Steep lessons for Gibraltar women as Croatia put nine past them

Gibraltar maintained its line-up from the previous Tuesday for its match against Croatia this Saturday. After an impressive home performance, in which Gibraltar held Croatia to a narrow 1–0 defeat while creating chances of their own, the return tie in Croatia was always going to prove more challenging.

Head coach Stella Gotal had congratulated her players and praised their effort, highlighting how the performance against Croatia had been better than in their previous two World Cup qualifiers, while also indicating that there was still much to improve. She described her situation as unique, having been both a former player and coach of Croatia. Gotal hoped that the confidence gained from the first match would carry into the second.

Far from the windswept pitch of Gibraltar, the team played in a sunny Croatian setting, with mild temperatures and a slight breeze. Gibraltar faced the added challenge of playing in front of opposition fans in what was still a relatively new environment, having only competed in one official international tournament prior to this qualifying campaign.

For Sarah Popham, the day marked her birthday, while for Tiffany Viagas it was a moment of divided attention. Her father, president of Lincoln Red Imps, was also involved in a crucial fixture, as his club faced Europa in a match that could decide the league title—both games kicking off at the same time.

Croatia made several changes to their line-up from Tuesday, adding more experience to the starting eleven.

Croatia started strongly, pushing Gibraltar into a defensive posture early on. The hosts ensured they were on the front foot, showing greater focus than in their previous meeting in Gibraltar.

An early foul by Lawerence on the edge of the box provided Croatia with their first dangerous free kick after four minutes, though the ball drifted wide for a goal kick. Gotal was soon at the edge of her technical area, urging her players to organise as Gibraltar settled into a deeper defensive shape.

It took Gibraltar around seven minutes to venture into the opposition half. Gilbert appeared to win a corner, but the referee judged otherwise, not spotting the Croatian defender’s touch.

Croatia quickly regained control of possession, as expected. On eleven minutes, they earned their first corner. Although the defence was beaten, Gibraltar had packed the area well enough to disrupt the header—an important improvement from previous matches where they had conceded early from set pieces. A second corner soon followed with a similar outcome.

Croatia began to exploit space down Gibraltar’s left flank, with movement pulling defenders out of position. A third corner in the 14th minute saw a defender left unmarked, though her header lacked direction.

Moments later, a clearance by Williams led to a looping Croatian effort that drifted just wide of goal.

Gibraltar struggled to gain a foothold in the opposition half, highlighting the challenge of building on their earlier performance. Croatia had clearly learned how to deal with Gibraltar’s attacking runners, who had posed problems in the first match.

On 20 minutes, Croatia received a yellow card for a high foot on Victor.

Chapman later floated a ball straight into the goalkeeper’s arms, wasting a promising opportunity. Owen Williams’ safe handling was again on display in the 25th minute as she collected a cross into her six-yard box.

Gibraltar maintained a solid defensive line, limiting Croatia’s progress. Although Croatia found the net in the 31st minute, the goal was ruled out for offside, much to Williams’ relief after being wrong-footed by a deflection.

Long balls aimed at Victor proved ineffective, with the forward often isolated against multiple defenders. Croatia regained possession quickly and continued to apply pressure.

At times, Gibraltar rushed their clearances, showing areas still requiring improvement. A promising transition broke down due to an overhit final pass.

Despite this, Gibraltar did well to limit clear chances, forcing Croatia into long-range efforts and closing down quickly on the break. They held firm for nearly forty minutes.

However, on 37 minutes, a cross to the back post caught the defence out, allowing a free header.

Gibraltar were then forced into an early substitution, with Ferro replacing Lawerence, who had been receiving treatment shortly before the goal.

On 40 minutes, a free kick into the box caused problems. Williams saved the initial effort, but Bakalar reacted quickest to the rebound to make it 2–0.

It was a moment of mixed emotions for Viagas’ father, as Lincoln Red Imps scored their second goal almost simultaneously, only for Gibraltar to concede again seconds later—a bittersweet footballing moment.

There was further concern on 44 minutes when Chapman required treatment after a knock to the head. Williams then produced a good save on the stroke of half-time from a long-range effort, before needing attention herself after injuring her hand while defending a corner.

In a rare break, Gilbert carried the ball forward from deep, forcing Croatia to track back quickly.

The first half ended with Croatia leading 2–0 against a resolute but increasingly stretched Gibraltar side.

With injuries mounting and a young squad unaccustomed to playing the same high-level opposition twice within five days, Gotal faced difficult decisions at half-time. Gibraltar, still searching for their first goal in the World Cup qualifiers, needed a response.

Popham, celebrating her birthday, replaced Chapman at the start of the second half and was immediately involved, halting an early Croatian attack.

Croatia continued to press but were met by resilient defending. Borrell soon required treatment after injuring her hand in a challenge.

With Gibraltar temporarily down to ten players, Croatia created a close-range opportunity, but Williams held firmly to deny a third.

On 52 minutes, Gibraltar again failed to capitalise on a free kick, delivering into an area where Croatia’s physical advantage prevailed.

Persisting with long balls, Gibraltar struggled to retain possession beyond the halfway line, allowing Croatia to maintain pressure.

On 55 minutes, a well-weighted pass released Joelle Gilbert down the flank. Her cross found Victor just out of reach, with the goalkeeper intervening. The move showed that Gibraltar could penetrate Croatia’s defence when building more patiently.

Borrell, now with a bandaged hand, was fortunate to avoid a booking after a late challenge near the box. Gibraltar were punished moments later as Croatia delivered a precise cross to the back post, headed in for 3–0.

From there, the task became increasingly difficult. Croatia, now full of confidence, added a fourth on 60 minutes—what appeared to be a cross drifting over the goalkeeper into the far corner.

The crowd noise intensified, with hooters sounding loudly throughout the stadium.

Croatia struck again on 64 minutes with an acrobatic finish for their fifth, as they looked to boost their goal difference.

Despite the scoreline, moments of sportsmanship were evident, as Croatian players acknowledged their former coach Stella Gotal on the touchline. These gestures, though subtle, highlighted the disparity in experience between the sides.

Gotal used the latter stages to introduce younger players, making changes in the 75th minute as Pizzarello, Victor and Viagas made way for Lima, Todoran and Bush, gaining valuable international minutes.

Gibraltar narrowly avoided a sixth on 80 minutes when a free kick flashed across goal. However, the sixth arrived shortly after, Kukavica finding space to score from the edge of the box.

Crnogorčević, a two-goal scorer, was substituted on 83 minutes as Croatia eased their tempo slightly, though not their control.

A seventh followed via a deflected long-range effort, again with Gibraltar unable to close down quickly enough.

Rudelić added an eighth with a half-volley from the penalty spot, capitalising on loose marking.

In stoppage time, Glibo curled a free kick into the top corner for Croatia’s ninth.

Gibraltar managed to avoid conceding double figures, but the match proved a harsh lesson in the demands and ruthlessness of international football. Several players were visibly struggling physically, with some limping towards the final whistle.

The 9–0 defeat underlined the gap at this level. After an encouraging performance days earlier, Gibraltar were unable to match the physical and mental demands of a second encounter against top opposition in quick succession—something the team will hope to improve with time.