Tenacity and penalties, keys to Croatia's deep World Cup run
With a population of around four million people, the magnitude of Croatias win against Brazil was not lost on Croatian coach Zlatko Dalic.
To reach back-to-back World Cup semifinals was unimaginable he said. The runner-up from 2018 is going deep again in Qatar – defeating Neymar and Co. 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw through extra time at Education City Stadium on Friday.
To eliminate a massive tournament favorite and probably the best team as well… Only Croatia couldve done this, added Dalic.
Okay, this wasnt Saudi Arabia shocking Argentina. But on the face of it, Croatias victory against the five-time world champions could rank among a host of upsets already produced by a tournament that is refusing to stick to the script. And by looking at the faces of Brazils distraught fans and inconsolable players afterwards, they certainly didnt seem prepared to be heading home at this early stage. Perhaps they should have taken a closer look at Croatias pedigree at the World Cup and the spirit of a team that doesnt seem to know how to give up. Croatia may have been the underdog against Brazil, but it did reach the final in Russia four years ago and was a semifinalist in its very first World Cup as an independent nation in 1998 losing to France on both occasions. Compare that to Brazil, which has only made it past the quarterfinals once since last winning the tournament in 2002. So how does a country with a population ranked at 128th in the world according to size continue to overperform on the biggest stage of all? One factor that cannot be discounted is the wider story of Croatias fight for independence following the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s when thousands of its people died during the conflict. The fighting spirit of the nation is a theme frequently referenced by its players and Dalic.
This all comes from how we were raised, said goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, who was born in January 1995, seven months before Croatia took control of the city of Knin, which is commemorated annually as a key moment in the battle for independence. We always go all the way to the end, we leave everything we got on the pitch and we keep fighting. That is the reason for our success.
Imperious midfielder and captain Luka Modric had set the scene even before kick off against Brazil.
We believe in ourselves. We are capable of anything, 37-year-old Real Madrid star said before the match, adding that Croatia is simply, a talented nation.
That is a crucial point. For all the talk of spirit and resolve, the sheer quality of Croatias players should not be overlooked. Modric is a five-time Champions League winner with Madrid and a recipient of the highest individual honor in soccer, the Ballon dOr award for the best player in the world. He won that trophy in 2018, ahead of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and, notably, Kylian Mbappé, who had starred in Frances World Cup triumph that year. Modric was a beaten finalist, but was also named the best player of the tournament. His full repertoire of skills was on show again against Brazil, while midfield partner Mateo Kovacic provides the tireless running alongside him.
In my opinion, Croatia have the best midfield in the world, said Dalic. We have a lovely passing game, can control games.
They managed to keep the ball, maintain possession, and we sort of paralysed our opponent with our passing game. That was exactly our aim.
And then there is Croatias expertise in penalty shootouts, which are generally considered soccers ultimate test of nerve. Twice in Russia and now twice in Qatar, Croatia has had to rely on penalties to progress. After four straight wins from the spot, Dalic claims his team has a psychological advantage over its opponents, with Brazil the latest to fall victim to his specialists.
Once we get to penalties, thats when we become favorites. I sense that the opponent feels like they have lost the game already, he said.
With three 0-0 score lines in regulation time and four draws from five games at this World Cup, Croatia has not been the most entertaining team to watch at the tournament. But when it comes to nerve, steel and sheer fight, it takes some beating. Argentina, Croatias opponents in the semifinals, may want to take note.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Federal staff and is auto-published from a syndicated feed.)