DOHA: The last time Croatia met Argentina at the World Cup, they left Lionel Messi chasing shadows; their midfield metronome Luka Modric bossing the encounter and lightning it up with a superb goal. Four years on from their group-stage meeting, which the Croats ended up winning 3-0 on the banks of the Volga River in Russia, they meet in Lusail — the futuristic city made as an extension of Doha in the Persian Gulf. This time, there is much more on the line: a spot in the final at the World Cup.

For both Modric and Messi, this is their last chance to win the World Cup; the only difference being that Croatia have already over-achieved on the goals they’d set and Argentina are still two wins away from theirs. Croatia, though, never show that they’re done. They’re mentality monsters and Argentina’s eternal rivals Brazil found that out on Friday evening when Croatia stunned them in a game they felt they’d already wrapped up. Neymar’s opening goal at the end of the first period in extra time had put Brazil on course for the semi-finals but Croatia grabbed the leveller with three minutes left to play before prevailing in the penalty shootout.

Losing finalists to France in Russia, Croatia — a country with a population of less than four million and which declared independence in 1991 after the ‘Homeland War’ — keep punching above their weight. Modric, their ageless warrior, remains their inspiring force at 37 and he has set his sights on going one better than 2018. “It’s special to go through but I can’t compare this with 2018,” a smiling Modric told reporters after their win against Brazil. “We want to go a step further here.”

The rest of the Croatian players rally around Modric, the captain who leads by example. “It means a lot really,” Croatian midfielder Lorvo Majer told Dawn on Friday, with the day’s other quarter-final between Argentina and the Netherlands being played on the screen in the mixed zone at the Education City Stadium. “He’s one of the five best midfielders of all time and [despite his age], no one plays on his level and no one is more important for the team like he is. He’s an exceptional player and no words can describe him. His confidence and calmness are very important to us.”

Croatia’s squad has been overhauled since their campaign in Russia, yet the mentality, the never-say-die attitude remains instilled in the team’s core. Then, as well, they won their last-16 and quarter-final ties on penalties and then overcame England in extra-time in the semis. “This time, we have 18 new players,” added Majer. He said, “[…] but we have the same fighting spirit. When you see Luka sliding in for a tackle with five minutes remaining in extra time, that shows what kind of a team we are. We aren’t a team of stars but we are difficult to beat. We will show that again in the semi-finals. We’ve showed many times [like today] that we are capable of winning against the top teams.”

A key cog for Croatia’s victory against Brazil was right-back Josip Juranovic, who effectively neutralised Vinicius Junior down that side. Asked by Dawn whether he felt the importance of his role, Juranovic said “it was a team effort”. But then, he spoke about Modric and the role he plays in providing his team with the impetus. Modric largely played the game against Brazil in his own half, yet his presence is such that he dictated play from there. “I think he’s one of the best players, the best in the world in his position, probably the best player in Croatia’s history.”

Croatia discovered their semi-final opponents in the early hours of Saturday after Argentina too survived a penalty shootout against the Netherlands in a gruelling contest at Lusail. On Saturday morning, their coach Zlatko Dalic held a news conference, still hung over from the joy of their triumph against Brazil. “I’m tired but happy,” he said, adding "[…] but now we have to begin preparing for Argentina.”

Dalic had said on the eve of their quarter-final that his side had come to the World Cup with their initial goal being to progress out of the group stage. Now, though, they are gunning for more. “We have to do all we can to achieve something more because it would be a great shame if after all these worries, efforts and sacrifices we have made, we don’t go a step further.”

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2022