Tuesday’s 0-3 defeat to Argentina in the semi-final of the World Cup is viewed with bitterness in the Croatian media, particularly noting what they say was a questionable penalty awarded after a goalless foul on Julián Álvarez, which was converted by Lionel Messi. Instead, they criticize the championship performance of the Croatians, who only managed to win once in regular time in Qatar.
“Great results have always been conditioned by the presence of a top striker. That was Šuker, followed by Mandžukic… But since ‘Mandžov’ went on holiday, Croatia doesn’t have anyone like that, and (the coach) Dalič had no choice but to rely on Kramaric’s heretical idea as a central striker”, writes Vecernji.hr. “Advancing to the semi-finals can be seen as a miraculous success,” added the site, referring to the only victory after 90 minutes that “Vatreni” achieved over Canada.
And Sportske Novosti sees it the same way. “Croatia beat no one but Canada, drew four times in their remaining five matches and only beat Japan and Brazil on penalties,” the paper said, also complaining about the referees’ performance. “Our executioner was Daniele Orsato, just like his compatriot Massimiliano Irrati in Moscow (in the final four years ago). And Irrati was there again this time as a video referee,” complains Sportske Novosti, according to which Irrati could have intervened in the penalty disputed.
“The Argentinians had faster reactions and more freshness. Maybe they were lucky, but the referee’s verdict (on the penalty) annoys me a lot. It literally gets on my nerves, because that’s what all the technology is for, so why not have been used,” the public website quotes HRT Television as its commentator from Qatar.
“It wasn’t our night. We were able to tackle samba, but tango was beyond our strength… But we showed our greatness even in defeat. Unlike the Argentines in Russia, who back then refused to congratulate us, our people accepted defeat with sportsmanship and handshakes,” said the 24sata.hr commentator.
The four-year match, when Croatia defeated Argentina 3-0 in the group stage, is also remembered by Sportske Novosti. “The ‘Gauchovs’ were in a better mood, they were faster, more aggressive and more cunning, they took revenge on us for Nizhny Novgorod with the same result, but with a bigger impact, because this time it was the final,” writes the newspaper . remembered.
According to him, the fact that FIFA “protects” Messi may have played a role in the match. “This is demonstrated by the fact that they declared him the player of the match, even though it was Álvarez who scored two goals and deserved to whistle for the penalty,” reported Sportske Novosti newspaper.
However, reaching the semi-finals is perceived by the Zagreb media as a great success. “Our fairy tale of Qatar is not over yet: the battle for third place is not a consolation prize, but a great challenge,” says Vecernji.hr.
