Dalic, Croatia reap rewards of aggressive intent

• Croatia widespread in clinching 4-1 play-off win over Greece
• Hosts clinical interjection to ruthlessness down a wings
• Greece face outrageous assign in home leg if they are to strech Russia 2018

With a 4-1 scoreline cumulative on home soil, Croatia know that navigating by their 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia play-off is during slightest half done.

Given that their opponents were a Greece side with a defensive reputation, conjuring expectations of a moving and parsimonious affair, a three-goal lead streamer to Piraeus is some-more than many fans would have banked on. But their side played on a front feet with an expanded gameplan executed to perfection, and a scoreline simply represents a fruits of Croatia’s certain proceed to a challenge.

“The brave arrangement paid off with [Luka] Modric deployed in a some-more aggressive position and a full-backs overlapping on a flanks to keep adult a pressure,” Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic explained during full-time. “The simple thought was to raid them on both flanks and a plan worked.”

Ivan Strinić ▶️low cross
Nikola Kalinić ▶️back-heel finish#Croatia ⚽️No. 2#BeProud pic.twitter.com/jgJCQXthVK

— HNS | CFF (@HNS_CFF) November 9, 2017

No arguments there, with 3 of a hosts’ 4 goals entrance as a approach outcome of focusing their play out wide. The likes of Ivan Perisic – who worried right opposite a front line – and full-backs Ivan Strinic and Sime Vrsaljko valid a calamity for a visitors to contain. But an early mistake from goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis, gifting Croatia a penalty, also hindered Michael Skibbe’s plans.

“If we assistance your opponents measure a initial and a fourth idea afterwards it’s really formidable to be competitive,” Skibbe said, after Kostantinos Staflydis’s ill-judged chest behind also laid on a final strike of a night. “Of course, we are really unfortunate right now. We will be a improved group in a subsequent match.”

Midfield control, defensive chaos 
With a prevalence and fortitude of Croatia’s executive midfield 3 of Modric, Marcelo Brozovic and Ivan Rakitic – a latter spraying large passes out far-reaching from low in a conform suggestive of a recently-retired Andrea Pirlo – a home side would have been tough to enclose for anyone. And with Greece’s biggest strength, defensive constancy, deserting them, that formidable assign became impossible.

“It was a really formidable night for us. We have never done so many mistakes in one game,” pronounced captain Sokratis Papastathopoulos, whose towering, headed divided idea provides Greece’s spark of wish for a lapse leg. “Of course, Croatia has a top palm now. They have a 90 per cent possibility of going through.”

That is a luck that Dalic is intends to not let climb into their minds for a lapse on Sunday, even if many outward his stay will perspective them as carrying one feet in Russia. “We contingency base out any relief immediately and conduct to Greece as if a measure was 0-0,” a caretaker trainer – who usually took assign forward of their final dual Group we games – insisted. “It’s not over. This was a initial game.”

While a three-goal necessity for Greece might not utterly paint a overwhelming assign to overcome, next in doing so will be a story that will relate by a ages of Hellenic football.

pic.twitter.com/zLt5ZIsrHU

— Šime Vrsaljko (@Vrsaljko) November 9, 2017

Article source: http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2017/m=11/news=dalic-croatia-reap-rewards-of-attacking-intent-2919370.html