Gibraltar prepares to face Croatia again this Saturday

Gibraltar’s women’s national team were back on the pitch, this time in Croatia, as they prepared for Saturday’s second encounter against their hosts.

A 1–0 defeat at Europa Point on Tuesday set the tone for what will be Gibraltar’s fourth World Cup qualifying group match. Croatia, highly ranked and among the favourites in the group, were surprised by a determined Gibraltar side who had their chances but were unable to find that elusive goal. Yet to score in the competition, Gibraltar’s women did not disappoint in front of their home crowd and will feel hard done by to have gone down to a solitary goal.

Croatia, who had been expected to be more effective on the pitch, grabbed their winner from a free-kick which raised some questions over the lack of VAR in the women’s game at this level.

With the ball bouncing off the crossbar and close to the line, it was the match officials’ decision that granted the goal, although there are doubts as to whether the ball fully crossed the line.

Putting their defeat behind them, this second match will be a challenge for the young Gibraltar side, who are still settling into the routine of playing two international matches in a week. After over a decade away from the international scene, Gibraltar will hope to show that they are competitive on the field—something they demonstrated on Tuesday.

Facing Croatia on their home ground will be a different experience, with the hosts knowing that all eyes will be on their performance following their defeat at the hands of Kosovo.

Gibraltar, with former Croatian international Stella Gotal at the helm, come into the match with no pressure other than that placed by their own expectations. Still in their infancy on the international stage and developing within the game, Gibraltar continue in what is a transitional “honeymoon” period as they find their feet at this level.