International Friendlies: Brazil vs Croatia, 5 Talking Points

#2 Croatia weren’t disappointing, regardless of the defeat

Croatia fought valiantly

Head coach Zlatko Dalic played an almost full-strength Croatia side, with the only exception being preferred striker Mario Mandzukic, who was left on the bench.

The Blazers started off positively, maintaining defensive composure and also pushing bodies forward at a given opportunity. Even if they lacked the cutting edge in the final third, Brazil were clearly frazzled with Croatia’s attacking intent. They also almost opened the account early on in the match when Dejan Lovren rifled a header just wide off the post from a corner by Luka Modric.

Croatia spent most of the second half in their own area, and until 70 odds minutes, before changes started ringing in, pushed their mighty rivals to the sword.

The eventual defeat may eclipse all the good work by Dalic’s side, but the performance bodes well ahead of a tough round-robin phase against Argentina, Nigeria and Iceland.