Croatia suffered a 3-0 defeat against Argentina after Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez combined to send the Vatreni crashing out of the World Cup. Two goals just before half time took the life out of Croatia’s performance and Messi and Alvarez linked up once again in the second half to end any doubt and send Zlatko Dalic’s side home. Croatia were finally undone in Qatar by a wonderful performance by Argentina. So, here’s our Croatia player ratings for their 3-0 loss against Argentina.
Croatia (4-3-3):
Dominik Livakovic – 5.5
Booked around the half hour mark after bringing down Julian Alvarez in the box, who was streaming through the middle of the Croatian defense. Made an excellent save to deny a header from Alexis Mac Allister towards the end of the first half, preventing a third goal from going in. Played more of a villain than a hero this time around.
Josip Juranovic – 6
Was a little unfortunate after making a challenge on Alvarez in the lead up to the second goal but equally could have been stronger in the tackle.
Dejan Lovren – 5
Kept Alvarez on side in the build up to the penalty incident and struggled against the dangerous Argentine offense.
Josko Gvardiol – 5.5
Looked composed in possession but did struggle against Messi, particularly for the third goal after the Paris Saint-Germain forward ran rings around him before cutting the ball back for Alvarez. A tough night for the up and coming youngster.
Borna Sosa – 5
Subbed off at half time after a mediocre performance and could have done better for Alvarez’s first goal.
Mateo Kovacic – 7
Involved early on and excelled in the press, winning the ball back and driving play forward for Croatia. However, his impact dwindled as the game went on.
Marcelo Brozovic – 6
Displayed excellent work rate as ever and was accurate in possession but was benched just five minutes into the second half for Bruno Petkovic.
Luka Modric – 7
Had his tail up to start the game and was involved often, looking like his old self. Performance took a dip, as did the rest of the team, after the two goals in quick succession.
Mario Pasalic – 5.5
Tracked back well to support the defense and even dropped in to create a back five at times. However, was taken off at half time as head coach Dalic looked to change the game.
Andrej Kramaric – 6
Dropped in and linked play well at times but wasn’t too influential here, despite his best attempts.
Ivan Perisic – 6.5
Tried a chipped attempt over Emiliano Martinez in the first half, cutting in from the left but put too much on it as it went over the bar. Picked the ball up in some dangerous positions but failed to get much going for his side.
Substitutions
Nikola Vlasic – 6.5
Tracked back well and looked lively when he came on at half time but ultimately couldn’t impact the game too much.
Mislav Orsic – 5
Didn’t influence the game much when subbed on at the break.