Zlatko Dalić is urging his Croatia players to take off the handbrake as they search for an all-important win in their second group game. The manager thought his side, which featured only four players from the 2018 World Cup final, “were afraid of mistakes” as they drew 0-0 in their opening game against Morocco, managing only two shots on target in the process.
That goalless draw was the third of this World Cup, after the 2018 edition in Russia only produced one in its entirety, but it still extended Croatia’s unbeaten run to seven matches (W5, D2), although it was the first time they had failed to score in 13 World Cup outings since 2006! With Belgium lying in wait in their final group match, the 2018 runners-up and 12th-ranked FIFA nation know they can ill afford any further slip-ups as they look to repeat their heroics of four years ago, with Marko Livaja and Domagoj Vida waiting in the wings should Dalić wish to shake up his starting line-up.
Standing in the way of the ‘Vatreni’ are FIFA’s 41st-ranked nation, Canada, with the two teams meeting for the first time in their history. John Herdman’s side also failed to score in their opening game of the tournament, wasting 21 shots, including Alphonso Davies seeing a penalty saved, during a slender 1-0 defeat to highly-fancied Belgium.
The manager knows his team will have to find their shooting boots if they are to register their first ever World Cup goal, let alone win, with their overall record now reading P4, L4, having lost all three of their games in Mexico in 1986, in what was their only previous finals appearance. Herdman still insists he’s “proud” of his players for their performance against Belgium though, stating “they showed that they can live on this stage.”
Players to watch: Croatia captain Luka Modrić has netted five goals in his last 13 international appearances, extending his record to 20 wins from 23 goalscoring appearances for his country (D3). For the opposition, Cyle Larin is the Maple Leafs all-time leading marksman with 25 goals in 55 caps, with 18 of those strikes coming outside of Canada.
Hot stat: Croatia have never lost their second group game at a World Cup (W4, D1).
World Cup trivia: In appearing at his tournament, Croatia’s Modrić has become the first man to play at the World Cup and European Championships in three different decades.
