Croatia striker Bruno Petkovic says the team’s mental strength that has propelled them to two penalty shoot-out wins at the FIFA World Cup 2022 has deep roots in the country’s struggle for independence.
Petkovic scored a late equaliser to cancel out Neymar’s opener for Brazil in the quarter-finals, before Zlatko Dalic’s team held their nerve to win on spot kicks. They also beat Japan on penalties in the previous round.
It is a familiar pattern for Dalic’s men, who four years ago reached the final via three extra-time wins in the knockout stage, two of them after shoot-outs.
“I think one of the reasons (for this mentality), is that we are a small country,” Petkovic said on Sunday. “Even though as players we are young, we know how our country was made and gained independence in the 1990s.
“We learned about this from our parents. We learned you fight, you work hard and you don’t get anywhere without that,” added the 28-year-old, who has become a national hero since his equaliser broke Brazilian hearts.
Some of the older players in the team have strong connections to the conflict in the Balkans in the 1990s.
Veteran midfielder Luka Modric was displaced as a youngster and defender Dejan Lovren was forced out of his childhood home.—AFP
