Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/333851
52 maltatoday, SUNDAY, 22 JUNE 2014 52 Download the MaltaToday App now THEY were trying to keep their feet on the ground. But as Croatia's players exited the changing rooms after routing Cameroon it was clear that their heads were in the clouds. Even their svelte manager Niko Kovac, a former national team captain known for his composure under pressure, was allowing the occasion to get to him. In one sentence he urged his team to remain calm, pointing out that his lads still had a tough test to pass - they need to beat Mexico on Monday to qualif y for the round of 16. But in the next breath, Kovac let the world know what he really thought about the red-and-white chequered team he has assem- bled. "We played very well," he en- thused. "If we play like that, we can beat anyone." Those weren't just the words of a football coach caught up in the over-exuberance of a much-need- ed victory. Croatia opened its World Cup campaign with a hard-fought bat- tle against host nation Brazil and may have done much better than losing 3-1 were it not for a dubious penalt y award that allowed the hallowed host team to draw level and eventually go on to win. The game against Cameroon thus became a moment of do-or- die for both teams, Cameroon having also been beaten by Mex- ico in the first round. But whereas Cameroon's players ripped themselves apart spectac- ularly with ill-discipline and ugly infighting, Croatia's men supple- mented their considerable indi- vidual talents with strong organi- zation and a steely determination to win. Much of the pre-game specula- tion had focused on how the play- ers would be affected by a media scandal in which two of them had been photographed swimming nude at the team's hotel. The fear was that it would distract them from the task at hand, but it seemed to have the opposite ef- fect, uniting the players in an "us- against-the-world " mentalit y that made them stronger than ever. Their 4-0 victory, achieved af- ter Cameroon were reduced to 10 men due to a moment of thuggery from Alex Song, sent fans in the stadium into raptures. Hours after the game Croatia supporters, swathed in the red and white f lags of their team, still milled around the bars of Man- aus. "We can win this World Cup," they sang. "With Mario (Mand- zukic) and Luka (Modric) the cup can be ours." The hope is that this team, which boasts world class players like Modric, a Champions League winner with Real Madrid, can emulate the fabled success of the golden generation of 1998. That's when a team led by cur- rent national federation chairman Davor Suker came third in the World Cup after narrowly losing to host nation and eventual win- ner France in the semi-finals. That may well be wishful think- ing however, though the Croatia team does have a number of excel- lent players. Captain Darijo Srna is acknowl- edged as one of the best right backs in the world. Ivan Perisic, who plays for Wolfsburg, is out- standing on the right side of the midfield, while in the center of the pitch Ivan Rakitic, who has just been snapped up by Barcelona after an outstanding season with Sevilla, combines with Modric to form one of the tournament's most skillful central midfields. Southampton's composed centre back Dejan Lovren is a target for many top teams, while up front, Bayern Munich 's Mandzukic will trouble the best of defences. Yet if Croatia is to succeed, these men will have to play out of their skins to compensate for some of the lesser players on the team. Vedran Corluka, for instance, can sometimes be slow to react in central defence while veteran striker Ivica Olic is not exactly prolific. His goal Wednesday for the national team was his first at the World Cup since 2002. In Manaus, though, these short- comings did not concern Croatia's die-hard fans. "Tonight is a special night," said Milan Jozic, who sat with his friends in a Manaus bar behind a table filled to the brim with empt y red cans of Brahma beer. "Now is the time to celebrate and to dream." Croatia's destruction of Cameroon has fans dreaming of a repeat of the glory days of 1998 - even if the current team has some weaknesses Croatia fans dream like it's 1998 Croatians cheer their team as they watch in downtown Zagreb, Croatia. Photo by EPA/ANTONIO BAT