Croatia scrape in
England’s semi-final opponents shattered after knocking out hosts
RUSSIA’S emotional and stubborn journey through their own World Cup ended in heartbreak just before midnight on the Black Sea when they lost a penalty shoot-out at the Fisht Olympic Stadium.
Croatia will now face England in the last four in Moscow on Wednesday night and on this evidence there is little for Gareth Southgate and his players to fear.
Luka Modric and his team-mates will certainly present England with a different test from any they have faced so far in Russia. They will play on the front foot and attempt to take the game to England, something teams like Sweden, Colombia, Panama and Tunisia have not done.
However, they will be tired after this gruelling and emotional night. They have played two lots of 120 minutes in the knockout stages, winning a shoot-out against Denmark in the last 16, and that may take its toll.
For Russia, this was a tough night. They had come back from the dead with an equaliser from defender Mario Fernandes seven minutes from the end of extra time to force penalties. But it was the Brazilianborn defender who missed the crucial kick in the shootout.
For Croatia, Marcelo Brozovic, Modric, Domagoj Vida and, finally, Ivan Rakitic scored their kicks with only Mateo Kovacic missing his country’s second effort.
But after Russia had recovered from the shock of Fedor Smolov missing their first kick with a successful strike from Alan Dzagoev, Fernandes dragged his team’s third one horribly wide, meaning that subsequent goals from Sergey Ignashevich and Daler Kuzyaev were rendered meaningless when Rakitic converted Croatia’s final kick.
Croatia had looked to be on their way through after a header by Vida had been nudged into the net by substitute and former Manchester City and Spurs defender Vedran Corluka in the first period of extra time. But then the Russians were awarded a free-kick for handball on the edge of the area in the 113th minute and when Dzagoev whipped it in, Fernandes rose to head it into the corner. Rarely has a World Cup
ever heard a noise like it.
Croatia had dominated the 90 minutes of normal time but had fallen behind when Russian golden boy Denis Cheryshev scored from 25 yards on the half-hour It was a fantastic strike and his fourth goal of a fairytale tournament.
Zlatko Dalic’s team struck back almost immediately through Andrej Kramaric, who headed in a cross from Mario Mandzukic, but the closest they came to winning the game in normal time came when the disappointing Ivan Perisic struck the post when he should have scored in the 61st minute.
How much Croatia will stretch England will probably depend on their energy reserves as much as anything.
When their goalkeeper Danijel Subasic went down with cramp in the 88th minute, it started a trend. By the end of the extra period, some of the Croatian players could barely stand. How they managed to get themselves through the shoot-out only they will know.
They have also lacked something of a cutting edge in the knockout stages. When they embarrassed Argentina 3-0 in the group phase, they looked as though they would prove themselves to be one of the tournament’s most expansive and dangerous teams.
However that hasn’t really happened. Croatia were not impressive against a modest Denmark team and although they dominated the ball and the territory here, much of their football broke down when they reached the edge of the Russian penalty area.
Modric remains their most dangerous player by a distance, driving his team relentlessly forward on the back of invention and sheer hard work. His penalty in the shoot-out carried a bit of luck — striking the goalkeeper and the post before finding the back of the net — but it is hard to say he didn’t deserve it.
Beyond that, though, Croatia have looked a little blunt. Perisic — who has interested Manchester United — was poor here as was Juventus centre-forward Mandzukic. He missed a passable early chance and never really recovered. Barcelona’s midfielder Rakitic, meanwhile, was only fitfully impressive.
So the English can sleep soundly between now and Wednesday. Not only have they avoided a politically sensitive semi-final with Russia, they face a team who should concern them but not worry them. They would all have taken that on June 14.