After having a turbulent start to the 2022 World Cup, Croatia beats Brazil and leads to a possible qualification for the final.

If you missed the match between Brazil and Croatia, check out our article on the quarterfinals to find out everything that happened in the game.

A team without great attackers, which at first glance doesn't seem intimidating, but when the game starts, they show a very high level of football.

Find out more details about the team that defeated Brazil in this World Cup and will duel for the chance to play a rematch against France.

Winning a game they started out losing is nothing new for the Croatians, who are making their fifth comeback in the knockout stages of a World Cup.

Croatia is an extremely new country, where its independence was only declared in 1991, after breaking away from Yugoslavia.

Therefore, the chess team only started participating in this competition in 1998, when it already reached a semi-final, placing 3rd that year.

Considering that this team, since entering the World Cup, only did not participate in the 2010 edition. It has participated in six World Cups, reaching three semi-finals.

After defeating Brazil on penalties in the quarter-finals, Croatia had five opponents dispatched after starting the game behind on the scoreboard.

But what is the power of this selection that seems so harmless?

The answer probably lies in the control of the game that this team's midfield trio has.

Mainly with Modrid, Kovacic and Brozovic, making the game move at the time they determine, accelerating when necessary, and breaking the opponent's rhythm to calm the game, like maestros, controlling the rhythm of a song.  

Furthermore, the physical preparation of the athletes was a big difference in the World Cups, even when they need to play more than one game in a row with extra time, they do not show that they feel tired.

And in penalties, there is a coldness in all the players, who seem to be in their morning training, that is, they take their penalties very calmly.

These are some of the secrets that make this team one of the best football teams in recent World Cups.

Goalkeepers:

Defenders:

Midfielders:

Attackers:

Without a doubt, the star of this team is Luka Modric, who is currently number ten for one of the biggest clubs on the planet, Real Madrid.

The player's characteristic is technical quality in passing, and the incredible ability to read the game, making his team have more control of the ball.

In addition to him, Ivan Perisic is another pillar of this team, with slightly more offensive qualities.

Unlike Modric, who organizes the game, Perisic has more of a role as a finisher for his team, however, he also helps the midfield a lot in creating plays.

If you checked the list of players called up, you probably noticed that most of the players' names end in IC.

Modric, Kovacic, Perisic, so does this have any explanation?

The suffix “IC” means son of, formerly in Europe, it was used in small populations, to identify that such a person was the daughter of a cyclane.

For example, Modric, would be the son of Modar, over time the names became surnames to identify the family.  

Skipping the group stages, where Croatia's draw was relatively easy, the first opponent in the knockout stage was Denmark.

That started by winning the match, and soon after saw the Croatians draw, taking everything to penalties, which as we already know, they have a lot of experience to solve.

They won the game 3-2 on penalties and advanced to the quarter-finals.

The next game was similar, Russia started winning the game in the first half, and Croatia tied.

On the other hand, in extra time, it was the Croatians who took the lead, but shortly afterwards they took their own poison and suffered a draw, going to another penalty shootout.

Where they beat Russia by a tight score of 4 x 3 on penalties, advancing to their second semi-final in history.

Now the opponent was the most important in football, the powerful England team.

England started winning, but as always, Croatia equalized soon after.

However, this time they managed to turn things around in extra time, winning without needing penalties.

Now, talking about the first final that this team reached, there was none other than the powerful France team ahead of them.

This time there was no comeback, no draw, much less penalties. After all, France scored a solid 4 x 2 and took the cup.

Again just talking about knockout games, Croatia's first opponent was Japan.

A somewhat unexpected opponent, as Morocco managed to qualify above Croatia, Japan came first in a group with Spain and Germany.

This time it was time to show that the resilience of 2018 is still alive in the team, in a very difficult match against Japan.

Once again their opponent takes the lead, and they manage to draw and take it all to penalties. To then achieve your classification.

Against the Japanese it was no different, they started losing, managed to draw and won on penalties.

The last thing done by the Croatians was the elimination of the Brazilian team. In a game where Brazil dominated, and took the advantage in stoppage time.

However, as they are Croatia, they managed to draw and once again showed all their coolness on penalties, not missing any kicks and eliminating Brazil.

With this they reach their fourth victory in the qualifiers, beating their opponents in extra time via penalties.

Anyway, now they will face Argentina in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup, this Tuesday, 12/13.