The talented stopper of the Croatian national team, Josko Gvardiol, addressed the media at the press conference after the defeat against Argentina and before the duel with Morocco.
Croatian football coach Zlatko Dalic said that the young stopper of the “fire” Josko Gvardiol received an injection before the match with Argentina due to pain in his foot and his great desire to play in the semi-final match of the World Cup.
The talented 20-year-old defender ran into a very moody Lionel Messi, who gave him a lot of problems, as well as the entire Croatian team. The member of Leipzig points out that the convincing defeat against the Argentines (3:0) has been archived, and that his teammates are also focused on the last duty in Qatar – Morocco.
“I feel better than before, we have two more days and I hope that I will be fit and in the squad for that duel,” Gvardiol said.
The former football player of Dinamo Zagreb could not hide his tears after the defeat against the “gauchos”.
“It hit me. That’s when I knew that we had finished our dream of gold, Marko Livaja consoled me and said that I was young, that this was only my first championship and that I would play many more”.
The media was also interested in how the gifted Zagreb man fared in duels with Messi.
“In a way, it was a nice experience, although I also played against him in the club last season. It is different than in the national team. One day I will tell my children that I guarded the Messi. I hope that next time we will get revenge for this defeat. All this is part of growing up, there is no player who does not make mistakes, especially in the position of stopper. There will certainly be more mistakes, but I will try to reduce them to a minimum”, says the footballer who is in the competition for the “Best Young Player of the World Cup”:
“It would be nice to win that recognition, but even nicer to return home with a medal.”
Croatia played Morocco at the opening of the group stage – the match ended goalless. And, regardless of the outcome of the match for third place, the “Vatren” will be welcomed in the capital of Croatia.
“During the last World Cup, I was 16 years old, I watched all the matches at sea, and the final in Zagreb because the preparations had begun. I was at the reception and those were unforgettable scenes. I hope that this time we will experience something similar to 2018,” Gvardiol said.
Neighboring media point out that the match against Morocco will be the last in the national team jersey for the legendary Luka Modric.
“If this is his last World Cup, I want to use it and contribute to winning a medal,” Gvardiol concluded.
Croatia and Morocco will play on Saturday, as a “warm-up” for Sunday’s spectacle and the final between France and Argentina.