It’s true. Croatia has NEVER got out of group stage after losing their first game of the tournament. This has happened on three occasions:
World Cup 2002: Lost 1-0 to Mexico
World Cup 2006: Lost 1-0 to Brazil
World Cup 2014: Lost 3-1 to Brazil
Obviously, you never want to lose the first game of group stage as it puts you in a deep hole with only two matches remaining. However, Croatia will break this streak this year at EURO 2021.
After England’s 1-0 win over Croatia at Wembley on Sunday, the Three Lions already have one foot in the door to top the group. England sit on three points from their Croatia victory and I would be absolutely shocked if they did not grab four points from Scotland and Czech. That would put them at seven points, meaning it would be impossible for Croatia to catch them.
The Vatreni have Czech on Friday and Scotland on Tuesday. Two wins here will get Croatia through and break the “1st match loss” streak as they head into the Round of 16. A win over Czech is HUGE as England is expected to thrash Scotland. If Croatia beat Czech and Scotland loses to England, Scotland will only have a 1% chance to go through and their game with us may be a mere formality (for them).
A draw against Czech isn’t the end of the world but that means Croatia must beat Scotland in the final match of group stage to maybe be one of the best four 3rd-place sides with four points. They could still technically finish 2nd if England beats Czech by 2+ goals.
Croatia will beat Czech on Friday and a disappointed Scotland side on Tuesday to finish 2nd in group. They will then play Slovakia in the Round of 16. You heard it here first!
We have never lost the second game in any tournament.
Denmark (1996) 3-0
Japan (1998) 1-0
Italy (2002) 2-1
France (2004) 2-2
Japan (2006) 0-0
Germany (2008) 2-1
Italy (2012) 1-1
Cameroon (2014) 4-0
Czech (2016) 2-2
Argentina (2018) 3-0
We seem to play really well too. Even in our worst years when we played Italy in ’02 or France in ’04… We always looked good in our second game for some reason.
The most disappointing results were against Japan in’ 06 and (interestingly) Czech in 2016…
But we were the dominant side in both those games and we were unlucky to not win those.
I see your point. However we have lost when we needed to advance. Spain and Mexico for example. If we had better coach and were free from behind the scenes antics we might of advanced . We never lost a opener of Euro until Sunday. We must all come to a realization that this team is not the same team it was in 2018. The Czechs are not the problem . Even if we advance we are just not strong enough to run the table and go to the final. I hope that I am wrong . Stay well !
In all 3 of those tournaments it came down to winning the 3rd game in which we were favoured and we failed to do so. Not like the opportunity wasn’t still there.
“I think the tactics were not absolutely horrible, but not great either. Didn’t fit our players.”
– N. Vukmanic
So what would’ve made the tactics great rather than “not absolutely horrible”?
Some may say that tactics that don’t fit your players is a horrible idea, I’m in that camp.
I think that moreso than any other team the Croats miss that spur they get from their fans, many times exactly when it’s needed, some of you bezbožnici/Yugos may not understand this, but there does seem to be a spiritual connection between your team and it’s fans.
Also, you may recall that I said recently that against Portugal in ’16 & France ’18 that I’d never seen a team have so much more possession than their opponent and not look threatening at all. Did you guys know that after England scored you guys had something like 70% possession, I believe that was by Southgate’s design. It really was a coaching masterclass, to take away Croatia’s only chance of getting back into the game (a counter attack, which could only come if England wanted to keep attacking and look for more goals) really was great coaching. It pains me to say because I can’t stand the English, but we gotta give credit where it’s due.
The only way England was going to score another goal was on the counter attack, and that really is Croatia’s bread and butter.
I think the big boys may have figured Croatia out.
You seem to suggest that we’re a counter attacking side, do you know what percentages of our goals scored during Euro qualifying were counter attacks? I’m seriously curious because with Perisic and Rebic, we could be quite threatening on the counter but I observe our team to be more possession based.
I honestly can’t remember a time where we took possession from a team, had a nice odd man run up the field, opposition on their backfoot and we scored a goal. Our build up is like watching paint dry sometimes.
No stats (not all teams in a qualifying campaign are the big boys), just my observations. You guys yourselves have always noticed how you struggle against teams that bunker, and that’s against teams like Azerbaijan. So I always wondered what would happen if a big team took a more defensive approach and took away Croatia’s counter attacking opportunities, like Portugal did in ’16 and my France in ’18. Like I said, I think the big boys have figured Croatia out now.
Once England scored you guys had something like 70% possession and I believe that was by design, you may have even finished with more possession for the game, and that’s after a dominant start from England. No team does having more possession and not looking threatening at all like Croatia does in my opinion.
Do you remember the Spain game at Euro ’16? Spain dominated possession, even after going up 1 nil they kept attacking and looking for more goals and that’s the only reason Croatia could win that game because their bread and butter is the counter attack, pretty sure Perisic’s winner was from a counter attack?
Frenchman – reasonable analysis. But (from the WC at least), most of our goals were not by counterattack. See below (***=counterattack goals)
1-0 Nigeria – Corner kick, ultimately leading to pass and own goal
2-0 Nigeria – PK called after a tussle in the box on a corner
1-0 Arg – Rebic smash on goal after GK error
2-0 Arg – Modric long range shot after long possession
***3-0 Arg – Rakitic goal on the counterattack
1-0 Iceland – Perisic goal (maybe on counter? Don’t recall)
2-1 Iceland – Badelj goal after some possession
1-1 Denmark – Mandzo goal after some possession
***1-1 Russia – Kramaric goal on counterattack
2-1 Russia – Vida goal on a header
1-1 England – Perisic goal after some possession on a cross
2-1 England – Mandzo goal after some possession
1-1 France – Perisic goal following a free kick and several touches in the box
2-4 – France – Mandzo goal on a hustle play and GK pressure
14 goals – only 2 from counterattacks (maybe 3, if that 1st Perisic goal against Iceland was a counter)
Hello Mr. “Frenchman”…or should I say poturak, opanak, half-Turk whatever. Come back here when your beloved repka half-Turkey is playing again in a tournament and we can talk. Until then just stfu and watch real footballers play football every tournament you’re not there.
Not that the big boys figured us out. More like the team is missing some pieces to launch those attacks . the team on Sunday that played and the one that played in Russia is different
Ajmoooo! Vlasic bags one of his patent goals bottom left corner from outside the box….2nd goal Perija???
true…. but this is also only the 2nd tournament ever when 3rd place can qualify too.
I’ve looked at the scenarios though, finishing in 3rd night be best after all. Why? Because group D 3rd place has a 50% chance of getting the group C winner (likely Holland – not a terrible draw). That game would also be in Budapest (ie – prob flooded with Croatia fans, especially since Hungary is allowing 100% capacity).
And then even better, the QF match after that would be against a 2nd place team from either Group A or B (Wales, Swiss, Russia, or Finland).
Can’t ask for a much better path the semis than that.
Yea, the group C winner (likely Holland) gets a free ride all the way to the semis.
They get to play no other first place team until then.
This is not 50% likely, it’s more like 0.5% likely.
The only way Croatia can play the Netherlands is if Group F (Germany) and Group E (Sweden) both don’t win a game… All the while, Croatia would have to finish in 3rd.
Dreaming.
Rocky – there’s a chart you can look up, shows exactly where each 3rd place team will go, depending on what other groups provide the 3rd place knock out round teams.
There are 10 possible combination which include the group D 3rd place team. 5/10 of those combos result in group D 3rd place matching up with Group C winner (50%). 3/10 combinations leads to playing Group E winner, 2/10 leads to playing Group B winner.
I hope you’re right but obviously we are all worried about our lack of firepower. Dont have a great feeling but, hey, will be getting up at 2 am to watch the game with Stari and some drinks so fingers crossed, absolutely must not lose this game at least.