FIFA World Cup 2026: Coach Dalic says Croatia 'have no right to any more mistakes' after England defeat

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic said that the team "do not have the right to any more mistakes" after their 2-4 loss to England in both teams' campaign opener in the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Wednesday (local time), as per Reuters.

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic said that the team "do not have the right to any more mistakes" after their 2-4 loss to England in both teams' campaign opener in the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Wednesday (local time), as per Reuters. England captain Harry Kane scored twice, Jude Bellingham produced a standout second-half strike, while substitute Marcus Rashford added a late goal to complete the victory as Thomas Tuchel's side overcame a determined Croatian challenge. For Croatia, it was Martin Baturina and Petar Musa who found the net.

After the match, Zlatko Dalic said the loss affected the team's confidence and stressed the need for a strong response in their remaining group matches. He admitted Croatia made some costly mistakes that were punished, but insisted the performance was not entirely bad. Dalic added that the team cannot afford any more errors and must approach the next two games as a fresh start. "It's not easy to lose. You lose your self-confidence, and that's not good. We must prepare quite well for the next two games in the first stage. It's very important for us to be at the right level after this defeat. We do not have the right to any more mistakes," he said as quoted by Reuters.

"We do not have the right to bad matches or mistakes. I wouldn't say that this was a bad match. There were some errors we committed, some mistakes we made. We were punished by our opponent. Two matches are ahead of us, new beginnings," he added. Dalic criticised Croatia's defending from set pieces, saying they had prepared for England but still struggled. He noted that Croatia had previously been strong in such situations but was "disastrous" in this match.

"We used to be quite good at set pieces. We didn't concede goals that easily, and we practised for this opponent. We knew the way England were going to play," he said. "It was disastrous, specifically when it comes to a team like England. About 40% of their goals are from set pieces," he added.

"We must correct it and must avoid similar mistakes in the future," he added. Coming to the match, England were handed an early opportunity when Noni Madueke was fouled by Luka Modric inside the box, winning a penalty in the 11th minute.

Dominik Livakovic initially saved Kane's effort, but VAR ruled that the goalkeeper had stepped off his line early, forcing a retake. Kane converted the second attempt to give England the lead. Croatia responded well and levelled the score in the 36th minute through Martin Baturina. Luka Sucic's incisive run ended with a cut-back to Baturina, who fired a powerful shot past Jordan Pickford during a strong phase of Croatian pressure.

The England skipper Kane delivered a commanding display, scoring a brace against Croatia, with one goal coming from the penalty spot in the 12th minute and another in the 42nd minute, helping England secure a strong start to their campaign. Kane became only the second England player to score in three separate FIFA World Cup tournaments (2018, 2022, 2026), joining legend David Beckham (1998, 2002, 2006).

The Bayern Munich striker also equalled another major milestone, reaching 10 FIFA World Cup goals -- the joint-most by an England player alongside Gary Lineker. In addition, Kane set a new global benchmark by scoring the most non-penalty shootout penalties in FIFA World Cup history, taking his tally to five.

During the clash, Ivan Perisic also became the second player to register an assist at four different FIFA World Cup tournaments. The Croatian player joined Argentine legend Lionel Messi as the only players in history to achieve the feat. (ANI)