SURREAL SHOW
But England blow chance to steal win in empty stadium
The fears of bad language entering the nation’s sitting rooms proved unfounded: most of it would have come from england fans on the sofa as their team squandered enough chances to sweep Croatia aside.
They hit a post, they hit the bar, and in the space of two minutes in the second half, Marcus Rashford wasted two excellent chances that should have put the World Cup finalists away on their own, eerily empty, turf.
Maybe england couldn’t have emulated the six Spain scored against these opponents last month, but, with better finishing, they could have got close to the scoreline Fabio Capello’s team won by in Zagreb on their way to the 2010 World Cup finals.
It was a bizarre atmosphere, but it would be doing Gareth Southgate’s players a disservice to advance that as mitigation for Croatia’s shortcomings. england did well — and a night of frustration in front of goal will have been compounded by bookings for Jordan henderson and John Stones that will keep both players out of Monday’s match against Spain in Seville. england will need all the defensive smarts they can muster for that encounter.
They need a more clinical approach if they are to make progress before the 2020 european Championships, too. The efforts that hit the woodwork were tough — but Rashford’s pair were crying out to be converted. The first, in the 55th minute, came from a great cross by Kyle Walker, perfectly picking out the Manchester United man. It needed a firm, confident, finish, instead Rashford was weak, his connection was scuffed and poor, and Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic mopped it up.
The second, if anything, was worse. Rashford was through one on one, only Livakovic to beat, but telegraphed his intentions and the goalkeeper plucked the ball from its path.
Fortunately, Croatia were not a patch on their World Cup form, and chances at the other end were rare. Ante Rebic would have scored one of the goals of the season had a curling shot been a little tighter to the far post on 70 minutes, but at least england did not succumb to undeserved defeat.
It’s the little noises that you notice when the crowd is missing. It comes as no surprise that henderson is very, shall we say, vocal — ‘are you the f ****** ref?’ he asked Croatian coach Zlatko Dalic at one fraught moment — or that Rashford’s scream when brutally taken out by Mateo Kovacic could be heard from the other side of the stadium.
It’s the minor stuff that adds the surreal air: the fact you can hear the hand-slap greetings of the two teams as they walk past each other before the game begins, or the noise of Jordan Pickford kicking the post to remove mud from his boots.
Mundane moments. Familiar to anyone who has played football over the park on a Sunday, but strange given the names on display. Luka Modric, the best player in the world right now according to FIFA — harry Kane, the World Cup top scorer.
The environment probably didn’t do any of them any favours, to be fair. It wasn’t the worst game — not as bad as was being made out by those unduly influenced by the roar of the crowd — but it was missing vital moments of elevation.
When Croatia should have scored after 37 minutes, there should have been a mighty noise that would have perhaps inspired them to take the initiative. The same when england hit a post two minutes before half-time.
There were english voices but they floated eerily from a black hillside, unseen, like the noise of the camouflaged invading army, coming to claim Macbeth. There were stewards posted in the area to move on any fans seeking a vantage point and, sure enough, at half-time, blue flashing lights illuminated the crests behind Pickford’s goal, no doubt moving on this tiny band of travellers. england fans who had already committed to the game came anyway, many watching from bars in town, or simply getting within the orbit of the action. It seemed a pity that they were punished for the misbehaviour of their Croatian hosts. A swastika spray-painted on a sign near the ground was a reminder of exactly why this match was behind closed doors — but quite why Ben Chilwell’s friends and family were banned from seeing his full debut for his country, too, is a question UeFA should answer. The game itself was tight — two teams that had met in a World Cup semi-final months earlier and were rightfully respectful of each other. Gareth Southgate (below) even went so far as changing his system to accommodate Croatia, switching to a back four and a midfield three. It was a partial success in that chances were limited, but england lost a little of their World Cup vibrancy, certainly in the first half. They missed Kieran Trippier’s crosses and set-pieces, while Ross Barkley and Rashford were surprisingly quiet on the left. Chilwell was lively down that side, though, and could have given england the lead on 12 minutes when his cross was cut out by Josip Pivaric with Raheem Sterling close to getting in. That aside, england were kept at arm’s length, until a set-piece just before halftime. henderson had been tasked with taking them in Trippier’s absence, but this was his only truly effective effort of the first-half. he delivered it low, near post and eric Dier swooped in with a header that clipped the far post.
Not that Croatia had looked more threatening. Southgate must have feared the worst when, after just six minutes, henderson was booked for a foul on Ivan Rakitic — he will miss Monday’s game against Spain, suspended. But it did not greatly affect england.
The second half began with more intensity, however, and within five minutes had produced as many chances as the first 45 minutes.
Croatia first, Modric feeding Ivan Perisic on the run, his low shot parried well by Pickford. Then it was england’s turn — Kane heading against the bar.
Foolishly frustrated, Stones then became the second england players to pick up a booking for fouling Rakitic — and the second to miss the Spain game.