Chance to settle an old score as memories of 1998 clash linger
● 20 years on Bilic incident is recalled ● French aim to erase pain of 2016
One of the most notorious dives in football history took place the last time France played Croatia in the World Cup.
Les Bleus led Croatia by a goal in the 1998 semi-final at the Stade de France when French defender Laurent Blanc gave Slaven Bilic a slight shove on the chest during jostling at a free-kick. Bilic shouted and slammed the palm of his hand into his face, as if he had been struck on the head. Spanish referee Jose Manuel Garcia bought it in the pre-video review age, and Blanc was sent off for the first time in his career.
Despite seeing the replay afterwards, Fifa refused to retract the penalty and Blanc missed the final, when France beat Brazil 3-0 to win their only World Cup so far.
Bilic, who is working as a pundit for ITV in Russia, was in Moscow to see Croatia advance to their first World Cup final with a 2-1 extratime win over England on Wednesday night, a day after Les Bleus beat Belgium 1-0, and the match two decades ago remains on the mind of current Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic.
“Maybe the dear Lord is giving us an opportunity to settle a score,” he said.
A victory in the final would be Croatia’s greatest sporting moment since breaking from Yugoslavia to become an independent state in 1991 – a year after their national football team started playing.
France are a European football power, their team able draw from a population of about 65 million – more than 60 million more than Croatia, the fourth-smallest of the 32 World Cup teams ahead of Panama,uruguayandiceland. Croatia have a chance to be the least-populous nation to win since Uruguay took the title in 1950, when it was a nation of just over two million.
“We’re a small country with so many successful sports people,” defender Dejan Lovren said. “Over the last couple of days people have recognised that.”
Current French coach Didier Deschamps lifted the World Cup as captain on 12 July, 1998 – five months and eight days before current star striker Kylian Mbappe was born. France have also won the European Championship in 1984 and 2000, but lost the
Euro 2016 final to Portugal at Stade de France with a squad that included nine of this year’s World Cup players.
“Two years ago it was tough,” said goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. “We don’t want it to happen again. We want it to end in the best way.”
Croatia was under French control from 1809-14, part of the Illyrian Provinces, an autonomous area of Napoleon’s First French Empire.
In their five clashes with France down the years, Croatia have yet to win, losing three games and drawing twice. If France felt aggrieved at Blanc’s treatment in 1998, it was the Croats who felt the impact of a controversial referee’s call in their 2004 European Championship clash.
Goalkeeper Tomislav Butina’s clearance was blocked at the edge of the penalty area by the hand of David Trezeguet, who knocked the ball into the net for an equaliser in the 64th minute of a 2-2 draw. Danish referee Kim Milton Nielson allowed the goal to stand. Milton had also awarded a questionable foul for a free-kick that led to Zinedine Zidane scoring the opening goal in the 48th minute.
Croatia went ahead in that 1998 World Cup semi-final just 26 seconds into the second half when Aljosa Asanovic split the French defence with a pass, and Davor Suker scored his fifth goal of the tournament. Lilian Thuram levelled things a minute later and Thuram scored what proved to be the winning goal with a curling shot in the 70th minute to keep the host nation on course for a memorable World Cup triumph.
Suker is now the much-criticised president of the Croatian Football Federation. The national team was forced to play a European 2016 qualifier against Italy in an empty stadium in Split in 2015 because Croat fans had thrown flares on the field during a match against the Azzurri at Milan.
A swastika became visible on the field of the closeddoors match, caused by a chemical agent put in the grass at Poljud Stadium. Uefa deducted a point from Croatia, ordered them to play two additional games without fans and dished out a fine of 100,000 Euros.