Dalic: Croatia 'motivated' for the 'battle' against England

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic has said that his side are well 'motivated' ahead of their 'battle' against England in the semi-final of the ongoing World Cup in Russia.

In their quarter-final, Croatia defeated hosts Russia 4-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw over 120 minutes. The win meant that the Croatians have reached their first semi-final since the 1998 World Cup in France.

Prior to this World Cup, very few thought that Croatia or England could get this far, but against all odds, and blessed with good draws, the two European nations have fought their way into the last four.

Croatia breezed through the group stage with all nine points, smashing Lionel Messi's Argentina by three goals to nothing in the process.

Coming into the knockout stage, the Croatians have slowed down a bit, worked hard, but have been blessed with luck after reaching the semis with two consecutive penalty shootout wins over Denmark and Russia respectively.

The winner of the semi-final clash between these two sides will be difficult to predict, but the game will surely be tense for fans, coaches, and the players alike.