Croatia's center forward had to swallow a lot before the World Cup semi-final against Argentina and its superstar Lionel Messi. "I'd like to tell my children about that," said Bruno Petkovic, taking a long time to complete this sentence.
Petkovic, 1.93 meters tall, 88 kilograms and therefore something of the opposite of Messi in stature and playing style, paved the way for the Croatians to the semi-finals with his late goal against Brazil. For the third time in just 24 years, the small country of four million people is among the top four teams in the world of football. But after everything that has been seen so far at this World Cup in Qatar, it is again a particularly big challenge: to stop these Argentines and especially this Messi on Tuesday evening (8 p.m. / ARD and Magenta TV).
Different requirements than 2018
The four-time Champions League winner and seven-time world footballer of the year finally wants to become world champion for the first time. The most important title is the only one he still lacks.
Hardly anything shows how much that still drives him, even at the age of 35, than the comparison with the last duel between Argentina and Croatia in the preliminary round of the 2018 World Cup. Four years ago, nothing was right in the team. Messi in particular seemed listless and rubbed himself against his own Jorge Sampaoli instead of opposing coaches like Louis van Gaal. The result: a humiliating 0:3. After that, the Croatians marched through to the final, while the Argentines were back home after the round of 16.
A lot is different this time. "He's our captain, our leader, he leads with his passion. Knowing that we have Messi in the team gives us a big boost," defender Nicolas Tagliafico said on Monday. Messi, Tagliafico and only five other players - there are no more compared to 2018.
Croatia with "German" attributes
Little has changed for the Croatians. Playmaker Luka Modric (37), defender Dejan Lovren (33) and left winger Ivan Perisic (33) still form the axis of the team. In the meantime, Croatia has taken on exactly the role at the World Cup that was so often ascribed to the Germans in the past: there are teams that are better. But there is hardly one that is so well organized, has nerves of steel and is so hard to beat.
It is therefore no coincidence that Germany and Croatia now share a World Cup record: Both have had to contest four penalties at different World Cups - and not lost a single one.
Forward Petkovic shared some remarkably candid things about the aura and structure of this team ahead of the Argentina game. Four years ago he was not part of the squad, the Dinamo Zagreb goalscorer was then a rather frustrated substitute for Italian top-flight club FC Bologna.
"When the national team was called up, I was about the 78th player on the list," said Petkovic. So he was in training camp with Bologna when the semi-final was against England. "I saw my compatriots play and I was about to leave the training camp to get a flight and a ticket to the final in Moscow."
"A Perfectly Oiled Machine"
He didn't - and can now personally reach the final this time. "In 2018, an era came to an end for many of our players. In comparison, we now have a lot of new, young players," said the 28-year-old. But what holds this team together is still the same: its axis, its game system, its strong patriotic drive. And that's why World Cup debutants like Petkovic or the only 20-year-old Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig always had the feeling of fitting into something that "works like a perfectly oiled machine" (Petkovic).
"We're a small country. And we know exactly how we became independent," said Petkovic, referring to the war in Croatia between 1991 and 1995. "Our parents always told us: you won't achieve anything in life if you don't fight for it. Of course we also have sporting quality. But that alone is sometimes not enough."
With this attitude, the Croatians defeated tournament favorites Brazil in the World Cup quarter-finals, world champions France in the Nations League and England in the 2018 semi-finals. This is a warning to the Argentines. "Croatia have caused a lot of trouble for a lot of teams," said their coach Lionel Scaloni.
