Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic revealed something went wrong in his side’s World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina and Lionel Messi was brilliant.
Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic discusses the first goal his team conceded in the UFABET World Cup. semifinals Last night. In a way that Lionel Messi opened the scoring in Argentina ‘s 3-0 winby netting from the penalty spot to become Argentina’s World Cup record scorer. But the decision to award the penalty sparked much debate among ITV Sport ‘s game analysts.
The penalty came when Croatia goalkeeper Dominic Livakovic bumped Argentinian forward Julian Alvarez into the penalty area. The referee gave a yellow card and conceded a penalty. Messi took charge of the streak. Argentina led Croatia 1-0. It was Messi’s fifth goal, scoring 11 goals in the final. The most overtaking “Gabriel Batistuta” , then Alvarez scored the 2nd and 3rd goals for the Whites, with the 3rd goal being Messi’s best. who dragged to the back line before flicking the Manchester City forward to give Argentina a 3-0 lead, however, the Croatian coach Dalic lamented the nature of the team conceding the first goal after dominating the ball early game
Dalic said: “We played well in the first half hour. But we didn’t do anything special during that time. We lost a goal which is very suspicious ′′ First of all, in the corner kick. Looking at the reaction of my players. The referee didn’t blow. Then it was the moment when the penalty was awarded, to be honest it was a bit too easy. Then we tried to get back into the game and we conceded the second goal. we can hold the ball But we didn’t create an opportunity that was specific to it.
He added, “They dominated the game over us. and possession of the ball is not in our hands We have a corner kick that the referee blows. Then it was a counter-attack where our goalkeeper did what he did. And with these new rules…” “Otherwise I wouldn’t say the referee was against us. [But] I think the first goal brought the match in a different direction.
However, the Croatian has not complained about his team’s efforts after missing out on reaching the final. “I can’t blame the boys, we were in control in the first half hour. But then we lost the goal after that penalty ′′ Sometimes luck is on your side. Sometimes it comes back to you in a different way. As I understand it, the boys protested in the corner. We conceded a goal from that moment. But we lost the game and I have nothing to complain about.
Dalic also praised Messi’s superb performance after the superstar scored and provided another assist. “Needless to say about the quality of Messi, in the last 15 years he was probably the best player in the world. and make a difference in the Argentinian team He is explosive and has a very high technique. And this is the real Messi we expected to see.” He continued: “Argentina has a great team. And Messi is a quality and motivated player. And there are 50,000 supporters… they play how they think they fit best. They have four midfield players and can cover the midfield. Messi can go the extra mile and make a difference. which he did for the third goal.”