“I hope Modric will stay,” says the Croatian coach

Zlatko Dalic, coach of Croatia, beaten Sunday by Spain in the final of the League of Nations (0-0, 5-4 on penalties) declared at a press conference: “First of all, I want to congratulate Spain for winning this trophy, and I want to congratulate our players for this great match, our fans too, who supported us and created this beautiful atmosphere. We lost – too bad – but we can be proud (…) We had quality, we were at the level. I have nothing to regret. (On the future of 37-year-old Croatian playmaker Luka Modric) Luka said he would make his own decision. This is what is fairest. We must rest after all this, think about it. There was a lot of adrenaline and emotions. He delivered a great match, he ran again for 120 minutes for the second time in four days (Croatia had already had to go through extra time against the Netherlands in the semi-finals, editor’s note). I hope he stays, he is a very important player for us.»