Euro 2016: Croatia's dream run offers hope that this generation will soon bring joy to troubled nation

For one day, the tiny northern French commune of Lens transformed into a raucous slice of Croatia. There were almost as many fans dressed in the trademark red and white chequered shirts of the Balkan nation, drinking beer and singing in the streets, as there are residents here. It was surprising — and speaks about the effectiveness of tickets swapping websites — because there is no way so many could have counted on their team topping the group ahead of defending champions Spain. But they were here and they were singing in some sort of unison for the first time since Slaven Bilic left the national team job.

The unity was only because of the way the team had played the three games in the group stage. Croatia arrived in all sorts of trouble. The men running football in the country — the likes of Zdravko Mamic and Damir Vrbanovic — have been charged with being involved with tax evasion and organised crime. Hooliganism is all too common.

And perhaps the biggest question mark hung like a guillotine over the head of little-known head coach, Ante Cacic. The former electronics technician was considered by many, including myself, as lacking the ability to garner the respect of a dressing room full of stars. The nation’s president called an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss the seemingly untameable problem of football hooliganism, but the coalition government lost a no-confidence motion the day before the game against the Czech Republic in Saint Etienne, leaving little hope of an intervention from above.

The events of that game , where Croatian supporters threw flares on the pitch and fought among themselves, were ugly but not unjustified. While they can be blamed as much as the players for an inexplicable collapse on the pitch, the idea that they wanted to bring international attention to the way football is governed in Croatia cannot be so easily dismissed.

And yet, Cacic managed to pull the team together in the most unexpected fashion. His preparation for the opponents was exemplary. Against the Turks, he played Ivan Rakitic in a defensive, marking role, forsaking possession and control for frequent crosses played towards Mario Mandzukic. Against the Czechs, he freed Rakitic up, anticipating a double-team on Luka Modric, to wreak havoc between the lines; And against Spain, he nullified the loss of Modric by using Marko Rog in a defensive midfield role and enabled the play to go through the wings — and through to the impressive Ivan Perisic.

In defence, Croatia were superlative. Domagoj Vida was a dynamo and Vedran Corluka bled, literally, for the cause. And how can we forget Darijo Srna, the captain, who lost his father between two group games and played like man 10 years younger than his 34 years. It was magical to watch.

Unexpectedly, Croatia were not dark horses anymore, but had cleared a relatively uncomplicated path to go deep into the tournament. Like so many positives of this tournament, it was the surprising skill in preparation and the resoluteness of the team in executing Cacic’s orders that made Croatia a formidable force.

Where Cacic fell short was in his decision-making while the games were on. He hesitated to bring on substitutes and nowhere was this more evident than in the the tragic loss to a very average Portugal on Saturday. Mandzukic, who had been shut down by Jose Fonte and Pepe through 90 minutes, suffered a heavy fall and looked completely out of it for the last 10 minutes of regular time, yet stayed on much longer than necessary. When the changes were made, Croatia began to dominate and the game opened up.

Unfortunately, it came too late. Vida’s three chances — two missing the target by a matter of inches, seemed the harbingers of doom. Finally, it came though a counter that was not as devastatingly incisive as it was fortunate. For five minutes the ball was in the Portuguese half, and there were at least two close misses. And then Portugal broke, with pace and confidence. The Croatians were caught out of position for the first time all evening and even though Subasic made a superb save — his only one of the game — off Cristiano Ronaldo’s strike, Ricardo Quaresma was there, unattended, to tap in from a yard out.

It was a tragic end to what looked like a repeat of Croatia’s glorious run in France back in 1998. Perhaps the missing link was a mercurial striker like Davor Suker, but in Luka Modric, Croatia have found a leader on the pitch who is a joy to behold. Sitting so deep, yet getting so far forward, he made you miss Andrea Pirlo a little less, while adding a dose of energetic physicality that the Italian perhaps didn’t demonstrate.

A key witness in the Mamic trial that is set to begin in a couple of months, Modric was expected to be distracted. Instead he was at his dominant best, orchestrating Cacic’s notes. It ended in tears, for Modric and for many of the thousands who made their way from as far as Australia and the United States to support their team. But it might so easily have ended in tears of joy.

As the nation looks to overcome divides that transcend football, the Vatreni will play a crucial part in building the bridges. And in this generation of footballers, they certainly have hope for a positive future.