Croatia needed just a point against Belgium as they beat the Red Devils to a place in the 2022 World Cup knockouts with a 0-0 draw in the final set of Group F fixtures. Substitute Romelu Lukaku came on and had a host of opportunities to put Belgium ahead but the Inter forward failed to do so as the two sides shared the points in Al Rayyan. Josko Gvardiol impressed in an excellent defensive display by the 20-year-old defender as his strong World Cup campaign continues. So, here’s our Croatia player ratings for their stalemate with Belgium.
Croatia (4-3-3):
Dominik Livakovic – 6
Routine save to deny a Lukaku header and didn’t have too much to do in general here but did look a little uncertain at times.
Josip Juranovic – 7
Made a fantastic sliding tackle to stop Yannick Carrasco when he was driving into the box around the hour mark.
Dejan Lovren – 6.5
Made a couple of clearances and also won a couple aerial challenges too.
Josko Gvardiol – 8.5
Looked composed at the back and very strong defensively, making a couple of good challenges and clearances. Played a tidy little ball through to Mateo Kovacic at the beginning of the second half too. Drove forward with the ball from the back well at points. Made a brilliant challenge in injury time to stop an almost certain goal for Lukaku. Monster display.
Borna Sosa – 7.5
Pushed forward down the left to help support the attack at times. Accurate with his passing and solid defensively too.
Marcelo Brozovic – 7
Won a few duels in the midfield and was accurate in possession. Solid performance.
Luka Modric – 7.5
Was a bit more lively in the second half and forced Thibaut Courtois into making a decent stop down to his right. Superb work rate – as ever – in the midfield and also made a couple of good interceptions and challenges.
Mateo Kovacic – 7
Led a couple of Croatian attacks in the first half, making a couple of decent runs with the ball from deep. Had a decent chance to begin the second forty five but was denied by Courtois. Imposed himself more on the game going forward in the second half.
Andrej Kramaric – 6
Picked the ball up a few times in dangerous positions and looked lively at points. Made a couple of decent runs down the right and did create a couple of chances in the first half. However, failed to impact the game too much before being benched.
Marko Livaja – 5
Received the ball in the opposition box a couple of times but didn’t impose himself massively on the game in the first half. Replaced by Bruno Petkovic midway through the second half.
Ivan Perisic – 6.5
Fierce strike in the opening seconds of the match that flashed past the post. Was a threat down the left flank early on but his impact dwindled as the game progressed. Excellent work rate throughout, nonetheless.