Nov 25, 2022
Since there has been so much controversy surrounding the FIFA World Cup 2022, this time it is in the news to recognise Croatia, which defeated Brazil in the quarterfinals and advanced to the semi-finals.
As the team that fell to France in the 2018 World Cup finals, Croatia has already won two games in a row. On December 13, 2022, Croatia will face Argentina in a game.
How did the journey of Croatia start?
The squad made its name in the 1998 World Cup by reaching the semifinals. The team played its first official match in 1994, and at that time, despite being a brand-new one, it was performing remarkably well.
But later, the initial “Golden Generation” became older, the taste of success did not last for very long. This underdog attitude continued for over 18 years.
The team staged a comeback at Euro 2016, winning their group and eliminating Spain in the process. However, they fell short of the eventual champion Portugal in Round 16, and the group once more began searching for a breakthrough.
An Inverted Situation After 2016
Following a little taste of success at Euro 2016, the team hired Zlatko Dalic as its new coach in 2017. Dalic has a solid resume but no notable achievements abroad. The best thing to ever happen to Croatia, though, is Dalic. Both seasoned players who are at the top of their game and young players who are among the most skilled in the world made up the team.
Instead of doing anything flashy, Dalic adhered to the rules, concentrated on the player’s strengths, set them up for a good defence, controlled the game in midfield, and then attacked when the opportunity presented itself.
In the 2018 World Cup, Croatia eliminated England, Denmark, and Russia but fell to France in the championship match. Even after a defeat, the team’s supporters restored their pride in them and treated them like winners. Although many people continued to think it was an accident and the team wasn’t as good as many thought.
Finally, Qatar World Cup 2022
The team is consistently playing incredibly well under Dalic’s leadership. and manages to stay among the top 15 teams in the international rankings. The team had some changes during 2018; some players left the team, including Subhasic and Mandzukic, while others were added, including Josko Gvardiol, Nikola Vlasic, and Dominik Livakovic. The best heirs to the “Golden Generation,” this current team is just as talented as the one from 1998.
Every nation has a sport that its citizens love to play and whose athletes are revered as national heroes. And football matches with various countries are considered battles. The team also has a heavy burden of proof to bear, both to the world and to themselves.
Every nation has a sport that its citizens love to play and whose athletes are revered as national heroes. And football matches with various countries are considered battles. And the team is under enormous pressure to justify its existence to the world and disprove the claims of anyone who thought their victory was merely a coincidence.
