Football News: The key to Croatia's success at the World Cup has been their incredible midfield trio
After Croatia crushed Brazil in a shock quarter-final of the World Cup, goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic was praised for his clinical performance, but the midfield trio was exceptional.
Luka Modric : Key for CroatiaLuka Modric, Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo Brozovic inspired the team to hold Brazil to a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes, after which the Europeans won 4-2 on penalties.
Although the record five-time winners struck 11 shots on target against Croatia's one, the latter did not allow Brazil to dominate possession. The midfield stopped Vinicius Junior, Neymar and Raphinha from creating many chances.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🇭🇷 Croatia have made it to back to back World Cup Semi-Finals! Population is hardly hit 4 million and they are showing the rest of the world how it’s done. <br><br>Incredible. 👏 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CRO?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CRO</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CROBRA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CROBRA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Croatia?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Croatia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Qatar2022?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Qatar2022</a> <a href="https://t.co/e7U5Xej0ap">pic.twitter.com/e7U5Xej0ap</a></p>— Mozo Football (@MozoFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/MozoFootball/status/1601280609997189121?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
After the win, coach Zlatko Dalic shared: "I said several times that Croatia has the best midfield in the world."
"I believe the midfield is the best part of our team; they (kept) possession and blocked our opponents."
Celtic right-back Josip Juranovic agreed with his coach.
"Brozovic, Modric and Kovacic - if they are in the game, I think that we will control the game 90 per cent, and because of that, I think that we beat (Brazil)."
The trio have consistently graced the starting lineup and supported the Croatia defence that conceded just two goals.
The midfielders don't drop deep and allow more freedom within themselves so that possession further up the field.
Croatia finished as runners-up in 2018 with Ivan Rakitic in the team, but Kovacic has now filled his space. I
nter Milan's Brozovic, who plays deep, challenged Brazil's defence and Kovacic'a agility creates chances for the team.
Real Madrid midfielder Modric on the other hand, is known for his quality and resistance in high-pressure situations.
Croatia will now face Argentina in the semi-final, and their resilience will be tested again.
A victory will only be possible with players like Modric, although he has previously been a Ballon d'Or winner.
"Our biggest strength as a team is to fight together and not have stars in the team who don't want to run or defend," said Sosa.