The battle with the Netherlands turned out to be remarkable.
After the Champions League final, it seems that the great football season is over. But it’s too early to stop and watch football. Not a young trophy has been played in Europe, which, however, is seriously intriguing. It fits well into the season finale format and has an interesting cast. We are talking about the League of Nations, where the so-called “Final Four” remains to be held.
Everyone forgot a little about its composition, because after the formation of the semi-final pairs, the whole World Cup had already passed, the teams managed to play qualifying for the European Championship. So the “Final Four” of the League of Nations looks like a kind of tournament in itself. The first semi-final between the Netherlands and Croatia did not disappoint us in terms of intrigue, storyline and brightness.
I broke it myself, I fixed it myself
During the opening segment of the match, which turned out to be very long, the opponents demonstrated even play. There was an intense fight for the initiative with very high and aggressive pressing off the ball. They ran so merrily and went with such a desire for martial arts, as if there wasn’t a grueling and drawn-out club season behind them.
In such conditions, the defense of both sides worked surprisingly compactly and carefully. Until the Croatians had a fog around the 34th minute. The Dutchman pressed with the ball overloaded his left flank, stretching the opponent’s defence. The nimble Weiffer took advantage of this, who sneaked away from Modric and received the ball into space already in someone else’s penalty area, where the Dutch suddenly had the lead. Then a precise pass to Malen, followed by a goal kick from him.
Of course, the blame for this goal conceded is rather collective. Because Malen himself was given an indecent amount of space. But the first big mistake was made by Modric, allowing Weiffer to be so easily deceived. Those who consider Luka already old and not as effective as before consciously looked at each other. But it’s not for nothing that Modric has been trampling the football fields for so many years – you won’t surprise him with such a mistake.
Already at the beginning of the second half, when the Croatians predictably took the initiative and the Dutch moved to try to act on the counterattack, Zlatko Dalic’s defenses managed to restore the balance. And then Modric took full revenge. Gakpo, who entered his own penalty area to help the defense, did not have enough haste, and Luka robbed him, jumping out from behind. Reflexively, Cody knocked the veteran over, then grabbed his head as he realized what had happened. From the penalty spot Kramaric equalized the score.
Moreover, an equal and stubborn struggle with mutual pressure was restored again. Until the Croatians took over. And this goal is comparable to the first in terms of the connivance of the passing defense. Nobody really covered Ivanushets in the penalty area on the left, he easily took aim and rolled the ball into the center for Pashalic, who shot for a corner with a touch. And the passerby was not stopped and Mario was allowed to easily take a shock position.
It became clear that an equal struggle and the inaccessibility of the goal was determined in this match not by reliable defense on both sides, but by the density and mobility of the midfielders. It was the middle lines and their dynamics that determined the image of the game. The reliability of the defense separately limped in both.
Hope is back and lost
Meanwhile, the Croatians at the end of regular time of the match began to huddle too indecently, keeping the winning score. There were various ways to pass the time. And the intensity of the pressure from the Netherlands only increased. The attacking defenders registered, at one point even the goalkeeper of the Dutch flashed into the attack. In some ways, the situation was reminiscent of the World Cup match with Argentina.
And the development turned out to be about the same. Half a minute before the final whistle, all the Dutch entered someone else’s penalty area, and after the canopy, confusion began. The bounced ball landed well on Lang’s leg, and he tied it up and took the game to overtime.
Ronald Koeman’s inspired boys attacked for a while, the same even fight came back. But here the factor of a successful strike worked. Petkovic decided on him and landed squarely in the bottom corner. There were questions to Beilou at the Netherlands gates after Pasalic’s weak but crucial strike. After this goal, there were more questions.
The Netherlands failed to repeat the comeback trick. And the Croats turned out to be too experienced not to step on the old rake. Not only did they not cower, but they also executed their attacks in a very dangerous way, taking advantage of the opponent’s forward thrust. Then the fourth, fifth and sixth could have scored. But Pasalic hit the crossbar, Petkovic’s goal was disallowed. But Modric didn’t start without a goal, perhaps his last for the national team. He scored from a penalty kick earned by Petkovic.
Replacement work
Most of the time the match looked like an even match. Except for single episodes and short segments that determined the score on the scoreboard. Under these conditions, the exact decisions of the coaches are very important. It should be noted that due to the variety of scenarios and plot twists, Koeman and Dalic had to change schemes several times, and not just rearrange people.
And here the Croatian specialist was more successful. Almost all of Koeman’s substitutions made the game easier. Wijnaldum and Weghorst, who exited, proved weaker than the Simons and Weiffer they replaced. The same can be said of Bergwijn, who replaced Malen. Good luck can be called the exit of Lang instead of Dumfries. Noah managed to take the match to overtime. But then he missed one of the safest moments, breaking through the empty gate, albeit from a sharp angle. And de Ron and Malasia, who appeared in recovery times, did not bring any benefit. The latter also imposed a fine.
Dalic’s substitutions proved to be more appropriate. Vlašić and Stanišić didn’t spoil the match, but kept it fresh and moving. Mayer didn’t fail in midfield, instead letting Kovacic plow a lot. Then the Croatian coach tried to dry up the situation on the field with the score 2:1, released Erlich instead of Kramaric, increasing the number of defenders. But how competently he got out of the situation when the bet did not work out.
The Dutch leveled the score and there was no point in clinging to the defense. Dalich got his bearings instantly, freeing Petkovic to attack instead of Sutalo. It was this change that became decisive. Bruno scored a goal and earned a penalty, making the result in extra time. Any team that was half a minute away from victory, but missed it by clinging to the defense, is difficult to rebuild, even if only from a psychological point of view. Croatia did it in an exemplary way and are now in the final of the League of Nations.
