DOHA, Qatar — Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic sent a message to Canada on Saturday at the World Cup. And he didn’t need F’s word to betray him.
Dalic made a stern statement when asked about John Herdman’s emotional words after Canada’s 1-0 loss to Belgium on Wednesday.
Asked in a courtside interview what he told his team post-match, Canada’s coach replied: “I told them they belong here and we’re going to Croatia after that. This is as simple as it gets. “
While Herdman delivered the last line with a smile, Dalic clearly didn’t see the humor.
When a Canadian reporter at Saturday’s pre-match news conference asked Dalic about his team’s reaction to Herdman’s heat, the Croatia coach lectured his opposition ahead of Sunday’s game at Klalifa International Stadium.
Dalic used the word “respect” 12 times in his response.
“The Croatian team deserves respect from everyone… We respect everyone, equally,” he said through a translator. “We expect our opposing teams to respect us. We are worthy of their respect. Canadians should have respect for us too. This way of combining words is not a sign of respect. , not Brazil, Spain or other countries.”
“I’m not going to focus on or comment on other people’s comments,” he added. “We’re going to be prepared (on Sunday), we’re going to be in shape and we’re going to show respect for Canada … and everybody else. We expect respect precisely when we exercise this perspective.”
Afterwards, Croatian striker Ivan Perisic backed his coach, saying simply: “I’m replacing the head coach and I can’t wait for the game to start.”
Sunday may prove to be the other way around, but it looks like, motivationally speaking, Canada has grabbed the knife for the shootout.
Both the No. 41 Canadian and No. 12 Croatia should take match points. Belgium top Group F with three points, while Croatia and Morocco have one point each after a goalless draw.
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Canada needs to secure at least a point if they hope to have any chance of reaching the eliminations. A loss on Sunday and the Canadians can finish with no more than three points, while Croatia increases their total to four. And whatever happens in Sunday’s match between No. 2 Belgium and No. 22 Morocco, one of those teams will have at least four points.
With only two teams making it out of the group, that would make Canada’s final group game next Thursday with Morocco meaningless in terms of advancing in the tournament.
“At the end of the day, both teams really need to win this game,” Herdman said.
Croatian reporters did not bother to engage Zlatko with Herdman’s inflammatory words. They had already done so, with the tabloids at home having a field day.
In contrast, three of the first four questions in Herdman’s availability were about his hot postgame performance. Another came later.
Canada’s coach, who had already spoken about the matter on Thursday, tried to laugh off the reaction he caused in the Croatia camp.
He insisted he was up to the task “and loving the experience”. And he rejected the claim that his words were just another motivational tool.
“We’ve waited 36 years to get here. I used all my motivational tactics in the 20 games it took to get here,” he said self-deprecatingly.
But he reserved his words to his players in the post-Belgium huddle just “to remind them that there is another task ahead”.
And he was quick to compliment Croatia, calling them a “top football team”.
“(A) hell of a test. Hell of a test for this team,” he added. “But we’re excited.”
Herdman called Sunday’s game “a defining moment for Canada in this World Cup. It’s one of those do-or-die games that we have to be in to stay in the World Cup.”
Dalic, meanwhile, called Canada “a tough team full of confidence.”
The two sides have never met before.
The Croatian squad includes Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Perisic (Tottenham Hotspur), Marcelo Brozovic (Inter Milan), Mateo Kovacic (Chelsea) and Mario Pasalic (Atalanta). Only six of his 26-man squad play at home in Croatia, with four of them at Dinamo Zagreb.
Despite that talent, Croatia had their hands full with No. 22 Morocco in the first tournament, playing to a goalless draw in a game in which each team had just two shots on target.
Croatia enters Sunday’s game on a seven-match unbeaten streak (5-0-2), dating back to a 3-0 loss to Austria in June in UEFA Nations League play. Croatia avenged that defeat with a 3-1 decision over the Austrians in September.
Croatia has outscored opponents 9-3 in that streak, which includes a win and a tie against No. 4 France.
“With all due respect to Croatia, they have a very, very good team. It’s going to be tough for us,” Canadian midfielder Steven Eustaquio said. “But it’s going to be hard for them too.”
The Canadians, who blamed traffic for showing up 41 minutes late for their pre-match press conference with Belgium, arrived two minutes early on Saturday.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published on November 26, 2022.
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
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