Croatian captain Luka Modric downplayed the high expectations for his squad, saying that they need to take it one step at a time. Croatia was held to a goalless draw by Morocco in their World Cup Group F encounter on Wednesday.

Player of the Match Modric said Morocco as “a challenging opponent, they are complicated and difficult to play against.” We played outstanding defence today and prevented them from getting near. Croatia, who finished second at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, entered the tournament as one of the favourites, but Modric stressed that their current top priority is the next two group matches, according to Xinhua.

“Prior to the 2018 World Cup, our ambition was to pass the group. It is the same now,” he added. “But we would be a dangerous opponent if we pass the group.” Head coach Zlatko Dalic also refused to make a comparison between the team now and the one four years ago, as it is now “a new national team with a lot of new players.”

“We are not totally satisfied with the result today. We had control and possession, but didn’t create enough decisive opportunities or go forward as we wanted to,” said Dalic.

“Morocco were an opponent that is compact and well-prepared for us. They waited for us to make mistakes and used our weak spots,” he added.

“They were faster than us in some cases, so we were afraid of their counterattacks. We were missing a bit of courage.”

“But we are moving on, and we will fight until the last minute.”

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