'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAwT/2gAIAQEAAAAAkf8A/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABf/aAAgBAhAAAAAr/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA//aAAgBAxAAAABP/8QAIRAAAQMEAQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgMEEQABEhMGIzFBQpH/2gAIAQEAAT8AccVcnG1wAJdIdoLLEoWJX7yWPmh4mwxttVc7PbEyiftf/8QAGREAAQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEQABAxSh/9oACAECAQE/ALcpBxl//8QAGBEAAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIBAzH/2gAIAQMBAT8AsWFw/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
It wasn’t so long ago when Luka Modric’s long-range rifle pierced through Argentinean hearts. The silence amongst the Argentineans was deafening enough to transmit to the streets of Buenos Aires where even a pin drop could be heard from every corner.
The funeral atmosphere was amplified in Argentina’s TyC Sports studio as they held a moment of silence after they were thwarted by Croatia in the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium. Although Argentina ended up qualifying, they could have maybe, just maybe gone all the way considering the fact that Denmark, Russia and England would have stood in their way.
Croatia have soared over the hurdle of “what could have been” and qualified to the World Cup final against all odds. The Blazers have qualified for their first ever World Cup final and they are 90 minutes – potentially 120 minutes away from making history. These are three reasons why Luka Modric’s Croatia will be crowned 2018 FIFA World Cup champions.
#1 Resilience
17 years ago, the Croat army was involved in a war to ensure that Croatia are separated from Yugoslavia. All of the members of the Croatian team were alive during the war. These Croatian players know about the hitches in the history of their country and are willing to fight for their country.
This fighting spirit has been augmented during the knockout stage and seems to be intensifying as the Croatians get closer to the much-coveted trophy. In the knockout phase, Croatia have battled against Denmark, Russia and England respectively. In each of these 3 battles, the Blazers went behind 1-0 and still managed to win.
This proves that Zlatko Dalic has embedded a never die attitude in his players and they just do not know when to give up. Against the host nation Russia, Luka Modric made 15 recoveries – the most by any outfield player in this World Cup so far.
Ivan Rakitic had a fever the night before their semi-final match against England and he still played 120 minutes in that match, coincidentally the match against England was his 70th game of the season against, proving why he is a true warrior.
Coming into the semi-final tie against England, the Croatians had played 30 minutes more but looked like the team that really wanted to get to final; they fought for every ball and were very clinical in front of goal. The Croatians fit perfectly into the 'dark horse' tag and they look like a team who will fight till the very end.
#2 No pressure
Before the start of the 21st World Cup in Russia, Croatia’s odds of winning the World Cup was 30/1. A quarterfinal finish would have been the limit of most forecasts before the commencement of the World Cup.
Croatia came into Group D as the 2nd seed and were expected to finish in 2nd place behind favourites Argentina. They rewrote history by topping group D whilst burying the Argentineans in the process.
A standout characteristic of Dalic’s approach to games is that his teams are very relaxed and they choose when to take control of games. This strategy helps them identify weaknesses in opponents and counter it accordingly. The Eastern European country has a population of just 4 million people making it a small country just trying to express itself in Russia.
They play with so much composure and little fear because they are under no pressure from either the media, fans, neutrals et al. The Croatian team go into arguably the biggest day of their lives with their heads lifted up high.
All the pressure is on their opponents France, who lost the Euros final just 2 years ago. The Croatians will know that the longer the game goes on as a stalemate, the better for them because they have won 2 penalty shootouts in this tournament already.
#3 History
We cannot completely disregard history when we try to predict outcomes of games, especially in the World Cup. Every 20 years, we are privileged to witness a new World Cup winner. In 1958, Brazil won it. Argentina won it for the first time in 1978. France hosted the World Cup and also won it for the first time in 1998. In 2018, Croatia have been presented with a once in a lifetime opportunity to continue this trend.
The gods of football are skewed towards equality and it is time for the world to see a new World Cup winner. In a World Cup where there have been so many upsets, it will only be fair to see one last upset to uphold the overarching theme in Russia so far.
The world did not give Portugal a chance two years ago against France in the Euros final. Similarly, the world is not giving the Croatians a chance. One thing is assured, we will have an unforgettable conclusion to what has been a very outstanding World Cup.
