Doha: Croatia captain Luka Modric said he was overjoyed to reach the World Cup knockout stage after his side resisted a late onslaught from Belgium to draw 0-0 on Thursday.
The point was enough to earn the losing finalists from four years ago second place in Group F in Qatar and send Belgium crashing out.
"We are overjoyed that we are in the round of 16," Modric said. "We deserved that with the game we played. We lived through some very difficult moments as we were playing against a great team."
Romelu Lukaku missed a golden chance for Belgium in the final minutes as he appeared caught in two minds and chested down a powerful cross instead of shooting or attempting a header.
"We have achieved the first goal, now let's move on. Today we showed that we are a top team, that we can play against anyone, and whoever comes next, it will not be easy against us," he added.
Source: AFP
