Croatia_at_the_2018_FIFA_World_Cup
Croatia participated in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. This was their fifth appearance. Croatia managed to reach the final where they lost to France and finished second in the tournament.
Croatia was in Group I of UEFA's World Cup qualifications. They played alongside Iceland, Ukraine, Turkey, Finland and Kosovo. Croatia finished as runner-up in the group and entered the second-round play-offs where the team beat Greece and qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Croatia national team was led by manager Ante Čačić until 7 October 2017 when he was, due to a series of bad results, replaced by Zlatko Dalić.[1]
- Standings
More information Pos, Pld ...
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iceland |
10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 7 | +9 | 22 | Qualification to 2018 FIFA World Cup | — | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 2–0 | |
| 2 | Croatia |
10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 4 | +11 | 20 | Advance to second round | 2–0 | — | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | |
| 3 | Ukraine |
10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 9 | +4 | 17 | 1–1 | 0–2 | — | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | ||
| 4 | Turkey |
10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 13 | +1 | 15 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 2–2 | — | 2–0 | 2–0 | ||
| 5 | Finland |
10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 13 | −4 | 9 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | — | 1–1 | ||
| 6 | Kosovo |
10 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 24 | −21 | 1 | 1–2 | 0–6 | 0–2 | 1–4 | 0–1 | — |
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The results of the group stage
Croatia 
v 
Turkey
v Turkey
| 5 September 2016 (2016-09-05) | Croatia | 1–1 | Turkey | Zagreb, Croatia |
| 20:45 (20:45 UTC+2) |
Rakitić  44' (pen.) |
Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
Çalhanoğlu 45+3' |
Stadium: Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb Attendance: 0 Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland) |
Kosovo 
v Croatia
v Croatia
| 6 October 2016 (2016-10-06) | Kosovo | 0–6 | Croatia | Shkodër, Albania |
| 20:45 (UTC+2) | Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
Mandžukić 6', 24', 35' Mitrović 68'Perišić 83'Kalinić 90+2' |
Stadium: Loro Boriçi Stadium Attendance: 14,612 Referee: David Fernández Borbalán (Spain) |
Finland 
v Croatia
v Croatia
| 9 October 2016 (2016-10-09) | Finland | 0–1 | Croatia | Tampere, Finland |
| 19:00 (UTC+3) | Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
Mandžukić 18' |
Stadium: Tampere Stadium Attendance: 15,567 Referee: Ruddy Buquet (France) |
Croatia v 
Iceland
v Iceland
| 12 November 2016 (2016-11-12) | Croatia | 2–0 | Iceland | Zagreb, Croatia |
| 18:00 (UTC+1) | Brozović 15', 90+1' |
Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
Stadium: Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb Attendance: 0 Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (Italy) |
Croatia v 
Ukraine
v Ukraine
| 24 March 2017 (2017-03-24) | Croatia | 1–0 | Ukraine | Zagreb, Croatia |
| 20:45 (UTC+1) | Kalinić 38' |
Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
Stadium: Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb Attendance: 27,351 Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain) |
Iceland v Croatia
v Croatia
| 11 June 2017 (2017-06-11) | Iceland | 1–0 | Croatia | Reykjavík, Iceland |
| 20:45 (18:45 UTC±0) |
Magnússon 90' |
Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
Stadium: Laugardalsvöllur Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco (Spain) |
Croatia v Kosovo
v Kosovo
| 3 September 2017 (2017-09-03)[2] | Croatia | 1–0 | Kosovo | Zagreb, Croatia |
| 14:30 (14:30 UTC+2) |
Vida 74' |
Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
Stadium: Stadion Maksimir Attendance: 6,838 Referee: Stefan Johannesson (Sweden) |
Turkey v Croatia
v Croatia
| 5 September 2017 (2017-09-05) | Turkey | 1–0 | Croatia | Eskişehir, Turkey |
| 20:45 (21:45 UTC+3) |
|
Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
Stadium: New Eskişehir Stadium Attendance: 28,600 Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary) |
Croatia v Finland
v Finland
| 6 October 2017 (2017-10-06) | Croatia | 1–1 | Finland | Rijeka, Croatia |
| 20:45 (20:45 UTC+2) |
Mandžukić 57' |
Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
Soiri 90' |
Stadium: Stadion Rujevica Attendance: 7,578 Referee: Daniel Stefanski (Poland) |
Ukraine v Croatia
v Croatia
| 9 October 2017 (2017-10-09) | Ukraine | 0–2 | Croatia | Kyiv, Ukraine |
| 20:45 (21:45 UTC+3) |
Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
Kramarić 62' 70' |
Stadium: Olympic Stadium Attendance: 60,200 Referee: Felix Brych (Germany) |
- The results of the second-round play-off
Croatia v 
Greece
v 
Greece
| 9 November 2017 (2017-11-09) | Croatia | 4–1 | Greece | Zagreb, Croatia |
| 20:45 (20:45 UTC+2) |
|
Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
Papastathopoulos 30' |
Stadium: Stadion Maksimir Attendance: 30,013 Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (Italy) |
Greece v Croatia
v Croatia
| 12 November 2017 (2017-11-12) | Greece | 0–0 (1–4 agg.) | Croatia | Piraeus, Greece |
| 20:45 (21:45 UTC+3) |
Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
Stadium: Karaiskakis Stadium Attendance: 18,667 Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands) |
Players
Altogether 26 players appeared in the qualifying matches. Domagoj Vida is the only player that appeared in all 12 matches playing the full 90 minutes of all games. Mario Mandžukić was the top scorer with 5 achieved goals. Filip Bradarić, Duje Ćaleta-Car and Dominik Livaković did not appear in any of the qualifying matches but made the final World Cup squad.
Complete list of players in the qualifying matches
More information #, Name ...
| # | Name | Games played | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Domagoj Vida | 12 | 1 |
| 2 | Mario Mandžukić | 11 | 5 |
| Marcelo Brozović | 11 | 2 | |
| Andrej Kramarić | 11 | 3 | |
| Ivan Perišić | 11 | 1 | |
| 6 | Danijel Subašić | 10 | 0 |
| Šime Vrsaljko | 10 | 0 | |
| Luka Modrić | 10 | 0 | |
| 9 | Nikola Kalinić | 9 | 2 |
| Milan Badelj | 9 | 0 | |
| Josip Pivarić | 9 | 0 | |
| 12 | Ivan Rakitić | 8 | 1 |
| 13 | Mateo Kovačić | 7 | 0 |
| 14 | Matej Mitrović | 6 | 1 |
| Dejan Lovren | 6 | 0 | |
| 16 | Marko Rog | 5 | 0 |
| 17 | Duje Čop | 4 | 0 |
| 18 | Ivan Strinić | 3 | 0 |
| Vedran Ćorluka[3] | 3 | 0 | |
| Mario Pašalić | 3 | 0 | |
| 21 | Lovre Kalinić | 2 | 0 |
| Tin Jedvaj | 2 | 0 | |
| Ante Rebić | 2 | 0 | |
| 24 | Marko Pjaca[4] | 1 | 0 |
| Ivan Santini | 1 | 0 | |
| Nikola Vlašić | 1 | 0 |
Close
Source: Croatian Football Federation
| Player was not selected for the 2018 FIFA World Cup squad |
Peru 
v Croatia
v Croatia
| 23 March 2018 Friendly match | Peru | 2–0 | Croatia | Miami, United States |
| 01:00 (UTC+1) | Carrillo 12' Flores 48'Yoshimar Yotun  57'  75' |
Report | Stadium: Hard Rock Stadium Attendance: 46,893 Referee: Ismail Elfath (United States) |
Mexico 
v Croatia
v Croatia
| 27 March 2018 Friendly match | Mexico | 0–1 | Croatia | Dallas, United States |
| 04:00 (UTC+1) | Report | Rakitić 62' (pen.) |
Stadium: AT&T Stadium Attendance: 79,128 Referee: Mario Alberto Escobar (Guatemala) |
Croatia was drawn into Group D. Croatia's opponents in the first stage were Nigeria, Argentina and Iceland.
Squad
Coach: Zlatko Dalić
A 32-man preliminary squad was announced on 14 May 2018.[5] The squad was reduced to 24 players on 21 May.[6] The final squad was announced on 4 June.[7]
More information No., Pos. ...
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1GK | Dominik Livaković | (1995-01-09)9 January 1995 (aged 23) | 1 | 0 | Dinamo Zagreb |
| 2 | 2DF | Šime Vrsaljko | (1992-01-10)10 January 1992 (aged 26) | 35 | 0 |  Atlético Madrid |
| 3 | 2DF | Ivan Strinić | (1987-07-17)17 July 1987 (aged 30) | 43 | 0 |  Sampdoria |
| 4 | 4FW | Ivan Perišić | (1989-02-02)2 February 1989 (aged 29) | 66 | 18 | Inter Milan |
| 5 | 2DF | Vedran Ćorluka | (1986-02-05)5 February 1986 (aged 32) | 99 | 4 |  Lokomotiv Moscow |
| 6 | 2DF | Dejan Lovren | (1989-07-05)5 July 1989 (aged 28) | 39 | 2 |  Liverpool |
| 7 | 3MF | Ivan Rakitić | (1988-03-10)10 March 1988 (aged 30) | 92 | 14 | Barcelona |
| 8 | 3MF | Mateo Kovačić | (1994-05-06)6 May 1994 (aged 24) | 41 | 1 | Real Madrid |
| 9 | 4FW | Andrej Kramarić | (1991-06-19)19 June 1991 (aged 26) | 31 | 9 |  1899 Hoffenheim |
| 10 | 3MF | Luka Modrić (captain) | (1985-09-09)9 September 1985 (aged 32) | 106 | 12 | Real Madrid |
| 11 | 3MF | Marcelo Brozović | (1992-11-16)16 November 1992 (aged 25) | 35 | 6 | Inter Milan |
| 12 | 1GK | Lovre Kalinić | (1990-04-03)3 April 1990 (aged 28) | 11 | 0 |  Gent |
| 13 | 2DF | Tin Jedvaj | (1995-11-28)28 November 1995 (aged 22) | 12 | 0 | Bayer Leverkusen |
| 14 | 3MF | Filip Bradarić | (1992-01-11)11 January 1992 (aged 26) | 4 | 0 | Rijeka |
| 15 | 2DF | Duje Ćaleta-Car | (1996-09-17)17 September 1996 (aged 21) | 1 | 0 |  Red Bull Salzburg |
| 16 | 4FW | Nikola Kalinić | (1988-01-05)5 January 1988 (aged 30) | 42 | 15 | Milan |
| 17 | 4FW | Mario Mandžukić | (1986-05-21)21 May 1986 (aged 32) | 83 | 30 | Juventus |
| 18 | 4FW | Ante Rebić | (1993-09-21)21 September 1993 (aged 24) | 16 | 1 | Eintracht Frankfurt |
| 19 | 3MF | Milan Badelj | (1989-02-25)25 February 1989 (aged 29) | 38 | 1 | Fiorentina |
| 20 | 4FW | Marko Pjaca | (1995-05-06)6 May 1995 (aged 23) | 16 | 1 | Schalke 04 |
| 21 | 2DF | Domagoj Vida | (1989-04-29)29 April 1989 (aged 29) | 59 | 2 | Beşiktaş |
| 22 | 2DF | Josip Pivarić | (1989-01-30)30 January 1989 (aged 29) | 19 | 0 | Dynamo Kyiv |
| 23 | 1GK | Danijel Subašić | (1984-10-27)27 October 1984 (aged 33) | 38 | 0 |  Monaco |
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Group stage
See also: 2018 FIFA World Cup Group D
More information 2–0, Nigeria ...
Close
More information Argentina, 0–3 ...
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More information Iceland, 1–2 ...
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Round of 16
More information 1–1 (a.e.t.), Denmark ...
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Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
More information 2–1 (a.e.t.), England ...
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Final
See also: 2018 FIFA World Cup final
More information Pos, Pld ...
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Croatia |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 |  Argentina |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 4 | |
| 3 |  Nigeria |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 3 | |
| 4 | Iceland |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 1 |
Close
- "Čačić smijenjen, Zlatko Dalić novi je izbornik!" (in Croatian). vecernji.hr. 7 October 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
- The game was originally scheduled for 2 September, but due to heavy rains in Zagreb was postponed for the next day.
- Ćorluka missed most of the qualifying matches due to injury.
- Pjaca missed most of the qualifying matches due to injury.
- hns-cff.hr (14 May 2018). "Izbornik hrvatske reprezentacije Zlatko Dalić objavio je danas širi popis od 32 igrača koji kandidiraju za nastup na FIFA Svjetskom prvenstvu u Rusiji ovoga ljeta". hns-cff.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 14 May 2018.
- "Head coach Dalić presents 24-man Croatia squad". hns-cff.hr. Croatian Football Federation. 21 May 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
- Radičević, Vlado (4 June 2018). "Zlatko Dalić donio najtežu odluku; višak postao igrač koji to sigurno nije očekivao" [Zlatko Dalić made the toughest decision; the surplus became a player who did not expect it]. Tportal.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 4 June 2018.
- "Match report – Group D – Croatia v Nigeria" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 16 June 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
- "Match report – Group D – Argentina v Croatia" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 21 June 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- "Match report – Group D – Iceland v Croatia" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
- "Match report – Round of 16 – Croatia v Denmark" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 1 July 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 July 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- "Match report – Quarter-final – Russia v Croatia" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 7 July 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
- "Match report – Semi-final – Croatia v England" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 11 July 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
Media related to Croatia at the 2018 FIFA World Cup at Wikimedia Commons
