Coach Zlatko Dalic apologised to the tens of thousands of Croatian fans who had packed into the Olympiastadion Berlin on Saturday after his team slumped to a 3-0 defeat to Spain in their opening Euro 2024 match.
“It was a great atmosphere,” the 57-year-old Dalic, who led the team to the 2018 World Cup final and semifinals of the global tournament four years later, told a news conference.
“I apologise for this bad show today. We were not aggressive enough.”
The Croatians, desperate to replicate their World Cup success of recent years at a Euro where they have never won a knockout match, were no match for Spain’s clever attacking play with Dalic’s game plan in disarray after about half an hour.
Dalic’s players struggled to contain a rampant Spain in the first half, during which the 2008 and 2012 champions scored three times.
Croatian fans outnumbered Spain supporters in the cavernous Olympiastadion by at least 10 to one but it was the Spaniards who took the initiative from the start with a high pressing game.
The raucous atmosphere failed to lift Dalic’s side and they were left chasing shadows as Spain easily piled on the pressure.
“I hope this was just a bad day,” Dalic said, whose side next face Albania before taking on Italy in their final Group B game.
Looking ahead to the remaining matches, Dalic said he took Luka Modric off the pitch in the second half to give the 38-year-old captain a chance to rest.
Meanwhile, Spain made a dream start to Euro 2024 as Alvaro Morata scored in a statement 3-0 victory, with Lamine Yamal becoming the youngest player in the competition’s history.
The three-time European champions have often been accused of being toothless in attack during recent major tournaments, but produced an eye-catching display at the Olympiastadion to cut apart a disappointing Croatia.
Morata broke the deadlock in the 29th minute with his seventh Euros goal, moving joint-third on the all-time list alongside Alan Shearer and Antoine Griezmann.
Fabian Ruiz added a second shortly afterwards with a wonderful individual strike.
Yamal made his mark with the assist for Dani Carvajal to effectively kill the game as a contest on the stroke of half-time, while Croatia striker Bruno Petkovic missed a late penalty.
“Very happy with the win, for my (Euros) debut,” Yamal told La 1.
“We’ve got confidence, we’re a very efficient team and we’re showing it. We’re happy because all the work from the last few months has borne fruit.”