The three devastating stages that delivered Lions from the final to a third-place play-off
IN the end, it wasn’t England’s redemption story, but Croatia’s.
They had that bit more, that bit more nous, that bit more energ y, that bit more qualit y — and now that one more grandiose game, as they make their f irst ever f inal.
That is really the stor y of this game too. There will be a lot of questions and discussion over the dif ferent levels of personalit y and persistence of the sides, over whether England should have pressed home when in the lead and Croatia were apparently on the edge, over John Stones’ struggle with that f inal fateful ball for Mario Mandzukic’s winner.
And while they are fair discussions, they would not be fair conclusions. They will be hindsight’s more laboured look at a semi-f inal that in real time pushed both teams to their hugely admirable limits. That’s how moments like the winning goal happen, that’s how legends are made.
That is the pity for England, the glor y for Croatia.
This is the real glor y of the World Cup beyond the immortalit y winning that unique trophy represents; why it is so intensely involving.
This match went through three distinct phases.
The f irst stage — which was really the f irst hour — saw ever y thing go right for England, Southgate’s entire gameplan pay off, and that was what made the second stage all the more testing and the f inal score all the more frustrating.
Every thing fell for England — even when it fell into the problem area of midfield.
It wasn’t just that England’s opening goal of course came from a set-piece, but that f irst set-piece came from a break in midfield — and from punishing the one t ype of player Southgate doesn’t have.
After Croatia had spent the f irst f ive minutes casually playing the ball about, Dele Alli honed in on Luka Modric, won the ball and surged for ward. Modric was confronted with a new problem that he didn’t seem to know how to deal with, other than to take the England playmaker down. Up stepped Trippier, and in went the ball.
There were long periods when Croatia couldn’t even construct a simple passing passage. The game hadn’t even got to the half-hour and Modric and Sime Vrsaljko had already messed up the same move three times, the playmaker badly overhitting a pass. When Vrsaljko then attempted to cut a ball back from the edge of the box, it only ended up with the wing-back berating his teammates because they’d ran too far ahead.
The situation seemed to be getting to a jaded Croatia and, when they did f inally get in behind, there was a f ull- on and f ully focused English block or challenge. Harry Maguire frustrated Rebic with one challenge, Young then did the same to the same player with an interception.
This is the other part of Southgate’s system, and the specific point of the three-man backline in covering midfield inferiority. But there was none of that assertion at the other end, because there was no confidence.
Croatia actually looked nervous any time England got for ward but that was why England suddenly had to look at themselves when the game turned and the entire tone changed.
There were so many moments when Southgate’sgates side — and particularly Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling — looked too have Dejan Lovren and the rest of that defence on the rack, only for something to hold them back.
After an opening to the second half when Croatia lookedd out of ideas and so many crosses were either overhit or just easily mopped up, Vrsaljko then hit the sweet spot. They’d f inally got it right, and Perisic was right in there to f inish with brilliant improvisation.
Walker, meanwhile, showed the f lipside of that three-man defence, as he dealt with the deliver y like a wing-back rather than a centre-half: poorly.
England’s three-man backline formation was no longer assuredly shuttling the ponderous Croatian midfield, but now increasingly ceding to a siege.
There was a long period then when it seemed Perisic would win the game on his own, and he almost did when he hit the post. Except they couldn’t quite hit the right note either — or the right spot.
The semi-f inal then entered its f inal stage, when players aren’t so much pushed to the limits but go beyond. It could be seen in how Modric messed up the easiest of touches shortly before playing one of the passes of the World Cup, or how languid Kane looked.
The easy analog y at this point is t wo defiant f ighters exchanging big blows in the f inal exhausting sstages of a f ight, but theythe did exchange big cchances. Stones hahad his header clcleared off the lline by Vrsaljko, JJordan Pickford mmade yet another oof those wonder sasaves to deny Mandzukicdzu from almost pointpoint-blank range. That wwasn’t to be the striker’s last chance, as he again proved himself the ultimate big-game player. As Kane struggled at the other end, Mandzukic ( above) kept striv ing, and ultimately got his reward. Croatia get their reward, their redemption. But it does not mean England should not get credit.
Everyone by now knows the score, but England at least fell in a way that hasn’t been seen before.