Mario Mandzukic, almost unnoticed, except for one or two headers or efforts during the 120 minutes, turned out to be the unsung hero for Croatia when his left foot released a powerful grounder in extra time that left English hearts broken in the semi-finals of the World Cup on Tuesday.

That strike in the 109th minute was Mandzukic's 32nd goal for Croatia in 88 matches so far, his second in the ongoing World Cup. A winning goal in a World Cup semi-final demanded that sort of 'dog pile celebration' with an unfortunate photographer on the side line having to bear the brunt of it all.