Niko Kovac says his Croatia side are facing their own FIFA World Cup “final” against Mexico today, with only a triumph guaranteeing them a place in the last 16.
Croatia bounced back from their 3-1 defeat to hosts Brazil in Group A with a 4-0 rout of Cameroon on Wednesday to keep their knock-out dreams alive.
Striker Mario Mandzukic scored two second-half goals as Croatia sent 10-man Cameroon crashing out of the tournament in disarray.
Photo: EPA
VfL Wolfsburg pair Ivica Olic and Ivan Perisic also got on the scoresheet, but Croatia still remain third in the table, behind leaders Brazil and Mexico.
Kovac knows his side face an uphill task against Miguel Herrera’s side in Recife in the wake of Mexico’s ego-boosting draw with the Selecao.
Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa wrote himself into World Cup folklore with a string of top-class saves, including one from point-blank range to deny Brazil’s Neymar in Fortaleza on Tuesday.
A draw against Croatia would be enough to put Mexico through after the Blazers’ goalless draw with Brazil and 1-0 win over Cameroon.
“The match against Mexico will be like a final,” Kovac told Croatian channel HTV. “Mexico are strong, but so are we. The Mexico players are very patriotic, just like us.”
Mexico have four points — one more than Croatia — as their draw with Brazil came after their 1-0 win over Cameroon thanks to Oribe Peralta’s second-half winner, but El Tri are bidding to finish on top and want to beat the Croatians to pile the pressure on Group A leaders Brazil.
Stuttering Brazil will look to clinch their berth in the last 16 of as they host Cameroon in their final group match at the National Stadium in the capital, Brasilia, today.
Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side have struggled to convince in either of their first two matches, but both the coach and his players have said in recent days that the hosts are “evolving” as the tournament progresses.
Brazil head into their final group game — their 100th at the World Cup — uncertain of a place in the knockout rounds, but goalkeeper Julio Cesar said that the quality of opposition they have come up against so far has helped the Selecao.
“This is a tough group, but that’s great for us. We prefer to play against these sides and face these difficulties because it gets you focusing right from the start, which is important in short-term competitions,” he said.
The pressure on Brazil to do well is enormous, but Scolari’s team need not panic about their situation in the group. They lead the group on goal-difference from Mexico and a draw will be enough to take them through to a second-round clash with either Chile or the Netherlands.
They would still progress even if they lose to the African squad, as long as El Tri beat Croatia in the group’s other game, due to be played at the same time in Recife at the Arena Pernambuco.
In any case, the prospect of Brazil losing to a Cameroon side in disarray seems extremely unlikely. Volker Finke’s campaign has been beset by trouble since the very beginning.
A row over bonuses overshadowed their build-up to the finals and star striker Samuel Eto’o is struggling with a knee injury. Yet despite this, Brazil are wary of Cameroon for what will be the nations’ first clasg since the Indomitable Lions stunned the then-world champions 1-0 in the 2003 Confederations Cup in France.
“Their [Cameroon’s] pride has been hurt and they will be looking to beat Brazil because it would be like winning the World Cup for them,” Brazil defender David Luiz said.
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
PREDICTION: Last week, when Yu’s father made a wrong turn to the former champions’ parking lot, he said that his son could park there after this year With back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole, Kevin Yu fulfilled his driving range-owning dad’s prediction that he would win the Sanderson Farms Championship and become Taiwan’s third golfer to claim a US PGA Tour title. The Taoyuan-born 26-year-old, who represented Taiwan in the Olympic golf at Paris, saw off Californian Beau Hossler in a playoff at the Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday. Having drained a 15-foot putt to claw his way into the playoff, Yu rolled in from five feet on the first extra hole, ensuring he joined Chen Tze-chung (LA Open in 1987) and Pan Cheng-tsung (RBC
Francesco Bagnaia yesterday profited from a mistake by rookie Pedro Acosta to win the Japan MotoGP sprint and close the gap on overall championship leader, Jorge Martin. Spaniard Acosta crashed with four laps to go while leading the field at Motegi, allowing defending world champion Bagnaia to take first ahead of Enea Bastianini and Marc Marquez. Spain’s Martin finished fourth and saw his overall lead over Italian Bagnaia in the championship standings cut to 15 points. “I am very happy because with these conditions, it’s not very easy to win and gain points,” Bagnaia said after a sprint race that took place under
RSS