Croatia coach looks beyond Ronaldo showdown to midfield battle with Portugal

TORONTO: While fans may frame Thursday’s World Cup round-of-32 match as a Modric versus Ronaldo showdown, Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic sees something different brewing when his team face Portugal in their first-ever World Cup meeting.

For Dalic, the real action will unfold in the middle of the park, where both sides boast formidable midfield engines that could determine which aging star gets another shot at World Cup glory.

“I believe this is going to be a battle of midfielders. Portugal have excellent players in the midfield. They are tactically very good. In this match each error will be punished,” Dalic said on Wednesday at a press conference in Toronto.

Croatia have again shown the resilience that has marked their recent World Cup runs, recovering from an opening loss to England with a 1-0 victory over Panama and a 2-1 win against Ghana.

Portugal, meanwhile, have underwhelmed with just one win and two draws in the group stage, yet Dalic isn’t taking any chances against a side he believes can still surprise.

The Croatia midfield features 40-year-old captain Luka Modric alongside Martin Baturina, who scored against England, and Petar Sucic, who found the net against Ghana.

Portugal have their own midfield trio of Vitinha, Joao Neves and Bruno Fernandes, though much attention remains focused on Cristiano Ronaldo’s presence.

“It is a team that wants to possess the ball at all times,” Dalic said of Portugal. “This team has few weaknesses. And can at all time cause risk and danger.”

The Toronto match, which will be the host city’s final game, could serve as a swan song for either Modric or Ronaldo.

Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic offered a diplomatic assessment of the two greats of the game: “We have two major players who have done great work. I am convinced Luka will continue his path onwards. I can only speak positively about both of them.”