FIFA World Cup 2018: Luka Modric's brilliance stands out in Croatia's march to semis, but misfiring forwards a cause for concern

Football is a funny old game. Cast aside the hawkish business-like aspects of modern football and the unrelenting strive for glory at all levels of the sport, at its heart, football is all about emotions and the World Cup brings it out in multitudes. The clock was just about to strike midnight in Sochi when a Ivan Rakitic penalty sent Croatia through to the semi-finals as Modric and Co edged out Russia 4-3 in the shootout after the game had ended 2-2 after extra time. Both sets of players dissolved in tears as did the spectators – the final hour an excruciating rollercoaster ride for those involved. [caption id=“attachment_4692591” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Luka Modric put in another excellent display in Croatia’s win over Russia in the quarter-final of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. AP[/caption] For better part of the initial ninety minutes, Russia and Croatia battled it out like it was a scrapyard where the two teams were contesting for some small prize and not a historic semi-final berth. It was cagey and stifling – while Russia played like a team possessed, Croatia scraped through underwhelming moments barely due to the fact that they were far better than their opponents at an individual level. Egged on by a packed Fisht Stadium, the Russians were driven by national pride and proved that in spite of the innumerable controversies in the lead-up to the World Cup, they were worthy flag-bearers. Denis Cheryshev was a Real Madrid reject before this summer, now he is one the finds of the tournament. Just like he announced himself in Russia’s opening match against Saudi Arabia, he scored another sublime goal to hand them a deserved lead. Russia’s proactive approach had rattled Croatia but Kramaric’s equalizer gave the Croats some much needed respite, also forcing the host nation to sit deep and defend in the final quarter of normal time. When Domagoj Vida’s header in the first half of extra-time found the back of the net, Russian supporters felt the ground slip from beneath their feet, but the eleven players on the pitch found another gear. Substitute Alan Dzagoev whose World Cup dream seemed over due to an injury in the group stage itself orchestrated Mario Fernandes’ equalizer, and Russia dared to dream again. “It was not a beautiful game. It was a fight, a battle. We were lucky, thank God. After (Ivan) Rakitic scored the winning penalty it came bursting out of me. I felt really relieved. We made ourselves happy but we also made everyone back home in Croatia happy. I don’t cry often but now I have a good cause because we are in the semi‑finals of the World Cup,” Zlatko Dalic’s emotions were justified but his side needs to step up should they wish to prevent England from ‘taking it home’. Bar Luka Modric who keeps proving time and again how underrated he is in modern footballing circles, the Croats struggled to find a rhythm. And their second consecutive foray into extra-time in a knockout fixture left them sapped off energy, with the likes of Sime Vrsjalko, Mario Mandzukic and Danijel Subasic struggling with cramps in the later periods, a worrying sign for Croatia especially as they will face a much-fresher English squad with younger legs in their ranks. Luka Modric, however, operated in his own realm. Stringing together passes with unmatched guile even when the rest of his teammates succumbed to nerves, popping up in spaces all across Croatia’s attacking third and finally stereotyping himself as a generational talent as he dragged his immensely talented yet often under-confident teammates through to the last four – something which the likes of Messi, Ronaldo or Neymar failed at. The only moment when Modric looked dazed was after Fernandes’ equalizer as he shook his head in sheer disbelief. The primal cry and celebratory jump from the usually cool-as-a-cucumber playmaker after he barely converted his penalty was a testament to the rung of emotions which had transpired in the final stages of the match. “Maybe it is written in the stars that we have to go through this drama,” Luka Modric said after before adding “we expect a very difficult, tight and demanding match against England. Every match at this World Cup is such. We have to enjoy this moment and then we have to prepare for England.” Modric alone cannot move mountains against England who have been one of the surprise packages of this summer. In spite of Croatia’s impressive midfield dynamics, their forwards have struggled to get on the scoresheet which has put further pressure on the midfield to come up with goals. There have been just two goals for Mandzukic and Kramaric in this World Cup, while wingers Rebic and Perisic have contributed two more. Contrast that to the World Cup qualifiers when 9 of Croatia’s 15 goals in Group I where they finished two points behind Iceland came from the strikers – Mandzukic, Kalinic and Kramaric. Against England, Dalic needs to come up with a shrewder strategy for this English team, unlike the previous generations, have the conviction to enhance their abilities and fulfil the hype surrounding them. On Saturday though, fortune favoured the Vatreni as Smolov and Fernandes missed their respective penalties, shattering dreams and breaking hearts. The lowest ranked participant in the 2018 World Cup had put together a run even their fans could not fathom, even so, the end of their campaign came sooner than they had anticipated. “We feel like conscripts. It’s like to be ‘demobilised’ a little bit earlier when you wanted to stay in the army for some time longer. It would have been better if we could have stayed until the 15 July,” Stanislav Cherchesov’s pride in his men could not hide the disappointment in his voice.