Bruno Petkovic
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Croatia striker Bruno Petkovic says the side’s mental toughness, which has led them to two World Cup penalty shoot-out victories, is deeply rooted in the country’s fight for independence.
Petkovic scored a late equalizer to nullify Neymar’s opening goal for Brazil in the quarter-finals before Zlatko Dalic’s side kept their nerve to win on penalties. They also beat Japan on penalties in the preliminary round.
It’s a familiar pattern for Dalic’s men, who reached the final four years ago with three extra-time victories in the knockout stages, two of them on penalties.
“I think one of the reasons (for this mentality) is that we are a small country,” Petkovic said on Sunday. “Although we are young players, we know how our country came into being and gained independence in the 1990s.”
“We learned that from our parents. We learned that you fight, you work hard and you can’t get anywhere without it,” added the 28-year-old, who has become a national hero since his equalizer broke Brazil’s hearts.
Some of the senior players on the team have strong ties to the Balkan conflict of the 1990s.
Veteran midfielder Luka Modric was evicted as a youngster and defender Dejan Lovren was evicted from his childhood home.
Croatia took part in their first World Cup as an independent nation in 1998, reaching the semi-finals where they lost to hosts and eventual winners France.
France also ended Croatian dreams four years ago in Russia, winning the final 4-2, but the country of four million has their side back in the last four and looks full of confidence.
“I think we improved with every game, the stronger the opponents got, the better we got,” said Petkovic.
“For me, the goal gives me a lot of confidence. We still believed in each other and supported each other in the overtime. The trust isn’t just on a personal level, we believe in each other.”
Minor Leagues
Dinamo Zagreb striker Petkovic spent the beginning of his career in Italy, where he played mostly in the lower divisions, and was not in Dalic’s squad four years ago.
But he has strong memories of Croatia’s progress to the final, which included beating England in the semi-finals.
“I remember the 2018 semifinals, I was fifth or sixth forward for Bologna and probably 78th choice for Croatia. I almost left the preparatory camp in Bologna to go to Moscow for the final,” he said.
Despite the changes in the squad, Petkovic sees a strong continuity.
“The foundations were laid then, the younger guys came into a well-organized machinery,” he said.
However, without his goal there would have been no penalties, no Brazil elimination and no semi-final to look forward to and he says he is beginning to see the global impact of his strike.
“With each passing day, I am becoming more and more aware of the magnitude of this goal,” he said. “Maybe I’ll get that feeling again, we’ll see, maybe in the semifinals or the final.”
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