Reporter Cho Yong-un = Unknown. Croatia’s strength is to make the opening goal a game, not everything.
In a big game, the first goal decides everything. Argentina convincingly proved this proposition. Argentina, which entered the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, scored the first goal in all five matches from the group stage to the quarterfinals. Argentina, which has always started with the starting line, is cruising through to the semi-finals, except for a come-from-behind loss against Saudi Arabia.
Argentina has great power to turn certain chances into goals with Lionel Messi at the fore. With 4 goals and 2 assists in this tournament, Messi leads Argentina’s attack by breaking his World Cup record for most points of attack. For the last dance, he focuses on finishing himself and at the same time breaks through the opponent’s defense and creates chances for his teammates. 안전놀이터
The best scenario for Argentina with Messi at the forefront of the attack is the opening goal. He always leads the game by scoring goals before his opponents. In the matches against Saudi Arabia and the Netherlands, we couldn’t keep the lead, but we definitely gained something. In the game against Croatia, as there is a missing player in the side defense, there is a high possibility that he will focus on setting the mood with the opening goal as usual.
However, if the opponent is Croatia, it is difficult to predict easily. Croatia is not a team that gets frustrated by conceding first. Rather, it seems that the real power must be eaten first, and the back heart is considerable. With Luka Modric at the center and an experienced midfielder holding the center, it is possible.
In fact, Croatia survived all the way to the semifinals even after conceding first goals against Canada, Japan, and Brazil. In the match against Canada, he scored 4 goals as if he had awakened after conceding a goal, and in the match against Japan and Brazil, he scored a miraculous equalizer in a time when both teams seemed to give up.
It was like this 4 years ago. In the World Cup in Russia, where Croatia reached runner-up, Croatia entered the tournament and advanced to the final after conceding first goals against Denmark, Russia, and England in overtime and penalty shootouts. Croatia, shown in Russia and Qatar, is not just a team that is shaken by the first goal. In particular, if you drag it only with tools, you will never lose concentration, making your opponent’s mind busier as time goes by.
The advantages of Argentina and Croatia are opposite. So it is not easy to predict. The same goes for relative performance. The two teams have met 5 times in history and are tight with 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses. The World Cup record is also tied at 1 win and 1 loss. Argentina won in France in 1998, and Croatia won in Russia four years ago.