Rakitić: "The worst way to lose", Subašić: "That's football"

Ivan Rakitić admits that it was tough for Croatia to be defeated in the closing minutes of extra-time in EURO 2016 Round of 16 in Lens against Portugal.

"It is the worst way to lose, and we need to be honest and say that the better team lost today. Finding words right now is difficult, but we lost and we need to be fair and congratulate them. But I think that they know and everybody else knows that the better team lost - a team that deserved to win. But right now I’m trying to find some justice but there is no such thing in sports. We need to find ourselves again no matter what and rise again because I think we have shown that we are among the best. But unfortunately, there is no justice".

"I can’t tell you about the reactions in the dressing room but I don’t think I’ve seen more tears. Despite the sadness and injustice we have to thank everyone and I think that everyone saw that we did everything we could. It’s hard to ask for explanations now because I think that everyone saw that we were better and that we waited for an opportunity. Unfortunately, they got it. And no matter how hard you try to explain it, sport can really be hard and I don’t think the justice was on the side of the better team tonight", said Rakitić.

Goalkeeper Danijel Subašić agrees, emphasizing that one has to make the best of the opportunities presented.

"The applause at the end says a lot, I think we did a lot better than them, but what can you do, this is football. When you don’t take your chances and then if you concede a goal, a deflected one, that’s football. We are proud because we have got these people here, because no one supported us when we first got going, and we got them back here with the way we played, but what can we do. I don’t know what we can expect in the future, we’re talking about it, but we need to work and make it to another major tournament and that’s it", he said.

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