Croatia in 2017: Up and down and off to World Cup

First days of 2017 saw Croatia visiting China Cup in Nanning, without its superstars, drawing 1:1 with South American champions Chile and host nation China only to lose in both penalty shootouts. However, Ante Čačić's men, not usually in the spotlight, performed very well, with Franko Andrijašević and Luka Ivanušec finding the net. Ivanušec thus became the youngest Croatia goalscorer in history.

The qualifying path towards Russia was continued in March at Maksimir Stadium, when Croatia finally enjoyed home fans' support and defeated Shevchenko's sturdy Ukraine 1:0, courtesy of Nikola Kalinić's goal. Four days later, a friendly international was played in Estonia, but alongside a 3:0 loss came a serious injury of Marko Pjaca.

In late May, in its North American premiere, Croatia brought joy to local supporters as the players available at a non-FIFA date overcame a strong Mexican side 2:1. Duje Čop and Fran Tudor were on target.

Later in June, in one of the key European Qualifiers, the Vatreni visited Reykjavik to face Iceland. A tough encounter produced no goals until the 90th minute, when resourceful Magnusson scored to win all three points for the hosts, complicating the situation in Group I. Ultimately, this moment marked the beginning of a tournaround that witnessed the Northern EURO 2016 sensation booking a direct ticket to Russia.

However, Čačić's selection still had everything in their own hands at the start of September and October deciders, and the first step in the right direction was a difficult win over Kosovo in Zagreb. Unusually, this match was abandoned in the first half due to heavy rain and resumed the next day. In these demanding conditions, it was Domagoj Vida (1:0) who broke the opponents' resistance.

Little over 50 hours later, Croatia had to visit the partisan atmosphere of Eskisehir, Turkey. The Vatreni coped excellently with fatigue and very motivated hosts, even with a major referee's oversight, and created some chances, but it was Tosun on 75 minutes who beat Danijel Subašić and compromised Croatia's plans.

Finland then came to Rijeka, instead of originally scheduled Osijek due to pitch condition, and was left with no other choice but to win. Mario Mandžukić's opener was a significant relief, with Juventus striker reaching No. 2 at Croatia's all-time goalscorers list. That was his 30th goal, while Davor Šuker leads with 45. Nonetheless, in the closing minutes Soiri levelled the score, triggering the termination of Ante Čačić's contract. His replacement, Zlatko Dalić, took the national team towards a formidable challenge in Kiev. It was necessary to win at Ukraine in order to reach the play-offs.

Andrej Kramarić assumed the hero-of-the-day role at the NSC Olimpiyskiy, scoring a brace in a 2:0 victory, but the entire team deserved praise for a brave and efficient quality performance in the gravest of moments, especially in the second half. Following the play-off draw, Croatia had to prepare for the familiar face of always inconvenient Greece.

As the qualifying campaign was coming to a close, the stage was set was Croatia's finest hour. Extraordinary performance in the first leg, at the sold-out Maksimir Stadium, crowned a brilliant night in Zagreb. Croatia won 4:1, with captain Luka Modrić and cheeky Nikola Kalinić quickly securing a two-goal lead. Papastathopoulos halved the deficit, only for Ivan Perišić and Andrej Kramarić to respond with two more goals.

Croatia cold-bloodedly held on to a goalless draw in the return leg at the passionate Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus. Ivan Perišić missed the winner by an inch - his excellent drive hit the woodwork, but the entire nation could once again celebrate with its footballers: Croatia will play at its fifth World Cup! In the final days of 2017, the Vatreni can start to prepare for the most prestigious of tournaments, where they will face Messi's Argentina, talented Nigeria, and anew Iceland. The draw does seem tough, but considering the introductory performances of Dalić's Croatia, it could be even tougher for Croatia's rivals...

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