Croatian football team returns to Zagreb, Dalić: We had to and deserved more

The Croatian national football team ended its World Cup journey with a 2-1 defeat to Portugal in the round of 32. They landed in Zagreb at around 3:15 p.m., and were greeted by several hundred fans.

Some of the players had already left for vacation directly from Canada, so Luka Modrić was not on the plane. Although visibly tired, the players patiently signed autographs and took pictures with a crowd of young fans, who showed their support for them after their unfortunate and somewhat undeserved elimination from the World Cup.

Special ovations went to coach Zlatko Dalić, who briefly addressed the press.

“We can't blame the referees and VAR now, we are the only ones to blame. We needed more, but that's how it is, sometimes you're up, sometimes you're down. I thank everyone, especially those who did not play a single minute at the championship and did not cause any problems,” said Dalić, who reflected on his future as coach.

“I will talk to the leaders of the Federation in two or three days,” he said.

Croatia was eliminated in the round of 32 of the World Cup in a dramatic match in Toronto against Portugal (2-1), a match that will be remembered for a long time due to controversial refereeing decisions.

Croatia took the lead, but then Portugal equalized from a dubious penalty kick. The real drama unfolded deep in stoppage time when Croatia's equalizing goal was first recognized, and then annulled by VAR intervention.

The Croatian national team will soon be playing in the UEFA Nations League with Spain, England and the Czech Republic. The first match will be played against the Czech Republic on September 26.

Dalić: We had to and deserved more

“We had to and deserved more. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. We played a good tournament. We gave a lot to the opponent. It's our own fault that we didn't do more,” said coach Dalić.

The main question is whether he will remain coach, and Luka Modrić the captain.

“I just got home. We will talk in a few days and make the best decision for Croatian football. It is definitely the end of an era, the era of older players,” said the coach.

The Norwegian referee who refereed Croatia against Portugal will no longer referee at the World Cup.

“What does that mean for us? FIFA doesn't appreciate us, we are small and we are bothering them, why should we bother them a third time. But the biggest culprit is ourselves, we were not concentrated,” concluded Dalić.

Source: HRT