Calcutta/Sochi: Croatia beat Russia 4-3 via penalty shootout in Saturday's last quarterfinal tie, at the Fisht Stadium in Sochi, to advance to their second World Cup semi-final after 1998.

Croatia will meet England in the second semi-final in Moscow on Wednesday.

While Croatia's Marcelo Brozovic, Luka Modric, Domagoj Vida and Ivan Rakitic were on target in the tiebreaker, Mateo Kovacic failed to convert. For Russia, Fyodor Smolov and Mario Fernandes were the ones who missed, while Alan Dzagoev, Sergei Ignashevich and Daler Kuziaev scored.

If only Fernandes had scored in the shoot-outs like he did in the extra time, it may not have been heartbreak for the hosts. In what was truly a thriller of a contest, the regulation time between the two teams ended 1-1, while the extra time finished 2-2. Vida had almost sealed it for Croatia with his 101st-minute header, but the Russia's hopes were kept alive by Brazilian Fernandes, who unleashed a wonderful header off Alan Dzagoev's free-kick minutes before start of the shoot-out, making it 2-2.

Prior to that, Vida headed home at the bottom-right corner after out-jumping a rival player. What aided Croatia further was that the Russian goalie became a bit unsighted when Vida headed the ball.

It seemed Croatia were cruising to the semis, but Fernandes ensured it were shootouts that decided the course of the game.

Both Russia and Croatia fought really hard as the regulation time of the game ended 1-1. Andrej Kramaric's header cancelled out a stunning strike from hosts' Denis Cheryshev to leave the teams level at halftime.

Cheryshev's left-footed long ranger from the edge of the box gave Russia the lead in the 31st minute, but an unmarked Kramaric came up with a header off a cross from Mario Mandzukic eight minutes later to restore parity.

WORLD CUP QUARTERS

CROATIA 6 (2)
RUSSIA  5 (2)