Moscow: Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic said his side had run out of luck after they conceded a controversial penalty awarded by VAR in their 2-4 World Cup final defeat against France on Sunday.
With the score level at 1-1, Argentine referee Nestor Pitana changed his initial decision and awarded a spot kick, converted by Antoine Griezmann, for handball against Ivan Perisic after viewing television replays.
Dalic defended VAR (the video assistant referee system) as a good thing for football but believes his side’s luck in Russia finally ran out after penalty shootout wins over Denmark and Russia on route to the final.
“I never comment on referees but in a World Cup final you do not give such a penalty,” said Dalic. “It in no way diminishes France’s win. We were a bit unlucky. Maybe in the first six games we were favoured by luck and today (Sunday) we weren’t.
On our bus there is a slogan: ‘small country with big dreams’. That’s a good message to all. You should never give up, never stop believing. I’m proud of my players
Zlatko Dalic
“I have to congratulate my players. Maybe we played our best game (in the final) at these championships. Against such a strong side as France you must not make mistakes. We are a bit sad but we must also be proud of what we’ve done,” added the Croatia coach who also bemoaned his side’s lack of fortune as France’s opener came via Mario Mandzukic’s own goal.