The Croatian coach is very optimistic for the future.
Zlatko Dalic, Croatia coach, who finished third in the World Cup:
«Congratulations to my players and my selection for winning this medal. It was a tough game. The Moroccans fought, they were tired, exhausted, yet they fought. I’m sure they are proud.
Four years ago, I was like this team… This bronze medal is like a gold medal. We are one of the three biggest teams in the world. We are completing a cycle, a long journey. We had difficult times. We train for times like this.
I think Josko (Gvardiol) deserves the tournament’s best young player award. He’s in the running for this award. It is often given to scorers but defenders deserve these awards too.
It’s the end of a cycle. It’s the last World Cup for some older players. But we have very good young people who give hope, Stanisic, Orsic, many players who are on the bench. We have a very good team for the future. Croatia have nothing to fear with this generation. What awaits us is the League of Nations, and the qualifications for the Euro.»