Croatia and Iceland met in Rostov-on-Don at 20:00 for the final match of Group D in the World Cup.
Croatia went into their third match of Group D against Iceland with two victories – after they defeated Nigeria in their World Cup opener, they proceeded to humiliate Argentina with a 3:0 win. After the first two rounds, Croatia had already ensured the first place in the group.
Going into the final group game against Iceland, for Croatia to be anything but first, they would have had to lose to Iceland, and see a big Nigeria win over Argentina. Because Croatia knew their fate, they went into the game with mostly reserves – keeping Luka Modrić, Ivan Perišić, and Andrej Kramarić as the only previously featured in the starting eleven. Dalić, though criticized for his decision, also decided to rest the players with yellow cards – this included Rakitić, Vrsaljko, Mandžukić, Brozović and Rebić.
Slobodan Kadić
Croatia kept possession for the first part of the first half, as Dalić’s plan was for the team to play calmly, allow Iceland to defend, and capitalize on their mistakes. The Croatian defense managed to defend any threats from Iceland, and had more than a few chances attacking – Iceland’s defense, however, made it difficult for Croatia to get through. Iceland then picked up the pace of their game and Croatia started to foul. A free kick by Sigurdsson was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Lovre Kalinić, and Croatia’s defense continued to block Iceland’s attack.
In the 37th minute, Croatia was dangerous in the penalty area, and a ball from Modrić found Perišić who hit wide of the post. In the 40th minute, Iceland missed the best opportunity of the match, and Modrić attempted from 25-meters out without success. Three epic saves by Kalinić ended the first half 0:0. In the first half, Iceland had eight attempts at goal, three of which were in the box. Croatia had four attempts at goal.
The second half started without any changes on either side. Sigurdsson had another free-kick two minutes into the second half, though it was once again an easy save for Kalinić. A strike from Badelj hit the crossbar, though the Serie A midfielder got his revenge minutes later with an incredible goal assisted by Josip Pivarić in the 53rd minute. 1:0 Croatia!
A minute later Iceland almost equalized, though another brilliant reaction by Croatia’s defense and Lovre Kalinić kept Croatia in the lead. In the 65th minute, Modrić was substituted for Bradarić, which was a test for Croatia to see how they’d manage the midfield without the Real Madrid star. In the 69th minute, Pjaca looked for a substitution, and Lovren entered the game.
Another clear chance for Iceland was missed in the 73rd, but the team finally got their chance after a handball by Lovren in the box granted Iceland a penalty. Sigurdsson scored for 1:1. Rakitić entered the game with 10 minutes to go.
Another free-kick from Iceland in the 83rd minute was unsuccessful, and Croatia’s quick counterattack saw Perišić get fouled outside the box. Perišić stepped up to the ball and hit just over the crossbar. The game remained 1:1.
Yet another free-kick outside of the box gave Croatia a chance to win it, though Rakitić hit just over the crossbar again.
But the game wasn’t over yet – and a brilliant strike by Perišić from the left put Croatia up 2:1! Croatia has thus finished Group D in the first place, while Argentina has found a way to finish in second with a 2:1 win over Nigeria.
Slobodan Kadić
Croatia will play Denmark in the round of 16 on Sunday at 20:00 CET.
