Dalić backs Croatia after World Cup exit to Portugal

Zlatko Dalić stood by his players after Croatia’s 2-1 defeat to Portugal in the World Cup round of 32 in Toronto, saying he had no reproaches for a team that, in his view, had given everything. Croatia led through Ivan Perišić in the 53rd minute, but Cristiano Ronaldo equalized from the penalty spot in the 68th minute and Gonçalo Ramos struck the decisive goal in the 90+4th minute.

Dalić said the result was especially hard because Croatia had been in position to extend the lead to 2-0 after Perišić’s opener. He described the loss as deeply frustrating and said the ball simply would not go in for Croatia, a bitter ending after a match that had swung from control to collapse in the final minutes. The coach’s public defense of his squad underscored how much of the night’s blame he placed on circumstances rather than commitment.

Before kickoff, Dalić had warned that the match would be decided in midfield and that Portugal’s tactical quality would punish any mistakes. That prediction proved accurate in a game that stayed tight until Ronaldo’s penalty shifted the momentum and Ramos finished it late. The contest also lived up to the pregame framing of a clash shaped less by star billing and more by control between the lines.

The defeat carried extra weight because it was Croatia’s exit from the 2026 tournament and the first time the country failed to advance in a World Cup since becoming an independent nation. Dalić has coached Croatia since 2017 and turned that tenure into one of the most successful periods in the team’s history, guiding it to second place in 2018 and third place in 2022. Against that record, the loss to Portugal in Toronto reads not only as a single bad night but as a possible turning point, with emotional loyalty to an established core now meeting the harder question of whether Croatia needs a reset in personnel and style.