DALIC DEMANDS IMPROVEMENT DESPITE CROATIA WIN OVER PANAMA

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic admitted he was unhappy with his team’s performance despite a crucial 1-0 victory over Panama that kept their World Cup hopes alive.

Needing a win after their opening defeat to England, Croatia struggled for long periods against an energetic Panama side and were fortunate not to fall behind when Jose Luis Rodriguez’s header was tipped onto the crossbar.

“They were really under a lot of pressure,” Dalic said. “We didn’t manage to overcome this initially, and this is why I was a little bit angry.”

Croatia eventually found a way through to secure the three points and eliminate Panama from Group L contention, but Dalic warned his players that significant improvement is needed.

“I didn’t expect that it was going to be such a difficult match, to be quite honest,” he said. “Perhaps it could be due to the pressure, because we really needed these three points.”

The Croatia boss was particularly disappointed with his side’s first-half display ahead of a decisive clash with Ghana.

“I am not the happiest with the play, to be honest, especially in the first half,” Dalic said. “But I will forget this and now focus on what awaits us.”

Croatia face Ghana on Saturday knowing another victory could secure their place in the Round of 32.