Dalić: "Denmark is our moment of truth", Badelj: "Proud of this quality"

Zlatko Dalić

"We've done what we came here to do. What matters is mental strength, discipline, and fighting spirit. Congratulations to Iceland and their effort, they are an excellent team and I've praised their manager. Congratulations are in order for us, since we have defeated such a tough opponent. We did not play perfectly, some things were not good - several players lack playing minutes, and we've conceded a goal. However, with three wins, a top spot is a great achievement - no expected us to do this. Now we have to forget it all, a turn to Denmark, our moment of truth. Let us hope not to end our World Cup adventure in the Round of 16, the first upcoming match is always the most important one. Denmark is in a way similar to Iceland, but with an extraordinary players such as Eriksen. We believe in our quality, respect our opponents, and I think we're capable of achieving a memorable result"

"It was agreed that Modrić will play an hour, because everybody plays better and more confident with him, with Bradarić being the planned substitution. I did not want the yellow-carded players to come on, but Rakitić had to replace Kovačić due to a minor injury, while Lovren was a response to Iceland's second striker and long-ball tactics. I am proud to have the opportunity to use all of my players, since they have been working very hard for the last month. We were in a fantastic position to do so"

Milan Badelj

"The impressions are great after this victory. It's the winning that maintains a positive team spirit and creates nice memories. Croatia confirmed how much quality players we have in our squad, and we can really be proud of this. In a tournament such as World Cup, it could be one of the key factors. Now we start think about Denmark, who caused a lot of trouble to favourites France. It will definitely not be easy, they deserve respect, but I believe in Croatia's strength, and hope to present our talent in the best possible way. Of course we want to win. Iceland took us to the edge, until the very last minute, and now our head coach has to find the best solution for Denmark"

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