How Croatia must revel in the emergence of Belgium and their golden generation. Eden Hazard and co must now deal with the dubious, suffocating honour of being labelled Dark Horses – Niko Kovac’s men, meanwhile, have been liberated. Alex Song’s mindless red card near the end of the first half certainly made their task an easier one, but Croatia put the setback of their opening defeat to Brazil behind them with clinical ease.
Even with their playmakers Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic kept on the periphery by Cameroon’s energetic midfield, Croatia picked off the Indomitable Lions, who have, in truth, been anything but in Brazil.
Like all the classics, Ivica Olic, it appears, never gets old and his 19th goal for Croatia nipped a lively Cameroon start in the bud before Ivan Perisic’s rampaging effort gave them sufficient breathing space and Mario Mandzukic applied the finishing touches with two second-half goals.
Mandzukic is not wa nted by Bayern Munich next season but can expect to find himself top of plenty a shopping list this summer and his presence as Croatia’s spearhead led to the opening goal.
Darijo Srna, fizzed in a cross while the Cameroon centre-back Nicolas N’Koulou squeezed past Mandzukic to half clear, the ball fell to Perisic, whose diagonal pass found Olic to slam the ball past Charles Itandje. Perisic’s pass was a delightful one. By the time the ball was with him he had long since spotted the advancing Olic, who caught Stéphane Mbia, in the less familiar position of right-back, unawares.
Soon after, Mandzukic took the ball into feet and turned with remarkable ease, only to fire over, while Perisic contrived to miss from four yards after Danijel Pranjic’s corner was not cleared. In a rare pocket of space, Rakitic then sized up Itandje’s goal from 20 yards but scuffed his effort.
Cameroon’s early endeavour ensured this would be no cakewalk however. Indeed, had Mbia shown more composure when winding up from 20 yards, Stipe Pletikosa may have been called into action.
Perisic then headed over from a Croatia corner before Song’s frustration got the better of him. The midfielder planted an elbow into the back of Mandzukic in act of thuggery that has, thankfully, rarely been seen at this World Cup.
The impact was immediate. Whereas it had been famine for Modric and Rakitic in the middle, the feast was about to begin.
It took Croatia just three minutes of the second half to double their lead. A woeful kick from Itandje barely reached halfway and Perisic headed on, pinned back his ears and bore down on the Cameroon keeper before slotting home.
Croatia were rampant. Next it was Mandzukic who was clean through on Itandje but an attempted flick over the top found just the side netting. On the hour mark however, he had his goal, powering home a header from a corner. He added a se cond before the night was out, tapping into an empty net after substitute Eduardo saw his effort parried by Itandje and Rakitic should have made it five late on.
Cameroon head home regardless of their result against Brazil and their frustration was evident in the closing stages –Benoît Assou-Ekotto squaring up to team-mate Benjamin Moukandjo and appearing to headbutt him.
If Croatia defeat Mexico in their final group match, they will reach the knockout stages for the first time since the class of 1998, who finished third. On this evidence, the shackles, in place ever since that World Cup in France, finally appear to be off.
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