They had to take the long route through the playoffs and now they can celebrate: Both Switzerland and Croatia managed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Their opponents - Northern Ireland and Greece - failed to make it.
Switzerland was able to win the first match against Northern Ireland 1:0, so that in the fiercely contested second leg a 0:0 draw was enough to be able to compete in Russia this summer. The Swiss hero is celebrated as former Wolfsburg player Rodriguez: He scored the 1:0 in the first match and cleared the ball in the second match in the last minute with a diving header on the goal line. Northern Ireland fought passionately and shot from all angles in the second match. But a goal ultimately failed to materialize and so there was nothing doing for the Irish in their bid for a fourth World Cup appearance. The Swiss, however, are taking part in a World Cup for the fourth consecutive time. After the good qualification - only against European champions Portugal was a match lost - the Swiss are hopeful that, as in 2014, they will make it into the round of 16.
Croatia had already settled matters in the first leg against Greece. While most matches in the playoffs ended 0:0, as they were characterized by great caution from the players to avoid conceding goals, Croatia settled matters in the first match against Greece: Rakitic, Modric and Co. won 4:1 and thus set the course for victory. The Greeks coached by Michael Skibbe made it very easy for the Croats through many individual mistakes. These mistakes were absent in the second match, but Greece had no chance of still pulling off the miracle: It remained 0:0 and so Croatia is heading to the World Cup again. Both matches had been played without away fans, as serious clashes between the different fan groups were expected. The Croats were unimpressed by this and with their impressive squad it would certainly be possible for them to progress further in Russia than they did at the last World Cups in 2006 in Germany and 2014 in Brazil, when they were eliminated in the group stage both times.
Now there are still two World Cup tickets for European teams up for grabs. Italy lost the first leg in Sweden 1:0 and must now initiate a turnaround at home on Monday. Denmark and Ireland drew 0:0 in the first match, so everything is still up for grabs in the second leg on Tuesday.