Croatia finished as runner-up in the group and entered the Second Round play-offs where the team beat Iceland and qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Croatia national team was led by manager Igor Štimac until October 16, 2013 when he was, due to a series of bad results, replaced by Niko Kovač.
Midfielder Marcelo Brozović and goalkeepers Danijel Subašić and Oliver Zelenika did not appear in any of the qualifying matches but made the final World Cup squad.
The Croatian national team's World Cup camp was in luxurious Tivoli Ecoresort near Praia do Forte and Mata de São João in Bahia.
[7] With less than 48 hours until the opening game against Brazil, Milan Badelj was called up to replace the injured Ivan Močinić, after having previously been excluded from the final squad.
[16] Post-match, FIFA referees chief Massimo Busacca defended the officials for awarding the penalty and insisted there had been some contact between Lovren and Fred, even if it was minimal.
As the first game played at this World Cup, the match also saw the first use of vanishing spray to mark free kick spots, and the advent of goal-line technology, two innovations introduced during the tournament.
Perišić scored at the beginning of the second half when he intercepted Cameroonian goalkeeper Charles Itandje's goal kick and ran 50 yards before slotting in at the near post.
[35] Man of the Match: Mario Mandžukić (Croatia) Assistant referees: Bertino Cunha (Portugal) Tiago Trigo (Portugal) Fourth official: Walter López (Guatemala) Fifth official: Leonel Leal (Costa Rica) The two teams had met in three previous matches, including in the 2002 FIFA World Cup group stage, won by Mexico 1–0.
The game was goalless for the first 70 minutes, until a Héctor Herrera corner to the back post allowed Rafael Márquez to score from a header, outleaping the Croatian defenders.