Since gaining independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991, Croatia’s national football team qualified for six World Cups and finished on the podium in three. That in itself is a major accomplishment for a country of 4 million, yet the team’s performance at the 2022 tournament in Qatar which led to the bronze medal was arguably not on the level with that of the 1998 team that achieved the same result, let alone with the group that won silver in 2018. The team led by coach Zlatko Dalić this time around had a defensive, “safety first” approach to its play. This approach helped Croatia make it to the semifinals, but it hurt them once they were at that crucial point.
While the previous two successful Croatian World Cup teams also prided themselves on a solid backline, it was by no means the only thing in their tool box. The 1998 squad had Davor Šuker, the leading scorer of that tournament. In 2018, Croatia had the great Mario Mandžukić score unforgettable goals, like the 2-1 extra-time semifinal winner against England. This time around the team clearly lacked a natural goal scorer. Of course, this particular point is not a criticism against Dalić, who like any other coach has to work with what he has. But the often ultra-defensive tactics, especially those used against Belgium in that torturous final group game, were nothing like Croatia usually like to play. Yes, much of the reason why the team managed to get the scoreless draw that helped them advance to the knockout stages was good defending and excellent saves by goalkeeper Dominik Livaković. But ultimately, it all came down to the Belgian attacker Romelu Lukaku missing three absolute sitters that made the decisive difference. Had that not happened, Croatia’s World Cup journey would have ended unceremoniously in the group stage.
Most of the team’s other matches in Qatar were also lacklustre at the offensive end. The first group game against Morocco was a scoreless draw, where Dalić’s men lacked creativity and conviction in front of the opposition’s goal. Croatia’s second encounter of the tournament saw them take on Canada, which turned out to be a welcome exception to the team’s attacking troubles and saw them defeat their strong but tactically naïve opponents 4-1. Andrej Kramarić, playing out on the right wing instead of the nine position, scored a brace and won the Player of the Match Award. A Round of 16 encounter with the Japanese followed the Belgium game, both of which featured weak attacking performances. Against Japan, Croatia scored from their only meaningful attack to make it 1-1 via Ivan Perišić, before they won the game on penalties.