Kramaric inspires Croatia to comeback win over Bulgaria

Croatia fought back from a goal down to beat Bulgaria 2-1 in a friendly at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar on Tuesday thanks to late goals from Luka Modric and Andrej Kramaric. After a goalless first half, Croatia went down to 10 men when defender Duje Caleta-Car was sent off in the 63rd minute.

Bulgaria's Kiril Despodov earned his side the lead shortly after, capping a quick break by firing past Ivica Ivusic into the bottom right corner. However, Despodov went from hero to zero in a matter of seconds, picking up a second yellow card for ripping his shirt off while imitating Cristiano Ronaldo's trademark celebration, erasing Bulgaria's one-man advantage.

Croatia responded well to going behind, scoring in the 76th and 80th minutes to secure the victory. Kramaric was involved in both goals, winning a penalty that was converted by Modric, before creating space for himself in the Bulgarian box with some intricate footwork and firing home the winner.

Croatia, runners-up at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, have secured an automatic berth at this year's finals, while Bulgaria finished fourth in their group and failed to qualify for the tournament in Qatar.