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DOHA, Qatar — The query got here, as anticipated, and Croatia ahead Andrej Kramaric gave a smile, as anticipated.
Did the feedback from Canada head coach, John Herdman, about how his gamers have been going to “F— Croatia,” serve to fireside up the Croatians forward of this vital sport?
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“I need to thank Canada’s coach for the motivation,” Kramaric mentioned shortly after Croatia routed Canada in a 4-1 win, sending the North American group crashing out of the World Cup.
“We demonstrated who F—-d whom,” he added.
Canada lead inside two minutes by way of an excellent Alphonso Davies header, however Croatia hit again with two objectives within the first half, and one other pair of strikes within the second to safe a cushty win.
Herman’s feedback forward of the match led to a Croatian tabloid placing his face on its cowl in a graphic illustration that questioned whether or not Canada had the heart to win the sport.
When requested if he had any regrets, Herdman mentioned: “Not within the first 20 minutes, no.
“I believe there is a respect there for Croatia,” he added. “As I hold saying, we’re right here to push so far as we will. We’re right here to vary the mentality of the group. I may have been slightly bit extra composed popping out of that one, however that is my studying. I will take that one on the chin. However I believe we confirmed in these first 25 minutes, that little Canada can compete with the world.”
Croatia head coach Zlatko Dalic demanded respect forward of the match, and he had little extra to say afterward, although he did word that Herdman didn’t come to shake his hand after the defeat.
“I didn’t see the opposite head coach after the match,” Dalic mentioned. “He was not there and that is his method of doing issues. He’s a high-quality skilled however it would take a while for him to study some issues.”
Croatia are joint-leaders in Group F with only one sport remaining, whereas Canada sit an insurmountable 4 factors behind, eliminating them from the event.
Davies’s early objective made historical past — it was Canada’s first-ever objective at a males’s World Cup — however the facet didn’t maintain that power.
“I am very glad for the second,” Davies informed TSN after the match. “I am disillusioned within the end result. It is not straightforward to take defeat. We would have liked these three factors.”
Herdman praised Croatia’s assault and was left to level at his group’s remaining match as a chance to make a unique kind of historical past, as Canada are nonetheless seeking their first males’s World Cup victory.
“We obtained to have fun one thing we might been ready a very long time for,” Herdman mentioned of Davies’s objective. “[But] once you open your self as much as a group like Croatia, they are going to be medical in transition. I assumed they gave a masterclass in transition.
“I am pleased with what [the players] achieved tonight. They will be hurting. However then we glance ahead. There’s nonetheless quite a bit for us to play for.”
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