Croatia's European Qualification Protest: 'We Played the Best Second Half But Lost Due to Mistakes'

Evaluating the overall performance of the Croatia National Team in the tournament, the technical staff and players stated that they were satisfied with the struggle shown by the team, even if not like the World Cup, but were saddened that individual mistakes made in the elimination against Portugal were billed. In particular, it was argued that the second half of the match played against Portugal could be one of the best 45 minutes played against a top 10 team in World Cup history, while it was stated that the players' failure to reach the score despite the confident football they displayed on the field and the dangerous positions they created was described as a great misfortune. In analyses in the Croatian press, it was emphasized that the team's dominance in the midfield under playmaker Luka Modrič was very good, but the failure of the shots seen in the forward line to result in goals, and especially the carelessness shown while defending in the final moments of the match, were the main factors that caused the team to leave the tournament. It was commented that one of the moments that changed the fate of the match was the critical save made by Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa against young talent Petar Sučić, and if a goal had come in this position, the course of the match would have completely changed and Croatia would have advanced. Finally, referring to the VAR system and referee decisions, it was noted that the inconsistencies in the penalty decision and the doubts caused by the offside chip technology continue to be controversial issues in modern football, and despite the overall picture in the tournament being received positively, communication deficiencies in the defensive settlement and the stress on the group are the biggest gaps that need to be worked on for the future.