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ZAGREB, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Less than 24 hours after painful defeat against Portugal and exit from 2016 EURO in France, Croatian national football team returned home when a few hundred fans came to meet their idols at Zagreb Airport on Sunday.
Still visibly shaken from an undeserved defeat and tired after a sleepless night, the players were not in the mood to speak to Croatian media but they didn't refuse signing autographs and taking photos with their devoted fans.
"We didn't expect this. It makes our loss a little bit easier to swallow," defender Domagoj Vida said when fans started chanting "champions, champions".
For the fans and for their coach Ante Cacic, Croatian footballers returned home as winners.
"When you leave your heart on the field and give everything that you possibly can, regardless of the final result that is not a defeat in my eyes. We didn't lose a match in regulation, Portugal didn't win any in regulation, but they are through and we are going home. It's not fair but it is how it is. We can be proud," Cacic said the day after he suffered his first defeat at helm of Croatian national team.
His moves or, better said, lack of it during the match against Portugal became the focal point of every debate. He made his first substitute in the 89th minute replacing scoreless Mario Mandzukic with Nikola Kalinic who scored in a win against Spain. Cacic waited for his next move up until 110th minute in extra time when he brought in young forward Marko Pjaca who was very dangerous against Spain and created some chances in the minutes that Croatian coach gave him against Portugal.
"We were a better team and we had to beat Portugal. Our coach was late with his substitutes. Leaving Pjaca on the bench for almost two hours was a fatal mistake. He should've brought him in when Portuguese coach made his first move in the 48th minute with Renato Sanches. It's hard for me to write these lines because I am crying," legendary Croatian coach Miroslav Blazevic wrote in his blog on his recently introduced personal website.
Cacic held his composure during the matches in France but he became emotional during the last press conference when his actions, or lack of it, were questioned by the members of the media.
"Maybe it would have been better for us that I didn't bring Pjaca, at all. Maybe other players thought that now they have to attack and that led to the goal that Portugal scored. Can you tell me when was the last time that Cristiano Ronaldo took only one shot on goal? We were a better team but we didn't win. Didn't everybody say that we played the best football in the tournament," Cacic was firing back with rhetorical questions.
He said that he will offer to the heads of Croatian Football Federation to terminate his contract but he is convinced that this was not the last dance of this generation of players even though some of them, like team captain Darijo Srna, said that they will end their international careers after this tournament.
"If I will stay as national head coach, Srna will continue to play for our team," Cacic said.
"I've told you that you'll see Croatian future in the match with Spain and you did. The future of Croatian football is bright. When we traveled to France we didn't have a lot of support. We managed to bring our fans together and win their support. We stopped hooligans, those who were violent. That's why we are the winners," Cacic said with tears in his eyes. Enditem
