France captured the World Cup of football in Moscow early this week, beating Croatia, 4-2. But more than Les Blues, it was Croatia that won the hearts of sports fans all over the globe. Croatia wasn’t expected to go all the way to the final but defied the odds to become the smallest nation ever to finish second. Only Uruguay has a smaller population with 3.4 million compared to Croatia’s 4.2 million and it won the title in 1950.
Curiously, France also had to overcome Croatia in topping its first World Cup in 1998. That was when France edged Croatia, 2-1, in the semifinals. France went on to wallop Brazil, 3-0, for the championship.
Croatia had not reached the final previously. And its march to football’s biggest stage was surprising, particularly as 51-year-old coach Zlatko Dalic was appointed only last October near the end of the qualifiers. He replaced Ante Cacic after Croatia suffered losses to Iceland and Turkey then settled for a 1-1 home tie with Finland. Dalic then led Croatia to a critical 2-0 win over Ukraine in Kiev, paving the way for a home-and-away, do-or-die playoff against Greece. Croatia crushed Greece, 4-1, in the first leg in Zagreb then advanced to Russia after a scoreless draw in the second leg in Piraeus.
Over the last four World Cups before Russia, Croatia didn’t make it beyond the first round thrice and failed to qualify at all once. So reaching its first-ever final was a major accomplishment.
Besides, the state of Croatian football has been in disarray lately. Captain Luca Modric, 32, has been accused of perjury in the case of discredited former Dinamo Zagreb club president Zdravko Mamic who was sentenced to 6 1/2 years of prison for embezzlement and tax fraud last June. Rory Smith of the New York Times called the situation in Croatian football as “near permanent chaos.”
Croatia isn’t quite as mature as a nation as other European football powers like Spain and Portugal. It became an independent country only after the Yugoslavia split in 1991. “Croatia’s place in the World Cup is not the natural conclusion of an intelligent long-term project,” wrote Smith. “What can be taken from the Croatian model? That sometimes, exceptionally gifted players emerge because of the challenges they face, not despite them; that truly transcendent talent like Modric does not require immaculate training fields or a perfectly plotted development pathway to shine, that sometimes, there is no order in the chaos.”
It came down to playing with heart like a team. On the way to the final, Croatia survived three straight knockout games in extra time. AFP noted that “no team has ever made it to the final after going to extra time in all three prior knockout rounds – England twice won in extra time in 1990 before losing on penalties to West Germany in the semifinals.” In the group stage, Croatia swept Group D, defeating Nigeria, 2-0, Argentina, 3-0 and Iceland, 2-1. In the knockout rounds, Croatia came from behind thrice to win, first upending Denmark, 3-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation and extension, next defeating host Russia, 4-3, on penalties after a 2-2 tie and finally, outlasting England, 2-1, in extra time.
Croatia’s advance to the final was phenomenal. “The team is everything,” said Dalic. “Our problem for 10 years was we had great individuals but no unity. We’ve written ourselves into history. Given the conditions and infrastructure back home, we’re a miracle.”