Dignitaries from all over the world will gather in Brazil in early December for the FIFA World Cup draw as the field of teams is divided into groups for next summer’s festivities. As part of its “32 teams in 32 days” series, SPORTSNET.CA will profile each of the nations set to compete at Brazil, leading up to the draw on Dec. 6.
Of all the countries to emerge from the former Yugoslavia, none have enjoyed as much international success as Croatia. In their debut performance at the 1998 World Cup in France, a Croatian “Golden Generation” stunned the soccer world by finishing third, knocking out the mighty Germans in the quarter-finals and, after losing to eventual champions France, topping the Netherlands in the third place match. In the process, Davor Suker’s six goals won him the Golden Boot and everlasting immortality in Croatian football. Recent years have been less kind, with group-stage exits in 2002 and 2006, and a failure to qualify for the 2010 tournament altogether. But the current crop of Croatian stars promises big things. And they’ll look back at that first World Cup team—which featured now–team manager Niko Kovac—for inspiration.
Programming alert: Watch the World Cup draw from Brazil on Dec. 6 live on all four main Sportsnet channels. Coverage begins at 10:30 am ET/7:30 am PT | TV schedule
How they got here: Croatia is in the uncomfortable situation of having gotten worse as qualifying went on—almost to the peril of their once invincible-looking campaign. Keeping pace with the powerful Belgians at the top of the table, unbeaten through the first six games—even drawing the Belgians 1-1 in the second matchday—the Croats suddenly crumbled. Figures, of course, that it was against winless and already-eliminated Scotland that Croatia suffered their first loss. They then stumbled to a draw against Serbia, a loss to the Belgians and, improbably, another loss to Scotland. By that point the Serbs were on the rise and only the good work Croatia did early in the campaign saved them from having second place stolen from under them by their bitter rivals.
Key match: The football world is filled with intense rivalries, derby hatreds that exist only on the pitch. Croatia vs. Serbia is different. This rivalry has roots in the atrocities of war, the memories of which are still fresh for those who lived through it. And so, when these countries met on the pitch this past March, those old troubles threaten to bubble up. For each leg of the home-and-home set between these two, away fans were banned in an effort to stem trouble. That meant it was a packed and uniformly Croatian crown that saw their team beat Serbia 2-0 in the first ever meeting between the two. It was a key victory, and a huge morale boost to the team and its fans. In the end, that victory proved the difference between second and third spot—between moving on towards Rio and going home empty-handed.
Star player: The title “Bayern Munich’s leading goalscorer” is a pretty high honour these days. The Bavarian team is arguably the best club side on Earth at the moment, and leading the line is Croatian striker Mario Mandzukic. Top scorer at Bayern Munich with eight league goals this year; top scorer at the club last year with 15, he’s used to being the tip of a very powerful spear. He’s a prototypical target man: big and strong, excellent in the air with a powerful header. In other words, the 27-year-old is the kind of striker to take defenders on at their own physical game, and more often than not comes out the winner. And whatever happens from here on out, Mandzukic will always be the man whose playoff goal against Iceland secured the Vatreni a berth in Brazil.
Player on the bubble: Giovanni Trappatoni described Mateo Kovacic as being like a mixture of AC Milan legends Clarence Seedorf and Kaka—very high praise for the 19-year-old Inter midfielder. But it’s that ability to create opportunities, that magical dribbling and good turn of pace that promise at great things to come. But to get into Croatia’s talented midfield in Brazil, Kovacic will have to show more than promise. With 11 games for Inter—and seven now for Croatia—under his belt, Kovacic has a foot in the door. He has the rest of the season to prove that he’s a player for the present, not just a promise for the future.
Team strengths: Croatia’s big strength is the depth of their squad. The Croats can easily field a starting XI with over 45 caps for their country—three starters have compiled over 100 caps. It’s the kind of steadiness that will counterbalance and round out the energy of up-and-coming young stars, and rookie manager Niko Kovac. While not prolific in qualifying, Croatia spread their 12 goals over nine scorers. If they can up the total of goals, but keep the spread of goal scorers, they’ll keep defences guessing in Brazil.
Team weaknesses: Momentum. Croatia has all the talent they need to succeed—now they just need to get the ball rolling. After a run of seven matches unbeaten (six wins and a draw) from the beginning of World Cup qualifying, the Croats are now 3-2-4 in their last nine matches, including a friendly loss to Portugal, those two upset defeats to Scotland and an uncomfortably narrow 3-2 win over minnows Liechtenstein. The World Cup warm-up matches in the new year will be crucial for a Croatian team keen to ensure they’re firing on all cylinders heading into the World Cup.
World Cup record:
1930 to 1990—Competed as part of Yugoslavia
1994—Did not compete
1998—Semifinals (third place)
2002—First round
2006—First round
2010—Did not qualify
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