World Cup Croatia vs. England 2018: Danijel Subasic thinks of the World Cup, at the chest

Danijel Subasic (R) is wearing a jacket with the image of his teammate from Zadar, Hrvoje Custic. (Reuters Photo)

The only unusual thing about the goal kick, if you are forcefully looking for something, is how Danijel Subasic lazily takes it. It's just the fourth minute of the match and Subasic, and then with the Croatian Zadar top level, does not seem in a hurry. His body language is that of a man who walks in the evening. He sees his best friend Hrvoje Custic free on the left flank and, almost reluctantly, hits the ball in that direction. What would follow would change Subasic's life forever.

The ball bounced slightly awkwardly for Custic to control it the first time. As he takes the second touch, a HNK player Cibalia slams into him. It's a routine challenge, nothing malicious. But in the follow-up, Custic collided, head first, on a concrete wall on the side of the field. An ambulance rushed to the field and Custic was taken to the hospital, where emergency brain surgery was performed. But he never recovered. Six days after this collision, Custic, 25, died.

Subasic was so traumatized that he fell into depression. He even moved to the United States briefly, but the sight of his friend crumbling on the concrete wall continued to play loops every time he closed his eyes. "I told myself that if I had not played him, he would still be alive, I wondered why I had chosen him to play it, why I had not been in the middle. Had he done that, he probably would not have been hurt, "he said, quoted by the Croatian media." How could destiny, fate, have required that to happen? "

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Ten years have pbaded since that fateful day, but Subasic has not yet completely overcame the shock of his friend's death, and was most evident in both sessions. Shots on goal he participated in. Each time, before a kick, he looks up at the sky and utters a small prayer, sometimes raising both his arms, as if he wanted to kiss Custic

. Croatia, he is wearing a t-shirt with Custic's photo on it. "I decided that from that moment, I would always wear his picture under my shirt. Each match until the end of my career, "Subasic, now 33, said recently." I did it for Zadar, for Hajduk Split, now in Monaco in the Champions League and Europa League, and here in Russia. "

Against Denmark, after helping his team win a dramatic shootout, Subasic removed his shirt from the t-shirt underneath, which earned him an official reprimand from FIFA, which banned to the players to post private messages during the World Cup.This, however, did not stop Subasic.After leading Croatia to another victory through tie-breakers, this Once against the hosts of Russia, he almost did it again. "The goalkeeper, carried away by emotions, was about to pull off his jersey when the team manager rushed on the field and stopped it.

The intervention of the manager now seems deified. As Croatia hopes to compete against the legendary group of 1998 by facing England in the semi-finals tonight, it relies on a player belonging to the Serbian minority.

The goalkeepers' bademblage – De Gea, Neuer, Navas, Szczesny, Lloris, Courtois … the list is long. Subasic had slipped under the radar. Now he is in the account for the gold glove. When he saved Fedor Smolov's penalty in the shootout against Russia, Subasic became the third goalkeeper to record four shooting penalties, having already stopped three goals against Denmark in the previous round. His form in Russia was an extension of his exploits with Monaco. He joined the club of the French principality a few years after the fateful match for Zadar and was largely responsible for their move from second division to premiere, then to the Champions League in just four years.

He has an envious record of saving one penalty out of three, by far the best record among goalkeepers in this World Cup. In the 2015 season, he went without conceding a goal in Ligue 1 for 842 minutes, a record, and was voted best goalkeeper in the league the following season. And Subasic does not just save goals. He scored one too.

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The match only has 56 minutes when AS Monaco draws a free kick just in front of Boulogne's penalty area, slightly to the right. The score is 1-1 and the momentum with Monaco in this League 2 match six years ago. Barely a time, it was thought, for a goalkeeper to get out of his area, not to mention running 80 meters to the box of the opponent. His teammates, too, do not expect any puzzles.

So, you can feel the surprise on the face of striker Valerie Germain when his goalkeeper is patting him on the shoulder, insisting that he will try his luck. But there is no hesitation on the part of Germain. Subasic connects beautifully, hits through the wall; hip-high so that the guardian's vision is blocked. The ball flies in the net and, in the background, you can see a young Kolo Nolo, who will debut later, stop his warm-up routine and watch with astonishment.

Still today, Subasic practices free kicks. But against England, a team with a remarkable record in this tournament, Croatia will depend more on Subasic's skills safeguarding goals.

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