Ivan Rakitiu0107 has revealed he was fighting a fever the night before Croatia’s 2-1 extra time win over England in the FIFA World Cup semifinals.
“Last night I had a strong fever, almost 39 degrees,” the FC Barcelona star said in a post-match interview. That’s around 102 Fahrenheit.
“I was laying in bed trying to gather my strength to play,” he continued, “and it was worth it.”
Croatia have been through a lot mentally and physically, needing to go to 120 minutes in each of their knockout matches to secure the right to play France in the final.