Croatia cannot be taken lightly
World Cup players cite their country’s fight for independence as a defining feature of national character
With a population of around 4 million people, the magnitude of Croatia’s win against Brazil wasn’t lost on the team’s coach,
Zlatko Dalic.
To reach back-to-back World Cup semifinals was “unimaginable”, he said.
The runners-up from 2018 are 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 Saturday.
“To eliminate a massive tournament favourite and probably the best team as well . . . only Croatia could’ve done this,” added Dalic.
Okay, this wasn’t Saudi Arabia shocking Argentina.
But, on the face of it, Croatia’s 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 Brazil’s distraught fans and inconsolable players afterwards, they certainly didn’t seem prepared to be heading home at this early stage.
Perhaps they should have taken a closer look at Croatia’s pedigree at the World Cup — and the spirit of a team that doesn’t seem to know how to give up.
Croatia might have been the underdogs against Brazil, but the team did reach the final in Russia four years ago and were semifinalists in their very first World Cup as an independent nation in 1998 — losing to France on both occasions.
Compare that to Brazil, who have only made it past the quarter-finals once since last winning the tournament in 2002.
So how does Croatia — 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 can’t be discounted is the wider story of Croatia’s fight for independence following the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s when thousands of their people died during the conflict.
The fighting spirit of the nation is a theme frequently referenced by the team’s 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,” he said. “That is the reason for our success.”
Croatia’s imperious midfielder and captain, Luka Modric, had set the scene even before kickoff against Brazil.
“We believe in ourselves. We are capable of anything,” the 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 Croatia’s players shouldn’t be overlooked.
Modric is a five-time Champions League winner with Madrid and a recipient of the highest individual honour in football, the Ballon d’Or award for the best player in the world.
He won that trophy in 2018, ahead of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and, notably, Kylian Mbappe´ , who had starred in France’s
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,” Dalic said. “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 Croatia’s expertise in penalty shootouts, which are generally considered football’s ultimate test of nerve.
Twice in Russia and now twice in Qatar, Croatia have had to rely on penalties to progress. After four straight wins from the spot, Dalic claims his team has a psychological advantage over their opponents, with Brazil the latest to fall victim to his specialists.
“Once we get to penalties, that’s when we become favourites. I sense that the opponent feels like they have lost the game already,” he said.