Croatian Coach Criticizes Officiating: "It Was Very Poor"

Croatia's World Cup journey has ended following their defeat to Portugal in the Round of 16. The outcome left a bitter taste for the team, and head coach Zlatko Dalic did not hide his displeasure with the officiating during the post-match press conference.

"The refereeing was very poor. Not a single foul, not a single stoppage went our way. It was bad officiating, but Croatia lost, and we don't have the right to comment too much. I regret it," the coach stated succinctly.

Despite his frustration, Dalic began by congratulating the opposition. "First, congratulations to Portugal, and I wish them all the best for the rest of the competition," he said, before analyzing the match. "The plan for the first half was not to concede, but our defensive block shouldn't have dropped so deep. We managed to defend and didn't concede any goals," he explained.

The Croatian coach highlighted his team's improvement in the second half. "In the second half, we turned the game in our favor, created many chances, and in the end, we didn't deserve this result. I can only congratulate the lads, but, well, on the two previous occasions, we had some luck at certain moments," Dalic concluded.