Croatia Coach Dalic Slams 'Bad Refereeing' After World Cup Exit

Croatia's World Cup journey ended in the round of 32 with a 2-1 defeat to Portugal, a result coach Zlatko Dalic attributed to "very bad refereeing." The Croatian coach voiced his frustration following the match, particularly concerning a penalty awarded to Portugal after a Video Assistant Referee review. Cristiano Ronaldo converted the spot-kick to equalize, before Goncalo Ramos scored the winner in the 94th minute.

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It was very bad refereeing. But Croatia lost. I'm not going to find any excuses.

Drama continued into stoppage time when Josko Gvardiol appeared to have equalized for Croatia. However, a VAR review determined the ball had touched Igor Matanovic on its way, making Gvardiol offside. The referee then awarded another penalty to Portugal, a decision that clearly irked Dalic.

Despite his strong criticism of the officiating, Dalic refused to use it as an excuse for the loss. "But Croatia lost. I'm not going to find any excuses," he stated. The 59-year-old admitted his team did not create enough chances in the first half and looked much better after the break, but ultimately, their luck had run out.

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We could have won this earlier.

This exit marks the end of an era for Croatian football. The team, runners-up in 2018 and third in 2022, will leave without a medal this time. It was also likely the final World Cup for 40-year-old captain Luka Modric, who has been the team's heart for years. "Well, this was probably his last World Cup," Dalic said of the legendary midfielder. "And I'm sorry that it ended this way."

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Well, this was probably his last World Cup. And I'm sorry that it ended this way.

However, Dalic remains optimistic about the future. "I'm not afraid for the future of the Croatian team," he asserted. "We have a lot of young players coming in and some of them have shown the quality today. We've come to an end of a wonderful era, and some new beginnings await us." Dalic, who has managed Croatia since 2017, remained non-committal about his own future.

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I'm not afraid for the future of the Croatian team. We have a lot of young players coming in and some of them have shown the quality today. We've come to an end of a wonderful era, and some new beginnings await us.