Croatia thrash 10-man Cameroon in World Cup rout

Friday, 20 June 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Reuters: A far cry from the talented side that reached the 1998 World Cup semi-finals, Croatia showed they still meant business in Brazil with a 4-0 rout of toothless Cameroon on Wednesday to stay in contention for the knockout stages.

To earn their first berth in the last 16 since stunning the world in their first World Cup campaign as an independent nation 16 years ago, the Croatians will in all probability need to beat Mexico in their final Group A clash in Recife on Monday. Coach Niko Kovac said his side would have to improve on their ocassionally casual defending and slack finishing against Cameroon to have any chance of progressing. “We let (Cameroon) have too many chances and we still have much potential left,” he told reporters. “It will be important for the team to get a good rest before the Mexico game because they are an aggressive and strength-sapping team. “But we will be buoyed by our performance against Cameroon and I must congratulate my players for an excellent performance in difficult weather.” The result left the Croatians third in Group A on three points from two games, one behind Brazil and Mexico.