Croatia secured their place in next summer’s World Cup finals with a 2-0 victory over minnows Iceland on Tuesday.

Mario Mandzukic fired the home side ahead after 27 minutes but was given his marching orders just ten minutes later for a late challenge on Iceland winger Johann Gudmundsson.

The Bayern Munich striker’s sending off briefly allowed Iceland back in the game but the away side went further behind at the start of the second half.

Croatia captain Dario Srna doubling his country’s lead with an expert strike from the corner of the box.

Kovacic missed a clearcut chance to further extend the lead when Iceland keeper Hannes Halldorsson turned his low shot around the post.

Following a tepid performance in a goalless first leg in Reykjavik on Friday, the much-improved Croatians nearly took a first-minute lead when Kovacic blasted the ball over the bar from 12 metres after a low cross from former Tottenham star Luka Modric was half-cleared into his path.

Roared on by a patriotic 25,000 home crowd, Croatia laid siege to Iceland’s goal and were nearly caught cold at the other end as keeper Stipe Pletikosa parried a stinging Gylfi Sigurdsson shot, Alfred Finnbogason converted the rebound, only for the linesman to correctly rule it out for offside.

Halldorsson kept out a swerving Srna free kick midway through the first half but was powerless to prevent Croatia from taking the lead in the 27th minute when Mandzukic showed a predator’s instinct to turn the ball in from close range after a deflected Ivan Rakitic cross from the left.

Mandzukic saw a stooping header turned around the post shortly afterwards but then gave Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers no choice but to send him off after a lunging, studs-up tackle into Gudmundsson’s leg.

Srna’s sublime finish settled Croatian nerves, and with the home fans chanting coach Niko Kovac’s name at the Maksimir stadium, the hosts were denied a bigger win by the outstanding Halldorsson, who kept out several shots as he was exposed to fast breaks by the home team.

Ivica Olic crashed a spectacular overhead kick against the crossbar as Croatia hit top gear to end Iceland’s hopes of qualifying for their first major tournament.

The defeat ended Iceland’s bid to become the smallest nation – in terms of population – to reach the World Cup finals. Croatia, semi-finalists in 1998, qualified for their fourth World Cup since becoming an independent state in 1991.

—Daily Mail