Croatia lost 0-7 to England at Ružđija, with Joško Gvardiol experiencing one of the most difficult matches of his international career. He played all 90 minutes, yet the platform SofaScore rated him 5.0 — the lowest score he has received in his professional career.
Gvardiol finished the match with five clearances and one interception, but did not win a single tackle. He won one of two ground duels and one of two aerial duels, while completing 40 of 43 passes, which is a 93 percent success rate.
Among the starting line-up, only Josip Stanišić fared worse, with a rating of 4.9. Gvardiol’s previous lowest rating had been 5.5, in a match for Leipzig against Manchester City.
Gvardiola erred in a dangerous area in front of the first goal for England. England seized the ball following his mistake and punished them through Harry Kane. The national team’s defensive structure failed throughout the match, with England creating overloads in the middle of the pitch, while the withdrawal of Kane and the entry of wide players opened up space in front of the Croatian centre-backs. A significant number of goals resulted from attacks in which England completely outmanoeuvred the Croatian defence, finishing from close range.
Dominik Livaković prevented a more comprehensive defeat with several saves. Following the match, the English manager Thomas Tuchel approached Gvardiola and embraced him on the pitch.
