Former Croatian international Dejan Lovren, who played 78 matches for his country, has expressed his outrage at the Croatian defense for their handling of a pivotal moment in the match against Portugal. In the 90+4 minute, Portugal scored the decisive goal in a 2-1 victory that knocked Croatia out of the World Cup.
At the moment of the goal, the score was tied at 1-1, with ten minutes of injury time announced. Rafael Leao delivered a cross from the left, allowing Goncalo Ramos to leap between defenders Pongracic and Gvardiol to head in the winning goal for Portugal. Croat defender Sutalo was also in close proximity.
Lovren Calls Late Goal Unacceptable
Lovren, who last played for the Croatian national team in the 2022 World Cup, expressed his disbelief at how the goal occurred. “It hurts, but we must be honest; conceding such a goal at the end is unacceptable. We are again talking about a cross and concentration. I don’t understand how no one jumped for the ball. We are discussing concentration and desire. Everyone must handle the situation to clear the ball,” he stated in an interview with HTV.
He further commented on the performance of his teammates, noting, “Luka [Modric] did not deserve this, Kovacic was fantastic, one of his best matches in the national shirt, Matanovic lifted everyone, and Petar Sucic was also outstanding. We dominated especially in the second half, but at this elite level, details matter – marking, covering, whether we were too withdrawn… There are many questions here that need answers.”
