Young Nigeria stars learn a harsh lesson against crafty Croatia, and other talking points from World Cup clash

Matt Jones - Editor 01:45 17/06/2018
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  • Croatia got off the mark at the World Cup with a vital, if uninspiring, 2-0 victory against Nigeria.

    Mario Mandzukic caused havoc in the box to create the opener, his header put into his own goal by unfortunate Super Eagles midfielder Oghenekaro Etebo.

    The African side worked tirelessly to get back into the game but a cataclysmic error by defender William Troost-Ekong handed Croatia the chance to win it late on, with Luka Modric making no mistake from 12 yards to seal three points.

    Here we look at three talking points from the game.

    Dalic dices with danger

    Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic.

    Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic.

    Zlatko Dalic made an extremely bold move when he took over a flagging Croatia qualifying campaign last October, one that was drifting and prompted the powers that be to act and replace Ante Cacic.

    Dalic dared to ditch the tried-and-tested method of shoehorning Ivan Rakitic and Luka Modric into the holding midfield two – pushing the Real Madrid man up into the playmaking No10 role.

    It worked instantly as Croatia got back on track with two wins and a draw which saw passage to Russia secured.

    Surprisingly, he switched back to the tried and tested for their 2018 World Cup bow as Ante Rebic came in. It at least worked in the sense the Eintracht Frankfurt flyer made his mark going forward, with more dribbles (two), crosses (four) and aerials won (five) than any team-mate.

    Yet, with Modric pushed further back, Croatia’s craft in attack was stunted while Nigeria’s energetic midfield swarmed around the Barcelona and Madrid stars.

    Individual errors ground the Super Eagles

    Nigeria Croatia

    The talk before this game had surrounded how a game between a vastly-experienced Croatia, packed with players boasting stacks of caps, and one of the youngest squads in the tournament but brimming with pace and trickery, would play out.

    It turns out that knowhow and ability to put in a performance when it truly matters came into play – with Mandzukic playing a vital part in the opening goal and Modric sealing victory.

    For the Super Eagles, meanwhile, lapses in concentration and individual errors cost them dearly.

    First, a sleeping Etebo allowed Mandzukic to steal in ahead of him for the opener, the Juventus striker’s header crucially taking a deflection off the 22-year-old new Stoke City signing and creeping past teenage goalkeeper Francis Uzoho.

    Then, Troost-Ekong, 24, inexplicably manhandled Mandzukic in the box for the clearest of penalties and Modric fired into the bottom corner to settle it. A valuable lesson for the fledgling Super Eagles.

    A win is a win

    Modric Nigeria

    Croatia’s players probably never envisaged their superb World Cup debut later becoming a burden to future generations.

    But since that famous third-place finish at France 1998 – where they won five of seven games – Vatreni have tasted victory just twice in their following nine matches and haven’t gone beyond the group phase.

    They had won only one of their last seven World Cup games (drawn two, lost four), a 4-0 thrashing of Cameroon in Brazil four years ago a distant memory – so a victory of any sort is the main takeaway from this game and one that should be cherished.

    Despite the morose method of this win, they have put themselves in the driving seat for the knockout stages, with heavyweights Argentina to come and industrious Iceland.

    And with such a star-studded attack at their disposal, surely performances will only improve as the tournament progresses.

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