"It was indescribable," said Hamit. "If we can keep going like this and believe in ourselves, anything is possible.

"It was good we stayed calm at the end. In the past we weren't able to do that. Today we stayed as cold as ice to the end."

Croatia coach Slaven Bilic saluted his players and labelled the spot kick conclusion a 'lottery'.

"I want to congratulate both teams for a great game of football," said Bilic. "This match shows why it's the most dramatic and most popular game in the world."