Canada tried to fulfil John Herdman’s wishes but Croatia took control. Luka Modric bursting past players at 37 after 70 minutes is startling.
Perhaps something gets lost in translation, or maybe the difference in perspective is too stark. But at some point the English will learn not to poke the Croatian bear at a World Cup.
In 2018, the eventual runners-up derived irritated inspiration from regularly being told ‘it’s coming home’. “That arrogance is not so much related to the players but the people around them, some of the journalists and commentators,” Luka Modric said after England were beaten at the semi-final stage.
Four years later, County Durham-born John Herdman’s invocation for his players to ‘F’ Croatia might have inadvertently played a part in Canada’s early exit from the group stages.
Croatian tabloid 24sata has hit back at Canada coach John Herdman after he said, “We”re going to go and ‘F’ Croatia…”
The headline reads, “You have the mouth, but do you have the balls as well?”🍁 pic.twitter.com/kKqbydldBF
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) November 26, 2022
His explanation, much as those of Gareth Southgate and many others in Russia before, fell on relatively deaf ears. The message was designed for his players and no-one else. But Croatia had enough ammunition to reinforce their siege mentality and fuel those fires of perceived injustice. Manager Zlatko Dalic repeated the word “respect” constantly in a spirited pre-match press conference response. Ivan Perisic merely added: “I second the head coach and I cannot wait for the match to begin.”
There can be little doubt that these two countries respect one another in a footballing sense now, if indeed they actually didn’t before. A gripping, engaging 90 minutes highlighted the strengths and exposed the deficiencies of both but it is at this point that their tournament journeys must diverge.
Canada depart with pride but also regret. After somehow failing to breach Belgium during an excellent showing in defeat, they needed just 69 seconds to score their first ever World Cup goal. A long Milan Borjan kick was masterfully recycled by Cyle Larin, before Tajon Buchanan’s inviting cross was RSVP’d in vigorous fashion by the head of Alphonso Davies.
That showcased them at their quick, energetic, effervescent best. As Martin Keown noted on co-commentary: “There’s no substitute for pace.”
But Croatia did as Croatia do. That midfield has turned many a game off…
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