Croatia at the 2014 FIFA World Cup

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Croatia participated in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. This was their fourth appearance having missed out on 2010.

Qualifying[]

See also: 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group A

Croatia was in Group A of UEFA's World Cup qualifications. They played alongside Belgium, Serbia, Scotland, Wales and Macedonia. Croatia finished as runner-up in the group and entered the Second Round play-offs where the team beat Iceland and qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Croatia national team was led by manager Igor Štimac until October 16, 2013 when he was, due to a series of bad results, replaced by Niko Kovač.[1]

The complete results of the group stage

Croatia 1–0 North Macedonia
Jelavić Goal 69' Report
Attendance: 13,883
Referee: Alon Yefet (Israel)
Belgium 1–1 Croatia
Gillet Goal 45+1' Report Perišić Goal 6'
Attendance: 39,987
North Macedonia 1–2 Croatia
Ibraimi Goal 16' Report Ćorluka Goal 33'
Rakitić Goal 60'
Philip II Arena, Skopje
Attendance: 25,230
Croatia 2–0 Wales
Mandžukić Goal 27'
Eduardo Goal 57'		 Report
Stadion Gradski vrt, Osijek
Attendance: 17,500
Croatia 2–0 Serbia
Mandžukić Goal 23'
Olić Goal 37'		 Report
Attendance: 35,722
Wales 1–2 Croatia
Bale Goal 21' (pen.) Report Lovren Goal 77'
Eduardo Goal 87'
Attendance: 12,534
Referee: Luca Banti (Italy)
Croatia 0–1 Scotland
Report Snodgrass Goal 26'
Attendance: 25,016
Serbia 1–1 Croatia
Mitrović Goal 66' Report Mandžukić Goal 53'
Attendance: 30,000
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)
Croatia 1–2 Belgium
Kranjčar Goal 84' Report Lukaku Goal 16', 38'
Attendance: 13,000
Referee: Howard Webb (England)
Scotland 2–0 Croatia
Snodgrass Goal 28'
Naismith Goal 73'		 Report
Hampden Park, Glasgow
Attendance: 30,172

The final standings were the following:

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Belgium 10 8 2 0 18 4 +14 26 Qualification to 2014 FIFA World Cup — 1–1 2–1 2–0 1–1 1–0
2  Croatia 10 5 2 3 12 9 +3 17 Advance to second round 1–2 — 2–0 0–1 2–0 1–0
3  Serbia 10 4 2 4 18 11 +7 14 0–3 1–1 — 2–0 6–1 5–1
4  Scotland 10 3 2 5 8 12 −4 11 0–2 2–0 0–0 — 1–2 1–1
5  Wales 10 3 1 6 9 20 −11 10 0–2 1–2 0–3 2–1 — 1–0
6  Macedonia 10 2 1 7 7 16 −9 7 0–2 1–2 1–0 1–2 2–1 —
Source:[citation needed]

Croatia qualified for the Second Round where they eliminated Iceland with a 2-0 aggregate score after a two-round play-off series.

Iceland 0–0 Croatia
Report
Attendance: 9,767
Croatia 2–0 Iceland
Mandžukić Goal 27'
Srna Goal 47'		 Report
Attendance: 22,612

Players[]

Stipe Pletikosa and Mario Mandžukić are the only players that appeared in all 12 qualifying matches. Further more Pletikosa played the full 90 minutes of all the matches while Mandžukić was the top scorer with 4 achieved goal. Midfielder Marcelo Brozović and goalkeepers Danijel Subašić and Oliver Zelenika did not appear in any of the qualifying matches but made the final World Cup squad.

Complete list of players in the qualifying matches

# Name Games Played Goals
1 Mario Mandžukić 12 4
Stipe Pletikosa 12 0
3 Darijo Srna 11 1
4 Ivan Perišić 10 1
Luka Modrić 10 0
6 Vedran Ćorluka 9 1
Ivan Rakitić 9 1
Ivan Strinić[2] 9 0
Josip Šimunić[3] 9 0
10 Eduardo 7 2
Dejan Lovren 7 1
Ivica Olić 7 1
Ognjen Vukojević 7 0
14 Nikica Jelavić 6 1
Niko Kranjčar[4] 6 1
Mateo Kovačić 6 0
Domagoj Vida 6 0
18 Nikola Kalinić 5 0
19 Gordon Schildenfeld 4 0
20 Milan Badelj 3 0
Sammir 3 0
22 Danijel Pranjić 2 0
Ante Rebić 2 0
24 Leon Benko 1 0
Ivo Iličević 1 0
Josip Radošević 1 0
Šime Vrsaljko 1 0

Source: Croatian Football Federation

Player was not selected for the 2014 FIFA World Cup squad

World Cup preparation[]

The Croatian national team's World Cup camp was in luxurious Tivoli Ecoresort near Praia do Forte and Mata de São João in Bahia.[5]

The team three friendly matches before the tournament


5 March 2014 Friendly		 Switzerland   2 – 2  Croatia St. Gallen, Switzerland
19:30 GMT Drmić Goal 33', 41' Report Olić Goal 39', 54' Stadium: AFG Arena
Attendance: 17,200
Referee: Hugo Filipe Ferreira de Campos Moreira Miguel (Portugal)

31 May 2014 Friendly		 Croatia  2 – 1  Mali Osijek, Croatia
14:00 GMT Perišić Goal 15', 63' Report Diarra Goal 79' Stadium: Gradski vrt
Attendance: 15,212
Referee: István Vad (Hungary)

6 June 2014 Friendly		 Croatia  1 – 0  Australia Salvador, Brazil
Jelavić Goal 58' Report Stadium: Estádio de Pituaçu
Referee: Francisco Carlos do Nascimento (Brazil)

Draw[]

Croatia was drawn into Group A. Croatia's opponents in the first stage were Brazil, Cameroon and Mexico. The match between the Brazil and Croatia opened the World Cup tournament.

2014 World Cup squad[]

Coach: Niko Kovač

The final squad was announced on 31 May 2014.[6] With less than 48 hours until the opening game against Brazil, Milan Badelj was called up to replace the injured Ivan Močinić, after having previously been excluded from the final squad.[7]

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Club
1 1GK Stipe Pletikosa (1979-01-08)8 January 1979 (aged 35) 111 Russia Rostov
2 2DF Šime Vrsaljko (1992-01-10)10 January 1992 (aged 22) 7 Italy Genoa
3 2DF Danijel Pranjić (1981-12-02)2 December 1981 (aged 32) 50 Greece Panathinaikos
4 3MF Ivan Perišić (1989-02-02)2 February 1989 (aged 25) 29 Germany VfL Wolfsburg
5 2DF Vedran Ćorluka (1986-02-05)5 February 1986 (aged 28) 72 Russia Lokomotiv Moscow
6 2DF Dejan Lovren (1989-07-05)5 July 1989 (aged 24) 25 England Southampton
7 3MF Ivan Rakitić (1988-03-10)10 March 1988 (aged 26) 62 Spain Sevilla[8]
8 3MF Ognjen Vukojević (1983-12-20)20 December 1983 (aged 30) 55 Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv
9 4FW Nikica Jelavić (1985-08-27)27 August 1985 (aged 28) 33 England Hull City
10 3MF Luka Modrić (1985-09-09)9 September 1985 (aged 28) 75 Spain Real Madrid
11 2DF Darijo Srna (c) (1982-05-01)1 May 1982 (aged 32) 112 Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk
12 1GK Oliver Zelenika (1993-05-14)14 May 1993 (aged 21) 0 Croatia Lokomotiva[9]
13 2DF Gordon Schildenfeld (1985-03-18)18 March 1985 (aged 29) 21 Greece Panathinaikos[10]
14 3MF Marcelo Brozović (1992-10-16)16 October 1992 (aged 21) 1 Croatia Dinamo Zagreb
15 3MF Milan Badelj (1989-02-25)25 February 1989 (aged 25) 9 Germany Hamburger SV
16 4FW Ante Rebić (1993-09-21)21 September 1993 (aged 20) 5 Italy Fiorentina
17 4FW Mario Mandžukić (1986-05-21)21 May 1986 (aged 28) 50 Germany Bayern Munich[11]
18 4FW Ivica Olić (1979-09-14)14 September 1979 (aged 34) 92 Germany VfL Wolfsburg
19 3MF Sammir (1987-04-23)23 April 1987 (aged 27) 6 Spain Getafe
20 3MF Mateo Kovačić (1994-05-06)6 May 1994 (aged 20) 10 Italy Internazionale
21 2DF Domagoj Vida (1989-04-29)29 April 1989 (aged 25) 23 Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv
22 4FW Eduardo (1983-02-25)25 February 1983 (aged 31) 63 Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk
23 1GK Danijel Subašić (1984-10-27)27 October 1984 (aged 29) 6 France Monaco

Team captain: Darijo Srna

Matches[]

Round Robin[]

See also: 2014 FIFA World Cup Group A

Standings[]

Legend
Group winners and runners-up advanced to the round of 16
Pos Team
  • v
  • t
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Brazil (H) 3 2 1 0 7 2 +5 7 Advance to knockout stage
2  Mexico 3 2 1 0 4 1 +3 7
3  Croatia 3 1 0 2 6 6 0 3
4  Cameroon 3 0 0 3 1 9 −8 0
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria
(H) Host

Matches[]

Brazil vs Croatia[]

Further information: List of 2014 FIFA World Cup controversies § Brazil vs Croatia

The two teams had met in two previous matches, including in the 2006 FIFA World Cup group stage, won by Brazil 1–0.[12] Croatia forward Mario Mandžukić was suspended for the match, after being sent off in the team's final qualifier against Iceland.[13]

Croatia opened the scoring through a Marcelo own goal, as the ball bounced off him into the net after Nikica Jelavić deflected Ivica Olić's cross.[14] Neymar equalised for the hosts with a 25-yard (23 m) shot after receiving a pass from Oscar.[15] In the second half, Brazil took the lead with Neymar's penalty after Dejan Lovren was judged to have fouled Fred in the penalty area.[15] Croatia had a potential equaliser disallowed, after a foul was called on the Brazilian goalkeeper, Júlio César.[16][17][18] In added time, Oscar sealed the win, toe-poking the third goal for Brazil from 22 yards (20 m) after receiving a pass from Ramires.[15]

Post-match, FIFA referees chief Massimo Busacca defended the officials for awarding the penalty and insisted there had been some contact between Lovren and Fred, even if it was minimal.[19] On the other hand, renowned former top-level FIFA referee Markus Merk criticised FIFA for having Yuichi Nishimura as the referee in the opening match, labelling the refereeing in the match as "embarrassing".[20]

The game was notable for a number of pioneering events. This was the first occasion in FIFA World Cup history on which an own goal (which was also the first ever own goal scored by Brazil in World Cup finals) opened scoring in the tournament. As the first game played at this World Cup, the match also saw the first use of vanishing spray to mark free kick spots, and the advent of goal-line technology, two innovations introduced during the tournament.[21]

Brazil 3–1 Croatia
Neymar Goal 29', 71' (pen.)
Oscar Goal 90+1'		 Report Marcelo Goal 11' (o.g.)
Arena de São Paulo, São Paulo
Attendance: 62,103
Brazil
Croatia
GK 12 Júlio César
RB 2 Dani Alves
CB 3 Thiago Silva (c)
CB 4 David Luiz
LB 6 Marcelo
DM 8 Paulinho Substituted off 63'
DM 17 Luiz Gustavo Yellow card 88'
RW 7 Hulk Substituted off 68'
AM 11 Oscar
LW 10 Neymar Yellow card 27' Substituted off 88'
CF 9 Fred
Substitutions:
MF 18 Hernanes Substituted in 63'
MF 20 Bernard Substituted in 68'
MF 16 Ramires Substituted in 88'
Manager:
Luiz Felipe Scolari
BRA-CRO 2014-06-12.svg
GK 1 Stipe Pletikosa
RB 11 Darijo Srna (c)
CB 5 Vedran Ćorluka Yellow card 65'
CB 6 Dejan Lovren Yellow card 69'
LB 2 Šime Vrsaljko
CM 10 Luka Modrić
CM 7 Ivan Rakitić
RW 4 Ivan Perišić
AM 20 Mateo Kovačić Substituted off 61'
LW 18 Ivica Olić
CF 9 Nikica Jelavić Substituted off 78'
Substitutions:
MF 14 Marcelo Brozović Substituted in 61'
FW 16 Ante Rebić Substituted in 78'
 
Manager:
Niko Kovač

Man of the Match:
Neymar (Brazil)[22]

Assistant referees:
Toru Sagara (Japan)
Toshiyuki Nagi (Japan)
Fourth official:
Alireza Faghani (Iran)
Fifth official:
Hassan Kamranifar (Iran)

Cameroon vs Croatia[]

The two teams had never met before.[23]

In a match where both teams needed at least a point to stay alive in the competition, Croatia opened scoring when Ivica Olić scored from close range from Ivan Perišić's pass. Just before half time, Cameroon was reduced to ten men when Alex Song was dismissed for an off the ball incident with Mario Mandžukić. Perišić scored at the beginning of the second half when he intercepted Cameroonian goalkeeper Charles Itandje's goal kick and ran 50 yards before slotting in at the near post. Mandžukić scored the last two goals, the first a header from Danijel Pranjić's corner and the second a tap in after Itandje parried Eduardo's shot into his path.[24] The result confirmed Cameroon's elimination from the tournament.

In a case of infighting, Cameroonian defender Benoît Assou-Ekotto was caught on camera head-butting teammate Benjamin Moukandjo.[25][26] Song later apologised to Mandžukić and his country for his ejection, while Cameroonian coach Volker Finke said he was very disappointed with their performance.[27][28][29]

On 1 July 2014, Cameroon officials announced that they had opened an investigation on claims that seven of the Cameroon's players were involved in fixing the result.[30][31] FIFA, however, said there was no evidence that there were any match fixing in any of Cameroon's matches.[32]

Olić, who previously scored a goal in the 2002 World Cup, became the second player to have a 12-year gap between World Cup goals, after Michael Laudrup in 1986 and 1998.[33] Mandžukić became the first Croatian player to score a brace in a World Cup game. The 4–0 scoreline was also the biggest win by Croatia in the World Cup.[34]

Cameroon 0–4 Croatia
Report Olić Goal 11'
Perišić Goal 48'
Mandžukić Goal 61', 73'
Attendance: 39,982
Cameroon
Croatia
GK 16 Charles Itandje
RB 17 Stéphane Mbia
CB 14 Aurélien Chedjou Substituted off 46'
CB 3 Nicolas N'Koulou (c)
LB 2 Benoît Assou-Ekotto
DM 21 Joël Matip
CM 6 Alex Song Red card 40'
CM 18 Eyong Enoh
RW 13 Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting Substituted off 75'
LW 8 Benjamin Moukandjo
CF 10 Vincent Aboubakar Substituted off 70'
Substitutions:
DF 5 Dany Nounkeu Substituted in 46'
FW 15 Pierre Webó Substituted in 70'
MF 20 Edgar Salli Substituted in 75'
Manager:
Germany Volker Finke
CMR-CRO 2014-06-18.svg
GK 1 Stipe Pletikosa
RB 11 Darijo Srna (c)
CB 5 Vedran Ćorluka
CB 6 Dejan Lovren
LB 3 Danijel Pranjić
CM 10 Luka Modrić
CM 7 Ivan Rakitić
RW 4 Ivan Perišić Substituted off 78'
AM 19 Sammir Substituted off 72'
LW 18 Ivica Olić Substituted off 69'
CF 17 Mario Mandžukić
Substitutions:
FW 22 Eduardo Yellow card 89' Substituted in 69'
MF 20 Mateo Kovačić Substituted in 72'
FW 16 Ante Rebić Substituted in 78'
Manager:
Niko Kovač

Man of the Match:
Mario Mandžukić (Croatia)

Assistant referees:
Bertino Cunha (Portugal)
Tiago Trigo (Portugal)
Fourth official:
Walter López (Guatemala)
Fifth official:
Leonel Leal (Costa Rica)

Croatia vs Mexico[]

Further information: List of 2014 FIFA World Cup controversies § Croatia vs Mexico

The two teams had met in three previous matches, including in the 2002 FIFA World Cup group stage, won by Mexico 1–0.[35]

Coming into the final round of matches, Croatia needed to win to guarantee qualification to the knockout stage regardless of the result of Cameroon vs Brazil, while Mexico only needed a draw to do so. The game was goalless for the first 70 minutes, until a Héctor Herrera corner to the back post allowed Rafael Márquez to score from a header, outleaping the Croatian defenders.[36] With Croatia progressing only by way of a win, they were caught out on a break a short time later where Andrés Guardado scored after receiving a pass from Oribe Peralta. Mexico scored their third goal when Márquez flicked on Guardado's corner with substitute Javier Hernández scoring at the back post. Ivan Perišić scored in his second consecutive World Cup match after a neat back pass from Ivan Rakitić to get a consolation goal for Croatia in the closing minutes of the game, before Croatia's Ante Rebić was sent off for a foul on Carlos Peña.[37] Mexico qualified as group runners-up (behind Brazil on goal difference) on virtue of the win, while Croatia were eliminated.

With his goal, Márquez joined Cuauhtémoc Blanco as the only Mexican player to score in three World Cups.[38]

Croatia 1–3 Mexico
Perišić Goal 87' Report Márquez Goal 72'
Guardado Goal 75'
Hernández Goal 82'
Arena Pernambuco, Recife
Attendance: 41,212
Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)
Croatia
Mexico
GK 1 Stipe Pletikosa
RB 11 Darijo Srna (c)
CB 5 Vedran Ćorluka
CB 6 Dejan Lovren
LB 2 Šime Vrsaljko Substituted off 58'
CM 7 Ivan Rakitić Yellow card 9'
CM 3 Danijel Pranjić Substituted off 74'
RW 4 Ivan Perišić
AM 10 Luka Modrić
LW 18 Ivica Olić Substituted off 69'
CF 17 Mario Mandžukić
Substitutions:
MF 20 Mateo Kovačić Substituted in 58'
FW 16 Ante Rebić Red card 89' Substituted in 69'
FW 9 Nikica Jelavić Substituted in 74'
Manager:
Niko Kovač
CRO-MEX 2014-06-23.svg
GK 13 Guillermo Ochoa
CB 2 Francisco Rodríguez
CB 4 Rafael Márquez (c) Yellow card 39'
CB 15 Héctor Moreno
RWB 22 Paul Aguilar
LWB 7 Miguel Layún
DM 23 José Juan Vázquez Yellow card 66'
CM 6 Héctor Herrera
CM 18 Andrés Guardado Substituted off 84'
SS 10 Giovani dos Santos Substituted off 62'
CF 19 Oribe Peralta Substituted off 79'
Substitutions:
FW 14 Javier Hernández Substituted in 62'
MF 21 Carlos Peña Substituted in 79'
MF 8 Marco Fabián Substituted in 84'
Manager:
Miguel Herrera

Man of the Match:
Rafael Márquez (Mexico) Assistant referees:
Abdukhamidullo Rasulov (Uzbekistan)
Bakhadyr Kochkarov (Kyrgyzstan)
Fourth official:
Néant Alioum (Cameroon)
Fifth official:
Djibril Camara (Senegal)

References[]

  1. ^ "Kovač replaces Štimac as Croatia coach". UEFA. October 16, 2013. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
  2. ^ Reuters Staff (May 23, 2014). "Croatia's Strinic out of World Cup with hamstring injury" – via uk.reuters.com.
  3. ^ Šimunić was banned from playing in 10 official matches by FIFA because of a Nazi salute after the Croatia - Iceland match on 19 November 2013 [1]
  4. ^ "Kranjcar ruled out of World Cup" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  5. ^ "Na zadovoljstvo izbornika: HNS potvrdio Tivoli Ecoresort za kamp reprezentacije" (in Croatian). Croatian Football Federation. December 18, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  6. ^ "Kovač objavio putnike za Brazil: Otpali Čop, Bubnjić, Pašalić i Badelj! Močinić ide na SP! - SP 2014". Index.hr. 31 May 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  7. ^ "BADELJ RECEIVES LAST-MINUTE CROATIA CALL-UP". Bundeliga. 11 June 2014. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  8. ^ Rakitić joined FC Barcelona after the tournament. "Agreement for Ivan Rakitic to join FC Barcelona". FC Barcelona. FC Barcelona. 16 June 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  9. ^ Zelenika was on loan at Lokomotiva from Dinamo Zagreb.
  10. ^ Schildenfeld was on loan at Panathanaikos from Dynamo Moscow.
  11. ^ Mandžukić joined Atlético Madrid following the tournament. "Mandzukic is now an Atlético". clubatleticodemadrid.com. Atlético de Madrid. 10 July 2014. Archived from the original on 12 July 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  12. ^ "2014 FIFA World Cup – Statistical Kit" (PDF). FIFA.com. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-06-29.
  13. ^ "Match suspensions to be served at the final competition of the FIFA World Cup". FIFA.com. 24 February 2014.
  14. ^ "Neymar fires Brazil to comeback victory". FIFA. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Brazil 3 Croatia 1". BBC Sport. 12 June 2014. Archived from the original on 8 July 2014.
  16. ^ Glendenning, Barry (12 June 2014). "Brazil 3-1 Croatia: World Cup 2014 – as it happened". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  17. ^ Kane, Desmond (12 June 2014). "Forget Neymar, Brazil's new national hero is Yuichi Nishimura". Eurosport. Archived from the original on 13 June 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  18. ^ "Brazil 3 - 1 Croatia Match report - Goal.com". Goal.com. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  19. ^ "Brazil 3 Croatia 1: Fifa defend under-fire referee Yuichi Nishimura as Japanese official caught up in diving row during opening World Cup match". The Independent. 13 June 2014. Archived from the original on 13 June 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  20. ^ Haji Talib, Hassan; Chotpibulsap, Pitisak (13 June 2014). "Former FIFA referee: Refereeing for World Cup opener was "embarrassing"". Goal.com. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  21. ^ "Marcelo's own goal, vanishing spray and goaline technology - the World Cup firsts at Brazil 2014". Der Standard. 12 June 2014.
  22. ^ "Brazil 3-1 Croatia – Man of the Match". FIFA.com (Fédération Internationale de Football Association). 12 June 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
  23. ^ "2014 FIFA World Cup – Statistical Kit" (PDF). FIFA.com. p. 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-06-29.
  24. ^ Khan, Mehreen (19 June 2014). "Cameroon v Croatia, World Cup 2014: as it happened". The Telegraph. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  25. ^ "Cameroon 0 Croatia 4". BBC Sport. 18 June 2014.
  26. ^ Peck, Brooks (18 June 2014). "Alex Song elbows Mario Mandzukic in the back for some reason, gets sent off". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  27. ^ Khan, Mehreen (19 June 2014). "Assou-Ekotto head-butt stuns Finke". ESPN. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  28. ^ "Finke: Card no reason to see red". FIFA.com. 19 June 2014. Archived from the original on 22 June 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  29. ^ "World Cup: Cameroon coach slams 'disgusting' player behavior in loss". The Guardian. 19 June 2014. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  30. ^ "World Cup 2014: Cameroon investigates match-fixing claims". BBC Sport. 1 July 2014.
  31. ^ "World Cup 2014: Match-fixer denies predicting Cameroon result". BBC Sport. 1 July 2014.
  32. ^ "World Cup 2014: Fifa says no proof of Cameroon match-fixing". BBC Sport. 2 July 2014.
  33. ^ "Olic: Twelve years and still going strong". FIFA.com. 19 June 2014.
  34. ^ "Eagles down, but not out -Ameobi". The Sun. 20 June 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14.
  35. ^ "2014 FIFA World Cup – Statistical Kit" (PDF). FIFA.com. p. 40. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-06-29.
  36. ^ "Mexico qualify from Group A with three late goals against Croatia". Guardian. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  37. ^ "Croatia 1 Mexico 3". BBC Sport. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  38. ^ "Why Rafael Marquez Will Be Key for Mexico in the Clash Against Netherlands". Bleacher Report. 23 June 2014.

External links[]

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