The Real Madrid veteran pilots Croatia against the Japanese revelation, who defeated Germany and Spain
Football has its own size. Croatia, with barely four million inhabitants and number two in the world in Russia 2018, has become one of the biggest teams in the world. Japan, a country of 125 million people who mostly love baseball, usually gets no further than the extras in the major tournaments. This is the crossover of the round of 16 of the World Cup in Qatar, which starts at 4 p.m. at Al-Janoub Stadium. Croatia, a small country with a great team against Japan, a big country with a smaller team that, yes, beat Germany and Spain, two world champions, in the group stage. Modric’s talent against the samurai spirit of the Japanese, who fight to the point of exhaustion.
Zlatko Dalic, the Croatian coach, says his team is a “miracle”. He says it because he has established himself at the top of this sport with such a small population. «We are always in all major tournaments and that is already a success. We are a global football power,” he defends. Dalic has renewed his team. Only eight players repeat the World Cup: goalkeeper Livakovic; defenders Lovren and Vida; midfielders Modric, Brozovic and Kovacic, and strikers Perisic and Kramaric. In Qatar they gathered two draws without goals, against Morocco and Belgium, and the win against Canada (4-1).
His samurai, his model, is Modric. The 37-year-old Real Madrid player is the owner of this team’s compass. Dalic uses him as an example to others “because of his professionalism, his good form, his way of training and his unprecedented work on self-improvement.” Croatia needs the best version of its star to take out Japan today, a tough rival to break, warns Dalic. “They finish their counterattacks with five or six players. We cannot rest on our laurels,” he warns.
Japan, which came from behind against Germany and Spain in the group stage, faces a painful defeat at the 2018 World Cup four years ago. There it was Belgium that came from behind (3-2) and eliminated Japan in the round of 16 , which he had led 0-2. Now the Japanese team is back in the eighth finals. For the fourth time in its history. They take on the challenge as if it were a mission. Samurai worthy.
“We will play without fear,” said his coach, Hajime Moriyasu. Seven of his footballers are active in German teams and all show off their collective spirit. “Football is eleven against eleven, but together we say we are 26 against eleven,” the coach underlined. And don’t forget that the ability to make five changes will benefit them. More samurai in the field willing to give it their all.
In fact, the substitutes were key in the wins against Germany and Spain. Japan barely has possession of the ball. He didn’t need it in those two duels. And his confidence has been bolstered by those two comebacks. “They never give up,” remembers Dalic, who is fleeing the favorite status that Croatia is leaving with.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
