Zlatko Dalic's men came from behind again in the final but they were ultimately beaten 4-2 by France, undone by an own goal and a VAR-given penalty
Ivan Rakitic admitted that Croatia had been "lucky" to reach the World Cup final but added that they had "shown great commitment in each and every game".
The inspirational effort was there again in Moscow on Sunday; unfortunately, the good fortune was not. Neither were the legs. They finally gave out.
Once again, Croatia showed why they have been the World Cup's comeback kings but they were beaten 4-2 by the tournament's set-piece specialists.