Eventful World Cup debut: Vuskovic sets a record, but learns too! | OneFootball

Luka Vuskovic is one of three players from Hamburg’s squad taking part in the World Cup. In the opener, he faced England with Croatia.

Just as at HSV, the centre-back, with his right knee strapped, served as a key figure in the back three despite his young age. He had already set a record by kick-off. At 19 years and 114 days old, Vuskovic became the youngest Croatian World Cup player in history, surpassing Matteo Kovacic, who was only brought on later. In the match itself, however, there were both highs and lows.

In only his sixth international appearance, Vuskovic had several successful moments, including five clearances in dangerous areas and winning the ball six times. One of those came before Martin Baturina made it 1:1, when he left his usual position and won the ball in a duel with Jude Bellingham (36’). But just six minutes later, England went back in front. Harry Kane — who had already converted a penalty at the second attempt for the early lead — headed in Declan Rice’s cross to make it 2:1. Vuskovic, who had first cleared the ball for a corner and was then slightly blocked by John Stones, got up well but could no longer reach it.

Photo: IMAGO

Vuskovic with a few shaky moments

Shortly before the break, Croatia equalised again through Petar Musa after a wonderful move, but they completely slept through the start of the second half. As a result, it was immediately 3:2, scored by Jude Bellingham after breaking down the wing. Vuskovic — whose lack of top speed is probably his only real weakness, though a very obvious one — also played a part here, as he declined the foot race and instead chose to track the run of Noni Madueke, who was moving into the middle.

One of his key strengths, on the other hand, is his aerial ability. Last season, he won an impressive 153 aerial duels, which ranked him fifth in the Bundesliga. But England’s highly dangerous corners repeatedly put Hamburg’s high-flyer under pressure. The same happened in the 56th minute: Nico O’Reilley got away from him and was denied by the very alert Dominik Livakovic, who kept Croatia in the game for a long time.

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It was only substitute Marcus Rashford who sealed the result with the 4:2 five minutes before the end of normal time after a well-worked counterattack. By then, Vuskovic was no longer on the pitch. He had made way for Marco Pasalic after 66 minutes. Coach Zlatko Dalic had switched to a back four with his side trailing.

Despite the defeat, the 2018 runners-up and 2022 third-place finishers still have a realistic chance of reaching the knockout stage. With Panama and Ghana to come in the remaining group matches, there are manageable tasks ahead. Vuskovic, who paid a bit of a price for his inexperience in the opener against a strong opponent, may well get another chance to prove himself on the biggest stage in world football.

Photo: IMAGO

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.