The Croatian coach zlatko dalicadmitted that what happened in the match against Japan reminded him of situations experienced in Russia World Cup 2018where his team also needed penalties to progress in the tournament and reach the final.
The world runner-up coach praised the work of his players and their fight.
“It reminded me of the game in Russia four years ago because it was a situation, on the edge. The opponent was too involved in the game. This time we were in control in the first half, but two or three of their The counterattacks made us nervous. We conceded a goal and we had to recover,” he said.
“Japan is strong, although I think they thought they would have an easy time against us., as stated by several publications. But don’t underestimate Croatia. Let’s go to the end. The players once again showed perseverance and faith,” stressed Dalic.
The coach praised the resilience of his men. “We played well and we always fight in a hard game. It’s a great result. It’s the reward for all the effort,” he stressed.
“Japan didn’t let us set the pace. They didn’t give us spaces and we didn’t go forward with short passes. Later, we conceded a goal in an action from set pieces and we were a bit confused,” he admitted.
“However, I can’t fault the players. They did their best and fought well. Japan is a very tough opponent who beat Spain and Germany,” he commented.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
