The Croatian national team manager Igor Stimac has said that the team is much better than the way they played in the 1-1 draw with Belgium. Croatia were taking on Belgium in a recent World Cup qualifying match. Due to the presence of high profile players like Luka Modric, Croatia were expected to take all three points from this match. However, they were held to a surprising 1-1 draw with Belgium. After the match, the national team manager Igor Stimac said that the fitness of the players was not up to the mark and he expected the performance of the team to improve vastly over the coming months.

He has also said that he is extremely happy with the draw against one of the young and talented teams in Europe. Belgium contain the likes of Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, and Marouane Fellaini. Due to the strength of the opposition, Igor Stimac reckons that it was point well earned. He is also confident that the team will be able to utilise the home matches in order to get three points, which will enable them to play in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Croatia missed an opportunity to play in the last World Cup, but took part in the European Championships in the summer.

“We will wait for all our players to get fit. When Luka Modric is fit we will easily win such matches as the one against Belgium,” said Igor Stimac after the match. Croatia currently third in the standings after having played two matches up until now. They have four points on the board. Serbia and Belgium are currently above them in the table due to the better goal difference. Scotland, Wales, Serbia and Belgium are the major threats for Croatia in their hopes of qualifying for the World Cup.