WORLD CUP 2018: Croatia-England Semifinal
Ah, the quarterfinals on the right[1] side of the bracket. The England-Sweden game was rarely in doubt. To a neutral observer, that is. England fans were sweating bullets, waiting for the other shoe to drop.[2] Every time the camera cut to a shot of England fans in the stadium, they were cheering, yes – but the looks on most of their faces revealed that, deep down, they were wondering how the team would blow it. Or which player would get injured. Or which player would be sent off in glorious fashion.[3] Even as it became quite clear that England’s 2-0 lead was safe – even with 30 seconds left on the clock – a lot of the fans looked like a hostage’s family members who had met the demands of the ransom note and were waiting for the result. But the streak of famous English collapses in major tournaments was not going to continue. They defeated Sweden fairly handily and clinched a spot in the semifinals.
The other game – Croatia and Russia – was an epic clash. Russia’s fans were raucous, and it was clear that the Russian team – the lowest ranked qualifying team coming into the tournament – fed off of them.[4] After a nailbiter, Croatia prevailed in penalties. I was quite concerned about Croatian goalkeeper Danijel Subašić after he went down with a leg injury. He was in quite a lot of pain. How was he going to push off to make any leaps or dives? Somehow, he did it, and Croatia had their Willis Reed story. Several of the saves he made were in the “Whoa!” or “WOW!” category, even. Furthermore, he made a save in the penalty shootout! I was impressed.
The Game: England is facing yet another demon from their past. A home loss to Croatia prevented England from qualifying for Euro 2008. The shock amongst the England supporters was staggering. Legendary BBC play-by-play commentator John Motson told his commentating partner, “Say SOMETHING!” If England gets past Croatia en route to the Final, several fans and former players would breathe much more easily. But it will not be easy, obviously – it is the World Cup semifinal, after all, and every team who has advanced this far is quite strong. England plays well as a unit, and Croatia is loaded with individual talent. I picked Croatia to win it all heading into the knockout phase, because, at that point in time, they were playing the best. They haven’t looked nearly as dominant in the Knockout Phase, needing penalties to get past both Denmark and Russia. However, this must be taken with a grain of salt – both of those teams are better than they get credit for, especially because they have outstanding goalkeepers. As many longtime hockey fans know, a hot goalie can send a team on quite a tournament run. Soccer is no different.
This will be quite a match. Obviously, both teams will play their hearts out. England will probably be looser, given their young ages. Croatia’s core players are at the age where this may be their last World Cup. What will prevail – youth or experience? Good question. Croatia’s veterans always seem to find a way. Prediction: Croatia 1, England 1; Croatia advances on penalties.
Until next time…
Wednesday, July 11, 2018, 9:21 am MST
[1] As opposed to left, not as opposed to wrong.
[2] Two clichés in the same sentence!
[3] Ray Wilkins was sent off in the group stage vs. Morocco in 1986 after receiving a second yellow for kicking the ball at the referee. David Beckham was famously shown a straight red in the 1998 Round of 16 against Argentina for – well, look it up. I think it was harsh. You make the decision. And Wayne Rooney was sent off in the 2006 Quarterfinal against Portugal for stomping on Ricardo Carvalho’s groin. Right in front of referee Horacio Elizondo, who also refereed the final that year and issued an even more infamous red card that I will NOT discuss further.
[4] The fact that they were ranked lower than Panama is baffling. Russia would beat them by at least five goals.
