Rijeka (Croatia) Nov 15 (NationPress) Croatia clinched a spot in the 2026 World Cup with a decisive 3-1 victory over the Faroe Islands, bouncing back from an early challenge that nearly dashed the visitors' hopes in the ninth round of qualifiers held on Friday.

The home team experienced an unexpected jolt when Geza David Turi seized an opportunity during a midfield break, delivering a low, powerful shot that deflected past Croatia's goalkeeper at the near post, giving the Faroe Islands a surprising early advantage and shifting the mood at Stadion Rujevica, as reported by Xinhua.

Yet, Croatia exhibited resilience and composure in their response. Just seven minutes after falling behind, defender Josko Gvardiol took advantage of a loose ball, shifting it to his dominant foot and skillfully placing a left-footed shot into the corner, leveling the match.

This equalizer marked a pivotal moment, as the home side intensified their play, stretching the Faroese defense and controlling the midfield in search of chances.

In the 57th minute, Croatia's momentum paid off when Josip Stanisic surged down the right flank and delivered a perfect pass to Petar Musa. Musa skillfully controlled the ball and fired a bouncing shot past the goalkeeper, notching his first international goal since 2023 and reaffirming Croatia's dominance.

Midway through the second half, the match was effectively settled when Ivan Perisic sent a curling cross from the left that found Nikola Vlasic, who finished with a composed side-footed shot inside the far post, concluding the game at 3-1.

This victory puts Croatia six points ahead of the second-placed Czech Republic with one match left, guaranteeing a top finish in Group L. The Faroe Islands, having concluded their matches, are now mathematically out of contention.

In other Group L news, Montenegro narrowly defeated Gibraltar 2-1, scoring a late penalty after initially trailing. Meanwhile, Germany continued on course for direct qualification in Group A with a 2-0 win over Luxembourg, highlighted by a brace from Nick Woltemade.

Slovakia boosted their chances with a thrilling 1-0 win against Northern Ireland, thanks to a stoppage-time goal from Tomas Bobcek, while Malta celebrated a rare qualifying victory in Group G, defeating Finland 1-0 with a late goal by Jake Grech.

The Netherlands also remains on track for automatic qualification, finishing in a 1-1 draw against Poland, with Memphis Depay equalizing after Jakub Kaminski's initial goal.