Bilic urges Croatia to convert 7-0 Rijeka humiliation into fuel for Wembley Nations League rematch
Croatia will face England at Wembley on Thursday in the Nations League after suffering a 7-0 defeat to the same opponents last month in Rijeka, a result manager Slaven Bilic called “an eternal shame.” Bilic says he wants the team to use that loss to positive effect in the Wembley rematch.
The home humiliation last month has left a scar on Croatian football and there is a lingering feeling of unease. After the game Roy Keane commented that England looked as if they were matched against junior players, but comparisons to San Marino or Andorra were not widely pushed through the media in Croatia. Captain Luka Modric responded bluntly: “I have to say this,” the captain, Luka Modric, said. “I’ve been here for 20 years and this is the first time I feel ashamed. You can lose the game; that is not the issue here – they are simply better than us at the moment. But to squander the reputation we worked so hard and so long building – that is unacceptable.”
Croatia were routed 7-0 in Rijeka and were fortunate not to concede even more, with observers saying the side did not look like a team on the night. Bilic assessed the defeat in stark terms: “We were no match for them in any respect: challenges, aggression, technique, physicality … And then, of course, your confidence, your focus and your mental resolve all drop and everything falls apart.” He later described the feeling as “an eternal shame.”
Bilic said he struggled to find the right words after the result and told his players in the dressing room that the match should never be forgotten. “I told them that there are games which you simply need to forget and turn a new page as soon as possible, because you have the next match in a few days. But this is not one of those games. This one you should never forget. You should keep it mind for the rest of your lives and always be reminded of it so that you do everything not to repeat something like that ever again.”
Three days after the defeat to England, Croatia faced Spain and produced a much-improved performance, losing narrowly until Ivan Perisic was sent off after 79 minutes when the score was 1-1 for a second yellow card. That match was viewed domestically as the start of a response to the Rijeka humiliation.
The manager’s selection and tactical decisions in Rijeka have been questioned, and observers in the piece noted that Croatia’s squad structure — described as revolving around a 41-year-old playmaker with no true defensive midfielder or top wingers — presents a difficult physical match-up against England’s direct style. Bilic has been advised to adopt a pragmatic approach to limit England’s attacking threat, which could include greater involvement from one of his assistants, the set-piece specialist Gianni Vio, and a demand for higher grit and intensity from his players.
Public sentiment in Croatia, the article says, favours a combative response rather than a cerebral plan, and Bilic acknowledged the mood while remaining guarded about specifics. “We can hardly wait,” Bilic said, but he avoided detailing the team’s ambitions for the rematch.
Croatia travel to Wembley on Thursday to meet England in the Nations League; Ivan Perisic will be unavailable for the match after his sending-off against Spain.