Croatia thought they would achieve the perfect shot this Monday evening. Ahead from the 55th minute of play against Italy, they were virtually second in group B until the end of added time in their last group match of this Euro 2024. This was before the equalizer at the end added time for Mattia Zaccagni, who qualifies Squadra Azzura for the round of 16.
A goal which does not automatically eliminate the Croats, but which greatly complicates their situation. It would take a combination of improbable circumstances to see Luka Modric’s teammates go to the next round. “It hurts,” Zlatko Dalic, the coach of the Croatian team, admitted on Monday.
“I want to congratulate my team for their courage and their heart, for all their efforts. The players were great. Thanks also to the supporters, who showed what it means to support your country. We are very proud of them,” Dalic first declared.
“It hurts and it will hurt again in the days to come. It’s not easy. But sometimes it’s not your day. It’s football. We stuck to our game plan for 98 minutes but unfortunately everything collapsed,” he then explained.
“I don’t know if there was really eight minutes of injury time. But we are a small country, UEFA and FIFA don’t take much care of us. We must defend ourselves. But eight minutes is nonsense. Nothing justifies that. Croatia must be respected,” Dalic also regretted. “But football is like that, life goes on,” he concluded.
