Igor Stimac's side went into the fixture unbeaten in Group A and having only ever lost one competitive game in Zagreb, but they saw that record ended by a first-half goal from Robert Snodgrass.


The Norwich attacker slid in bravely to prod the ball beyond the onrushing Stipe Pletikosa in the 26th minute, and the visitors subsequently held on to gain the first win of their 2014 World Cup qualification campaign.
That result allowed Belgium to take control of the group, as they battled to a 2-1 win over Serbia at the Stade Roi Baudouin in Brussels.
Kevin de Bruyne and Marouane Fellaini grabbed the goals for the hosts, while Aleksandar Kolarov netted a late consolation for the third-placed Serbs.
Belgium now lead Croatia by three points at the summit, with both teams having played seven games.
Elsewhere in Europe, Italy maintained their supremacy in Group B, but were arguably fortunate to come away with a 0-0 draw from their trip to the Czech Republic.
The visitors were let off on numerous occasions by some wasteful finishing in the first half, and looked destined for defeat when Mario Balotelli saw red with 20 minutes remaining.
The Milan striker was shown two bookings in quick succession - the latter perhaps too readily awarded after he had accidentally caught Theodor Gebre Selessie with his arm - to leave the Italians desperately clinging on.
They survived a late scare when Petr Jiracek struck the post from close range, and now have a four-point lead at the top.
Malta may be some way short of challenging the Italians in the group, but they had just as much reason to celebrate after earning only the second World Cup qualifying win in their history by beating Armenia 1-0.
Portugal went into their clash with Russia in Lisbon on Friday knowing that nothing less than a win would do, and that is exactly what they got thanks to Helder Postiga's volley.
The Real Zaragoza forward expertly diverted Miguel Veloso's free-kick home in the ninth minute, and the hosts held on to secure a crucial victory.
The Euro 2012 semi-finalists leapfrogged their visitors as a result, though Fabio Capello's side arguably remain in control of Group F courtesy of their two games in hand.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijan played out a 1-1 home draw with Luxembourg which has all but ended their already slim hopes of a late dash for the play-off spot.
That second-placed qualification berth is the subject of a three-way battle in Group C, which has only been intensified by results on Friday.
Austria tightened their grip on the play-off spot by moving three points clear of Sweden courtesy of a 2-1 win in Vienna thanks to goals from David Alaba and Marc Janko.
But they only lead the Republic of Ireland by virtue of goal difference, after Robbie Keane's hat-trick helped Giovanni Trapattoni's men to a 3-0 home victory against the Faroe Islands.
In Group E, Albania's unlikely bid for their first-ever major tournament berth continued, despite conceding a last-gasp equaliser against Norway.
Real Valladolid midfielder Valdet Rama looked to have put the hosts on course to leapfrog Switzerland at the top of the group, but Tom Hogli struck in the 87th minute to keep Egil Olsen's men in the qualification mix.
However, that blow was softened by the fact that third-placed Iceland suffered a 4-2 hammering at the hands of Slovenia, who could yet make a late dash for qualification having pulled themselves off the bottom of the group.
Bosnia-Herzegovina and Greece both posted important wins on Friday to effectively turn the Group G qualification battle into a two-horse race.
Greece earned a narrow 1-0 victory against fourth-placed Lithuania away from home, while Bosnia also had success on foreign shores, ensuring Slovakia remained in third with a 5-0 thrashing which saw five different goalscorers.
There was only one game in Group I on Friday and that, in truth, was of little consequence. Finland beat Belarus 1-0 at home to move up into third place, but France and Spain's lead at the top remains under no threat.