Croatia qualified automatically for the 2022 World Cup finals after a late Fedor Kudryashov own goal gave them a 1-0 home win over Russia in their crunch Group H qualifier on Sunday.
Croatia, the 2018 World Cup runners-up, jumped above Russia to top the standings on 23 points from 10 games, one more than the second-placed Russians who will head into the March play-offs.
Croatia dominated a match played in driving rain but a string of good saves by visiting goakeeper Matvei Safonov and a waterlogged pitch kept them at bay before Kudryashov’s clumsy 80th-minute touch delighted the home fans.
Elsewhere in Group H, Slovakia finished their campaign with a 6-0 win in Malta to finish third, level on points with fourth-placed Slovenia who beat Cyprus 2-1 in Ljubljana.