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38’: Croatia Keeps Pressure On
Croatia has dominated possession since scoring the first goal, and came close to a second. Ivan Rakitic directed a cross to Andrej Kramaric, but Kramaric’s penalty spot header loops just over.
32’ GOAL! Croatia Up, 1-0
Croatia’s Mario Mandzukic’s puts a diving header off Oghenekaro Etebo and into the back of the net, with it being ruled an own goal. Luka Modric swung a corner kick in, before it was headed into the vicinity of Mandzukic.
31’: First Yellow Card
Victor Moses has reinvented his career the last couple of years as a wingback for Chelsea. While he hasn’t quite put it together yet today, it’s fun watching the Nigerian play higher up on the pitch.
Ivan Rakitic picks up the first yellow card on the day after stepping on Moses’s ankle.
20’: No Shots, But Plenty of Action
The match remains 0-0 with no shots on goal, but not for a lack of trying. Both teams are attacking the goal — Croatia through their midfield, Nigeria a bit more direct down the wings — but haven’t been able to find the final ball.
14’: Chance!
Croatia’s Mario Mandzukic lays the ball off for Ivan Perisic to take a shot from the top of the box, but it flies harmlessly over.
7’: Even Play So Far
Croatia has looked more comfortable on the ball early, but Nigeria has won two free kicks in Croatia’s half. No dangerous chances yet.
1’: And We’re Off!
Croatia is wearing its traditional red and white checkerboard pattern, while Nigeria is in solid dark green. I guess we’ll have to wait to see their incredible electric green jerseys.
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Match Lineups
Croatia
23 Danijel Subasic
21 Domagoj Vida
6 Dejan Lovren
3 Ivan Strinic
2 Sime Vrsaljko
9 Andrej Kramaric
10 Luka Modric
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7 Ivan Rakitic
17 Mario Mandzukic
4 Ivan Perisic
18 Ante Rebic
Nigeria
23 Francis Uzoho
6 Leon Balogun
5 William Troost-Ekong
2 Bryan Idowu
12 Abdullahi Shehu
10 John Obi Mikel
8 Oghenekaro Etebo
4 Wilfred Ndidi
9 Odion Ighalo
18 Alex Iwobi
11 Victor Moses
Nigeria vs. Croatia Top Story Lines
• This is Croatia’s most talented side since their 1998 team advanced to the World Cup semifinals, led by Golden Boot winner Davor Suker. They won their group at Euro 2016, but were defeated 1-0 in the round of 16 by eventual winner Portugal, on a heartbreaking 117th minute goal.
• If Nigeria can advance to the round of 16, they will be looking to win their first-ever World Cup knockout round match.
• Premier League fans are familiar with Mikel John Obi, who was a defensive stalwart in Chelsea’s midfield for a decade. For Nigeria, however, he plays a much more attacking role, usually as the farthest forward midfielder.
• Croatia’s strength is in the midfield, where they have three players — Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic and Mateo Kovacic — who play for La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid.
• Nigeria is managed by the German Gernot Rohr, who has made a second career out of leading African national teams, but his previous stops in Gabon, Niger and Burkina Faso weren’t particularly successful.
Some Pregame Reading
• Croatia and Nigeria have two of the more unique kits this World Cup.
• Catch up on the other Group D match, this morning’s 1-1 draw between Argentina and Iceland in Moscow
• Against the back drop of the World Cup, Zdravko Mamic, a longtime executive at Croatian powerhouse club Dinamo Zagreb, was sentenced to six-and-a-half-years in jail last week, related to transfer irregularities including the transfers of Luka Modric and Dejan Lovren, who will start today.
