After dramatic World Cup exit! Top nation parts with successful manager

Croatia suffered a dramatic exit against Portugal in the World Cup round of 32. A supposed last-minute equalizer was ruled out by VAR. For the 2018 runners-up, the World Cup exit became a bitter reality. 

Zlatko Dalić’s contract was due to run only until the end of the tournament, though an extension had still been on the table. The federation made a major effort to keep the 59-year-old. Now a decision has been made. The successful coach will not continue. 

After almost nine years in office, Dalić is stepping down. With him as national coach, Croatia finished as World Cup runners-up in 2018, took third place at the 2022 World Cup, and also finished second in the UEFA Nations League in 2023. 

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.