On Tuesday, Croatia will play its final group stage match of the Euro qualifiers against Armenia at Maksimir. With a win, Croatia will secure a spot in next year’s tournament. However, if Wales loses to Turkey, Croatia will advance without celebrating a victory over Armenia. It is crucial that they do not leave anything to chance.
During the last match against Latvia, which Croatia won 2-0 in Riga, expert commentator Tomislav Ivković analyzed the situation on HRT’s “Stadion” show. The victory was important because it was evident that both Armenia and Wales had drawn their previous matches. This added extra pressure to Croatia, but they were able to control the game and scored two quick goals despite the bad pitch conditions.
Ivković praised the team’s discipline and tactical intelligence during the match. The early goals prevented nervousness and allowed them to maintain control of the game. He also noted that Modrić’s goal was excellent and his reaction when he missed an opportunity earlier in the game showed great resilience.
Croatia played in a 4-2-3-1 formation during this match, with Brozović and Modrić never going forward at the same time to prevent counterattacks. Andrej Kramarić brought them back into contention with his contributions on offense, while Joško Guardiol played well in left back position despite playing differently for City as a third stopper and playmaker instead of crossing lines. Marco Pašalić made his debut against Latvia and was excellent, controlling the ball well with his fantastic left foot and short step from 20 meters away from goal. Martin Baturina also made his debut against Latvia but struggled more than Pašalić did due to having entered instead of Modrić as if he was giving him a baton for taking over later on in his career but it will get better over time with proper guidance from experienced players like Luka Modric.
As preparation for their next match against Armenia approaches, Ivković highlighted that Croatia must play a disciplined tactical game if they want to win. While there is no question about their quality as players, they must come together as a team if they want to succeed in this tournament.
France has been identified as one of the favorites for next year’s Euros by Ivković who believes France has got all what it takes