Croatia promise defiance

The semi-final tie which nobody countenanced promises a fascinating contrast in styles in the Stade de France this evening when Croatia seek to enrich their World Cup odyssey with a win over France.

That France, long on flair but surprisingly short on finish, would arrive in the last four was always in prospect, even if it was achieved on the strength of streaky performances against Paraguay and Italy.

Less predictable but significantly more romantic has been the journey of the Croatians, beaten by Argentina in the first phase, but grown to new stature in wins over Romania and Germany in the knock-out stages.

"At this time I was planning to be on holiday with my family on the Adriatic coast," said Davor Suker. "Now I'm two games away from winning a World Cup medal and I don't wish to leave Paris."

Suker's sentiments are shared by 5,000 of his compatriots, attracted here belatedly by the possibility of witnessing a little sporting miracle.

Almost certainly, Aime Jacquet, the French coach, was preparing himself for a meeting with Germany at this stage of the competition. Yet, Jacquet will acknowledge that Croatia, almost as old as the German team but significantly hungrier for success, pose just as big a threat.

"I respect Croatia as a team which has played well enough to reach the semi-finals," he said. "They have balance in every part of their team and that makes them very dangerous. People ask if we would prefer to play Germany today. That is not relevant, but any team which beats them 3-0 is certain to provide strong opposition for us."

In the euphoria which has built with each consecutive French success, Jacquet's feet remain solidly on the ground. His thoughts are centred on the problem of rediscovering the missing edge of a team which, in spite of scoring nine times in their three first phase games, has looked wholly inadequate in each of their last two outings.

The partnership of Stephane Guivarc'h and David Trezeguet has failed to deliver on its rich promise and in spite of the occasional glimpse of the skill which earned Thierry Henry such a high rating with Monaco, he too has struggled. Christophe Dugarry, injured after scoring in the first game against South Africa, is now sufficiently recovered to join in training, but it's a moot point if Jacquet will be prepared to gamble on his fitness in a game of this importance.

Acknowledging the growing crisis at the front of the team, Guivarc'h said: "It's an open secret that much of our attention between games has been concentrated on sharpening our finishing work. I think it's now a question of persistence and self-belief. Confidence is important for all forward players, but, personally, I don't feel any extra pressure."

Jacquet can have no real worries about either the quality of his defence or the ability of midfield players like Zinedine Zidane or Youri Djorkaeff. Indeed, Zidane has returned from suspension with an even greater sense of purpose.

With the resourceful Didier Deschamps deployed in the anchor role and Arsenal's Emmanuel Petit thrusting down the middle it defies football logic that the French have only once hit the target in their last two marathon games. The suspicion is that unless they score early in this evening's game they will again struggle.

By contrast, Croatia coach Miroslav Blazevic is radiating confidence. "We're excited at the thought of playing a World Cup semi-final in the most beautiful stadium in the world in front of 80,000 people," he said after training yesterday.

"Already we have gone farther than we expected. There is, of course, pressure to do even better, but the real pressure will be on France. And that is going to help us."

Like Jacquet, Blazevic has no cause to question a defence which has at all times looked strong and secure, even if some of their tackling has been fraught with risk in the current era of zealous refereeing.

So far, however, we have seen little of the talent which elevates Zvonimir Boban to a special place among midfielders. Curiously, he took a long time to make an impact in the quarter-final win over Germany, but Croatians are basing many of their hopes on the premise that the AC Milan player is now primed for his most best performance of the championship.

If he responds to that challenge and Davor Suker again finds inspiration in the big occasion, France may discover that the path to that coveted place in Sunday's final is a lot more difficult than the bookmakers' odds suggest.