MAN OF THE MATCH

Sučić: “You have to be brave - maybe you only get one chance in your life to play at a World Cup”

28.06.2026.

Photo by: Drago Sopta/HNS

Petar Sučić was named Man of the Match in the game that secured Croatia’s place in the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

Here is how the scorer of Croatia’s opening goal reflected on the victory over Ghana:

“Of course I'm happy to contribute to the team, but all of it is the result of teamwork and the moves we create together. The important thing is that we win; it doesn't matter who stands out. What matters is that we're united and do what's best for the national team.

We deserved to win. We created plenty of dangerous situations in front of their goal and, in the end, scored two goals. We knew where their weaknesses were and that we couldn't allow too much space in behind our defense. In the end, we played well and deserved the victory. Ghana have an excellent team - they're dangerous and very well organized.”

On his goal celebration...

“My wife is pregnant and stayed at home, so of course this means a lot to us. I dedicated the goal to her and to our baby.”

On the importance of the match against Ghana...

“Of course, we knew that a draw would have been enough to qualify, but this is the World Cup—you always want to play your best.

You're playing for your national team and you always want to win. When you play only not to lose, there's always the possibility that you end up losing. You have to be brave. Maybe you only get one opportunity in your life to play at a World Cup, so you have to go for the win in every match.”

On Luka Modrić...

“I told Modrić that he played as if he were 20 years old. He was incredible—running, winning duels, and brilliant on the ball. He's our leader and our best player. We're fortunate to have him leading us.”

On the fans...

“We have incredible supporters. They fight for us in the stands, and we fight for them on the pitch. Thank you to them for everything.”

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.