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BRATISLAVA, Slovakia: Marcelo Brozovic scored within the 86th minute as Croatia lastly broke down a tenacious Slovakia 1-0 to remain firmly within the hunt for a World Cup qualifying place on Saturday.
A poor Slovakia clearance at a free kick went straight to Brozovic, who hit a low volley from the sting of the penalty space.
Inflicting a primary defeat on beforehand unbeaten Slovakia left Croatia the 2018 World Cup runner-up on 10 factors, the identical quantity as Europe Group H chief Russia.
Russia moved previous Croatia into first place due to beating Cyprus 2-0 on targets by Alexander Erokhin and Rifat Zhemaletdinov. Russia and Croatia have the identical aim distinction however Russia has scored eight to Croatia’s 5.
It was the primary win for brand new Russia coach Valery Karpin after he began his tenure with a 0-0 draw in opposition to Croatia on Wednesday.
Slovenia overtook Slovakia for third place after Sandi Lovric’s penalty edged Malta 1-0.
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Extra AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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