England seemed destined for the 2018 World Cup final after going ahead after five minutes, but Croatia fought back with superior quality on the night
(Image credit: Getty Images)
When England reached the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, the nation was gripped by 'It's Coming Home' fervour and Gareth Southgate's waistcoat. Only Croatia stood in the way of a first major final since 1966.
England were favourites to win, and when Kieran Trippier put the Three Lions ahead after just five minutes, it looked like they'd go on to face France in the final. Except they didn't. Croatia hit back through Ivan Perisic, before Mario Mandzukic bagged the winner in extra-time.
Ivan Rakitic formed a three-man midfield alongside Luka Modric and Marcelo Brozovic that night - a trio who ultimately proved the difference in Croatia winning the game.
Rakitic and Modric played alongside Brozovic (Image credit: Getty Images)
"At that time we dominated midfields, against England but also when we played Denmark and Russia," Rakitic tells FourFourTwo.
"It was difficult to play against us – with all respect, of course, that there were also big players in the England team. I think they were a little bit surprised at what we were able to do.
"Of course all of their guys were worth £70m, £100m, £150m, but they had to play against us. That was the moment for us to show the world that we could do big things. It was our moment."
With Rakitic, Modric and Brozovic controlling the game, Croatia managed to keep 56 per cent possession against England, play 100 more passes overall than their European counterparts and have double the amount of shots and more than triple on target.
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Ultimately, the pressure showed, and England succumbed to the superior side. It wasn't the first time that Rakitic had broken English hearts, either.
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Not long after his debut for Croatia, Rakitic featured against England at Wembley in the final game of qualifying for Euro 2008, stopping the Three Lions from reaching the tournament in Austria and Switzerland. Then 19, he came on for Slaven Bilic's side as a substitute, taking on the likes of David Beckham.
"We had an amazing atmosphere in the squad," Rakitic explains. "We’d already qualified for the Euros and we just tried to enjoy that game. We knew that if everything went normally, England would win, but Slaven had been able to create a big family.
"I was nervous as I came on, because you have amazing players in front of you. I was thinking, ‘David Beckham, wow! Becks is there!’ I tried to use his boots in every game; I’m a big Predator fan. Just to be near him was ‘wow’.
"To beat him in his stadium, against all of these other wonderful players, and to start your international career in that way... it was amazing."
Chris joined FourFourTwo in 2015 and has reported from more than 20 countries, in places as varied as Ivory Coast and the Arctic Circle. He's interviewed Pele, Zlatan and Santa Claus (it's a long story), as well as covering the World Cup, AFCON and the Clasico. He previously spent 10 years as a newspaper journalist, and completed the 92 in 2017.
