How Croatia and England fans reacted after Croatia's World Cup semifinal win

An early England goal had Three Lions fans dreaming of a World Cup Final appearance. Alas, a second-half goal by Croatia sent the game into extra time and Mario Mandzukic’s extra-time winner put the Croatians into the final against France and relegated England to the third-place game.

Mandzukic’s goal came in the second half of extra time, leaving Croatian fans just a few minutes to freak out about their team’s one-goal lead. Here’s how they celebrated as the game ended with a special cameo by dejected English fans.

Croatia fans freaked out after Ivan Perisic tied the game at 1-1 too. There are going to be more flares and fireworks shot off in Croatia on Wednesday night than there were in the United States on July 4.

“It’s not coming home” quickly became a joke on social media. “It’s coming home” had been a rallying cry for English fans – remember, England says it is the birthplace of soccer – and fans chanted that as England players left for the game on Wednesday.

The England fans who stayed in the stadium in Moscow after the game were still a joyous bunch. After all, it was the first time England had been in the World Cup semifinals since 1990.

Fans at watch parties quickly dispersed after the game, however.

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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.

Follow @NickBromberg on Twitter

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