Kovacic Misses Open Goal Against England in Echo of Rosenthal's Legendary Blunder
Mateo Kovacic missed an open-goal opportunity against England reminiscent of Ronny Rosenthal's legendary 1992 miss for Liverpool, as Croatia suffered a heavy defeat.
Ronny Rosenthal's famous miss for Liverpool against Aston Villa in September 1992 has long been an unforgettable moment in the history of the Merseyside club and English football in general. On Saturday evening, someone made sure to remind everyone of it once again.
12,432 days after Rosenthal hit the crossbar against an empty net, Mateo Kovacic recorded a massive miss against the England national team. Croatia hosted the Three Lions in Rijeka and collapsed unprecedentedly, but at 3-0 down, there was a chance for a consolation goal. Visiting Elliott Anderson tangled and lost the ball, Kovacic rounded Jordan Pickford and had to score - but shot wide.
Samy Mokbel, BBC reporter in Croatia, described in his match coverage: "Quick - someone get Ronny Rosenthal's miss tape! Mateo Kovacic, bow down to him, what a miss. And immediately after, Bukayo Saka scored England's fourth. What a miserable night for Croatia. But Kovacic - wow!".
There is no doubt that Rosenthal's miss was bigger - with no defensive players between him and the net and almost no pressure from the opponent. But Kovacic surely won't sleep well tonight either.
