After a fun 2-0 start to the tournament Europe’s most talented small country in Croatia has a lot to write home about after their  win over Nigeria.

1.) Dominate the Air

Croatia went out to dominate on set piece plays and they had that equal a goal, while technically just an own goal in the first half. 63% of aerial duels were won by Croatia and that is usually a massive judgement point when getting a result. Dominance like this equals a sturdy defense and moments of excitement in attack from set pieces.

2.) Work the Flanks.

Ante Rebic on one side and Ivan Perisic on the other and the amount of possession that they had on the flanks showed. Despite packing the center of the pitch it was the flanks that dominated possession and there were opportunities that were carved out which showed in the end who would come out ahead.

3.) Stand up to the Pressure

The greatest tournament in the show history of Croatia are back when the country was finding its footballing identity. In 1998 Croatia made the third place game and defeated the Netherlands to be called the third best in the world. Davor Suker was the man who led that team and earned the golden boot award. He took on the pressure and it equaled an amazing time for Croatia.

Luka Modric is the leader of this team and when it was time for him to step up and bang in the penalty to make the score 2-0. He converted the penalty when the pressure would get to other players. This confidence will be infectious to the entire team and watch how they take Argentina on next

WATCH THIS SPACE FOR CROATIA