It’s a miracle, says match winner Mandzukic
MOSCOW: Croatia played like lions to beat England and reach the World Cup final on Wednesday, striker Mario Mandzukic said after scoring the winning goal, while coach Zlatko Dalic described the performance as fantasy.
“This is a miracle. Only great teams can be as brave as we were and fight back from a goal down against teams like England,” said Mandzukic, whose side face France in Sunday’s final after their 2-1 extra-time win.
Dalic, who was appointed in October, days before their final group qualifying match against Ukraine, said there was more to come.
“We are deservedly in the final,” he said. “What the lads played tonight is fantasy, they’ve made history. We haven’t said our last word, there is still one more game to go. God willing, we will be world champions.”
England captain Harry Kane said the defeat would hurt for a long time.
“It’s tough, we’re gutted,” he said. “We worked as hard as we could... it hurts, it hurts a lot and it will hurt for a long time. We have had a fantastic journey, further than we thought,” he added.
“It’s hard to say (what went wrong). There’s a lot we could have done better. They played well and made it difficult for us... it’s hard to put your finger of it.”
“It’s been great to get to this stage but we have fallen a little bit short and it hurts.”