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Croatia beat Nigeria 2-0 in the second Group D game of the day at the Kaliningrad Stadium of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. An own goal from Oghenekaro Etebo gave the Croats the lead right after the half-hour mark.
Nigeria were alive in the game and created the better opportunities until a penalty given by William Troost-Ekong in the final 20 minutes of the game sealed their fate as Luka Modric coolly put the spot kick away to give Croatia the three points.
The win moves Zlatko Dalić's men to the top of Group D ahead of Argentina while Nigeria will have a chance to redeem themselves in their next game against Iceland.
On that note, here is a look at what went right for Croatia:
#1 Fortune favours Croatia
Match 8 of the World Cup between Croatia and Nigeria was unlike any of the games we have witnessed in the two and a half days. The game was evenly balanced yet uninspiring as both teams created nothing more than mere half chances during the entire 90 minutes and the Croats rode their luck thanks to an own goal and a penalty.
Croatia had 12 attempts at goal but only two were on target from open play with the second shot on goal being shockingly in the 92nd minute while they were leading by two goals. On the other hand, Nigeria can consider themselves unlucky, firstly when Oghenekaro Etebo put the ball in his own after failing to deal with a Luka Modric corner that carried slight deflections.
Even though Zlatko Dalić's side were not clinical, they did dominate for the large part with the control in possession and ball distribution from the midfield duo of Modric and Ivan Rakitic, making it tough for the opposition to penetrate through their midfield whereas a lack of firepower up front also hurt Nigeria when they eventually did create some sort of half chances.
Andrej Kramaric, Ante Rebic, and Mario Mandzukic had two shots each with latter having the best chance in the first half when his strike just whispered past the goal post from a long-range effort. Mandzukic proved to be a difference maker in a tightly contested affair as his aerial strength caused trouble for the Nigerian backline.
The first half goal lifted Croatia as they kept creating chances as the game progressed and when William Troost-Ekong dragged Mandzukic down, the spot kick was comfortably converted by captain Modric to get his team rolling in the World Cup.
#2 Modric and Rakitic Control proceedings
The midfield pair of Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic is one of the strongest partnership in the World Cup. Both the players complemented each other brilliantly and played a crucial role in their side getting the win in their opening match.
Modric and Rakitic displayed authority and discipline in midfield on both the attacking and defensive aspect. Firstly, they made it hard for Nigeria to penetrate through midfield itself when they were in possession and brought an end to many potential attacking build ups for the Super Eagles.
Similarly, the duo was a treat to watch going forward with their crisp and precise passing as they initiated many of the attacks. However, the front four did not comply well to the service they received as they missed multiple opportunities and allowed Nigeria to stay in the game until the 70th minute before Modric scored to seal the win for Croatia.
Both Modric and Rakitic finished with a pass completion rate of 86% each whereas Rakitic finished the game with three clearances and eight long balls respectively while Modric made an interception and won two aerial duels on the defensive end.
#3 Croatian Defense Steps Up to the Challenge
Despite Croatia's large share of dominance in their opening game, it was not a comfortable night for the back four as they received quite a challenge from Nigeria and were tested during different stages of the game.
Although many of Nigeria's attacks were getting broken up in the middle of the park, the Croatian defence stepped up when called upon as the backline was in coordination and complemented each other well.
Fullbacks Sime Vrsaljko and Ivan Strinic lacked output and service in the attacking half but they made up for it tracking back with the pair making a combined 11 clearances and many recoveries while the centre back duo of Dejan Lovren and Domagoj Vida also cleared danger out of the box several times.
Vida and Lovren's tackling ability was questionable as they failed to put any neat and successful challenges but were fortunate that none of their challenges were mistimed but when they competed very well in the air and won a total of five aerial duels.
Croatia faced 14 shots from the opposition in the entire game but none of them troubled or caught goalkeeper Danijel Subasic off guard. However, they will face a much bigger and real test against Argentina next game and the defence will have to be ready once again for the challenge that awaits them.
