The Croatian national team fought a fierce fight in qualifying for a ticket to the World Cup with Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta. Until the last round, the team of Zlatko Dalic was the second in the group, but in a face-to-face meeting with the Russians at home, they won. These three points helped the Croatians finish first and qualify directly for the World Cup in Qatar. In the opening round of the World Cup, the Croatian team did not show their best game. In the first half, the “checkers” were active and definitely tried to get all three points, but Morocco held out. In the second half of the meeting, the Croats no longer took risks and were not active in front, relying on a reliable game in defense. The result is a goalless draw, strategically not the worst result for Croatia.
Team Canada surprised many in qualifying for the World Cup. In the selection from North America, Canadians were considered contenders for a ticket to Qatar, but hardly anyone could have imagined that John Herdman’s team would be able to get ahead of both Mexico and the United States. The Canadians finished first, becoming the best selection team in terms of performance and defensive play, but at the same time suffering two defeats. In the group with Belgium, Croatia and Morocco, the Canadian team, for objective reasons, could not be considered a favorite, but it also showed that it was too early to write it down as outsiders. In the duel with Belgium, the Canadians played boldly and had chances to take the lead, but did not convert the penalty. As a result, the Belgians gained a 1:0 victory on experience and class, which does not leave Canada the right to make a mistake in the second round.
