FRANCE 98 – Match Summary n°63

Croatia beat Holland 2-1 here on Saturday night to finish third in the 1998 World Cup, but the cheers for Davor Suker’s winner were overshadowed by boos for the hated Slaven Bilic.

Robert Prosinecki opened the scoring in the 13th minute and Dutch pressure was rewarded in the 21st when winger Boudewijn Zenden smacked in a superb equaliser from outside the penalty area. But Davor Suker became the tournament’s top scorer when he drove home his sixth goal in the 37th minute, securing Croatia the bronze medal.

However, the French crowd soon made it clear there would be no forgiving or forgetting Bilic’s ham-acting which got national hero Laurent Blanc sent off in last Wednesday’s semi-final, and banned for Sunday’s final with Brazil. Blanc had pushed Bilic on the chin in a brief tussle, but the Croatian had promptly collapsed to the floor clutching his face in agony. And when Bilic’s name was read out before kick-off it was greeted by deafening boos and whistles-and the treatment was handed out every single time he went near the ball, let alone touched it, for the whole 90 minutes. The treatment marred a match which the Croatians had shown more determination in winning, while the Dutch were let down by slack defending and atrocious finishing.

Patrick Kluivert made a promising start with a seventh minute shot which was blocked by goalkeeper Drazen Ladic’s legs from close range, but it was Croatia who took a surprise lead. Holland’s weak marking allowed Robert Jarni to break down the left and his cross was collected by Prosinecki, who turned 360 degrees before hustling past two defenders and driving a lot shot past Edwin Van Der Sar. Kluivert was then denied by Ladic’s legs a second time in the 19th minute and Philip Cocu headed a corner just wide a minute after that.

It was only a matter of time before the Dutch were level, and the time needed was mere seconds. Zenden, used instead of Marc Overmars, picked up the ball on the right, ran sideways along the edge of the penalty area before unleashing a magnificent 20-yard shot into the roof of the net.

However, Croatia rode the punch and countered with a superb three-man move in the 37th minute. Aljosa Asanovic led a breakaway into the penalty area and when blocked fed the ball back for skipper Zvonimir Boban, who immediately sent it wide to the unmarked Suker on the left. The Croatian raked his low shot between the legs of luckless defender Jaap Stam and into the far corner of the net.

Overmars had recovered sufficiently from injury to be thrown into the fray by Dutch coach Guus Hiddink in an unlikely 2-4-4 formation at the re-start, and the Arsenal winger was soon causing trouble. An ineffective Dennis Bergkamp was the next to go, in favour of Pierre Van Hooijdonk, as Hiddink pushed his men to score an equaliser against a Croatian side who were content just to sit on the result.

For the first 25 minutes of the second half, Croatia’s only real threat was a Prosinecki free-kick which narrowly missed the outstretched boot of Suker at the far post. Holland came closer in the 77th minute, when Overmars beat Ladic but saw his rebounding effort cleared by the Croatian defence and Kluivert rightly covered his face in shame when he dodged Bilkic and, with Ladic at his mercy from eight metres, blasted his effort hopelessly wide. It looked like the miss of the match, but that distinction was reserved moments later for Clarence Seedorf, who failed to beat the Croatian keeper from seven metres in the 83rd minute. It was Holland’s last chance, as Croatia stole the show.