Ćorluka: "We know what we have to do"

Croatian offensive in Iceland was led by Mario Mandžukić and Eduardo Alves da Silva, but the very much desired away goal never came.

"It was not easy to penetrate the Icelandic defense, but we must immediately start thinking about the second leg. It won't be any easier at the Maksimir Stadium, and it will be crucial that we don't concede", said Eduardo in his comment.

"We will surely score at least a goal in Zagreb", predicted the Croatian striker.

Vedran Ćorluka, a Croatian centre-back, regrets the missed chance, yet believes in the final success of the Niko Kovač's men: "We were better than Iceland and had a couple of really good chances. Unfortunately, we couldn't convert our initiative into a goal. With ten men, the hosts put an extra effort, especially in defence".

"Nevertheless, we know what we have to do in Zagreb, in order to confirm the qualification for the World Cup", said the Lokomotiv Moscow defender.

Iceland head coach, the experienced Lars Lagerbäck of Sweden, did not miss the opportunity to praise his players' commitment.

"For almost 45 minutes we had to defend with a man down. I cannot describe in words what my players managed to achieve", he said.

Copyright by Croatian Football Federation. Quoting text from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to HNS as a source and providing direct link to the original content at hns.family. Re-use of the photographs is not permitted.