CROATIA : HOW THEY QUALIFIED

Croatia finished atop European Group 8 with a 7-0-3 record and 24 points. The Croatians tied Sweden for the top spot, but was crowned champs by virtue of beating the Swedes twice -- by 1-0 scores on goals by Dario Srna. In fact, it was his penalty kick in the 1-0 home win on October 8, 2005, that clinched a World Cup berth for Croatia in Zagreb. City celebrations were punctuated with fireworks, a rare display at any qualifier. "I knew I had support from the whole team, the whole stadium, the whole nation," Srna told Reuters. "I just knew I would score and take us to Germany."

QUALIFYING RESULTS
9/4/04 Croatia 3, Hungary 0
9/8/04 Sweden 0, Croatia 1
10/9/04 Croatia 2, Bulgaria 2
3/26/05 Croatia 4, Iceland 0
3/30/05 Croatia 3, Malta 0
6/4/05 Bulgaria 1, Croatia 3
9/3/05 Iceland 1, Croatia 3
9/7/05 Malta 1, Croatia 1
10/8/05 Croatia 1, Sweden 0
10/12/05 Hungary 0, Croatia 0