Not surprisingly, just days before the game that ended in a 4-1 win for the European side on Sunday afternoon, the Croatians were heartened by comments from Canada coach John Herdman.
After the game, Croatia’s Andrej Kramarić – who scored two goals for his side in the win – returned to John Herdman’s “eff Croatia” quote earlier in the week.
When asked if Croatia was motivated by Herdman’s words, Kramarić didn’t hold back.
” I want to say thank you [Herdman] for his motivation. In the end, Croatia showed who ‘eff’ is who,” he said through an interpreter.
“I could have been a little calmer coming out of the huddle, but that’s my lesson, I’ll take it on the chin,” Herdman said of his first comment on Sunday.
He said on Saturday his post-game comments may have been “a little too honest”. »
Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic told reporters he didn’t meet Herdman after the game and the Canada coach still has some learning to do.
“Whether I lose or win, I always see the other coach. He wasn’t there and that’s his way of doing things. He’s obviously angry. He’s a good coach, he’s a quality professional. It will take time for him to learn some things,” he said.
Alphonso Davies opened the scoring for Canada early in the game by heading in a second-minute Tajon Buchanan cross. But Croatia scored twice late in the first half and kept up the pressure with two more goals in the second half to claim a win that puts them at the top of Group F with Morocco.
Marko Livaja and Lovro Majer scored the Croatians’ other two goals in the win.
“When Croatia scored the second goal, I thought it was a turning point. This team is a real killing machine in transition. It’s a team that you give the thumbs up to and they think you want it,” Herdman said.
Despite the loss, Herdman said he was proud of Canada’s performance in the first two games.
“I think at times they have shown that they can compete on the world stage. It’s obvious to score our first goal and have that moment when the fans know there’s celebration going on somewhere from east to west. It was a great moment,” he said.
