Croatia crush Argentina 3-0 to reach last 16

Twice champions Argentina face a struggle to reach the last 16 even with Lionel Messi in their ranks after taking one point from their first two games. Croatia top the group with six.

Croatia handed Argentina a 3-0 drubbing to claim a place in the World Cup knockout stage thanks to goals by Ante Rebic, Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic in their Group D match on Thursday.

Rebic seized on a gaffe by keeper Willy Caballero to open the way to victory for the Balkan side before a superb strike from outside the area by captain Modric 10 minutes from time with Rakitic putting the icing on the cake in added time.

Argentina’s woes began when Caballero picked up a backpass and inexplicably lobbed it towards Rebic, who twisted in the air to whack in a volley in the 53rd minute.

Croatia's second win in the group guarantees them a top two place while Argentina have one point and need to win their last group game against Nigeria in St Petersburg on Tuesday to boost their chances of advancing to the second round.

The burden of pressure weighed heavily on Argentina, who threw on three attacking substitutes after conceding the first goal but allowing their frustrations to boil over as they failed to make an impact despite their fans dominating the stands.

Messi, facing yet another failure at international level, had little influence on the game as Argentina created only one chance in the second half when Maximiliano Meza had a 64th minute effort stopped on the line by keeper Danijel Subasic.

The first half saw both teams with chances to grab the lead but it was Croatia who found their scoring touch after the break to join hosts Russia, Uruguay and France in the second round.