LEIPZIG: Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic said the length of added time in his team’s heartbreaking 1-1 draw with Italy at Euro 2024 on Monday was a “nonsense”.
The 2022 World Cup semi-finalists were on the brink of reaching the last 16 when Italy substitute Mattia Zaccagni’s strike in the eighth and final minute of injury time left them facing elimination.
Dalic claimed bigger nations would not have had to get through so much stoppage time in a similar situation.
“I don’t know whether it was the eight minutes of added time at the end, but you know, with FIFA and UEFA… We’re a small country and no one gives us any thought so we have to stand up for ourselves,” Dalic told reporters.
“Eight minutes was a nonsense. You can’t have eight minutes after that game.
“We had a penalty our way and I don’t want to cause a fuss about what’s going on, but I think Croatia need to be respected.”
Croatia finished third in Group B behind runners-up Italy and Spain.
They now need a series of results to go their way in order to reach the knockout phase for a fifth consecutive major tournament.
“It really hurts. It still hurts and it will still hurt over the coming days and months,” added Dalic, who also led Croatia to the 2018 World Cup final and last year’s Nations League final.
“It’s not easy, but when we look at the situation in general, there are some days it’s your day and some days it’s not. That’s football.
“We’ve been able to celebrate wins together down the years and now we need to stick together in defeat, with humility, albeit while keeping our heads high.”
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