Belgium captain Youri Tielemans said on Tuesday Napoli forward Romelu Lukaku scoring on his first international appearance in more than a year in a 2-0 World Cup friendly win over Croatia was "ideal".

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic announced Monday a preliminary 26-man squad for the upcoming World Cup, to be led by veteran Luka Modric, the key architect of the country's historic success in recent years.

During the 1998 World Cup, Blazevic was famed for wearing a French gendarme's hat during games, as a symbol of solidarity with a security officer who was seriously injured by German football hooligans during the tournament.

Win and you have a seat at the finals. Lose and you go home. In this high-risk and high-reward situation, we have only four teams left at the FIFA World Cup 2022 and Croatia amongst them have earned our respect a while ago. They have dismantled some big teams on their way to the road to the final. Here are 5 reasons why Croatia is a force to be reckoned with.

Adored by football fans all over the world, rivals and supporters alike — Luka Modric is one of the most revered names in modern football. Easily up there amongst the all-time great midfielders, this Croatian is a shining example of a true leader. He may not look like much from the outside but on and off the pitch, he demonstrates all the qualities of a true leader.