Croatia on course to rival stunning 98 run

The shadow of Croatia's successful 1998 team hangs over the current squad, who are trying to better their achievements.

After breezing through one of the hardest groups at the World Cup, Croatia appear to be on course to rival the exploits of their "Class of '98", who were beaten in the semi-finals by eventual winners France.

Croatia's 2-1 win over Iceland on Tuesday, which followed victories over Nigeria and Argentina, secured their place at the top of Group D and a place in the last 16.

They can now dream of going one better than their third-place finish in 1998, which marked their first participation in the World Cup finals as an independent nation.

"We have to trust in our quality, we respect all our opponents but we don't concede that anyone is better than us," coach Zlatko Dalic said after Tuesday's win.

The Balkan side and Uruguay are the only teams to have won all three of their games so far.

Their sparkle has come in midfield, where players such as Barcelona's Ivan Rakitic and Real Madrid's Luka Modric, both of whom are now in their 30s, are savouring what could be their last shot at World Cup glory.

Crucially, though, the old guard has been backed up by a younger generation - players like Ante Rebic, Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo Brozovic - all of whom play in Europe's top leagues.

Croatia next face a defensive Denmark side in the last 16 and it is a match that will test their ability to open up a tight defence. Victory would take them to a quarter-final against either Spain or Russia.

"I don't think our tournament will end in the last 16 but for now we can only focus on Denmark," Dalic said.

"We can only think about what awaits us, but the most important things are still to come."


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world