Prevention reasons
Dalić: "We did not want to take any chances with Vrsaljko"
20.11.2018.

Photo by: Drago Sopta/HNS
Croatia international Šime Vrsaljko was not seriously injured in the UEFA Nations League clash with England, and is available for the upcoming Internazionale fixtures.
Due to a muscular issue on 26 minutes, Šime Vrsaljko had to be substituted, and Croatia head coach Zlatko Dalić confirmed that there was no serious injury.
"Following the tough 90 minutes against Spain and just two-day recovery before the England encounter, we were aware that our players wouldn't be perfectly fit. After a tackle in a dangerous situation, Vrsaljko felt his muscle and our assessment was to prevent any further trouble by taking him off. He's not a doubt for the upcoming club matches, as he proved at the World Cup and wearing his Internazionale jersey that he can play difficult matches at a high level in a short period of time. If our visit to Wembley was the World Cup Final, we would not have substituted him, but we did not take any chances as we wanted to be fair both to him and his club".
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.
- Latest
- Trending

Croatia opened World Cup qualifying with three points
03.03.2026.
Nenad Gračan announces squad for 2027 World Cup Qualifiers
17.02.2026.
Impressions after winning bronze: ‘Shock, satisfaction, joy, emotions times a hundred!
07.02.2026.
Croatia beats France to win Historic European bronze!
07.02.2026.
Iva Olivari appointed Deputy General Secretary of the Croatian Football Federation
27.01.2026.
Scoreboard
Next match


Friendly match
Colombia
Croatia
27.03.2026.
Table
WC2026 (Q)
- 1.Hrvatska8+2222
- 2.Češka8+1016
- 3.Farski Otoci8+212
- 4.Crna Gora8-99
- 5.Gibraltar8-250






























