Josip Juranovic can be extremely proud of himself and his country for getting to another World Cup Semi-final this year, after nearly repeating the feat of 2018 and making the Final. It’s a remarkable achievement considering the size of the nation that sits at the Adriatic Sea. The player spoke to the mainstream media after the game, and revealed his frustrations with the referee, but also, his praise for the magical, Lionel Messi.
As reported by Scottish Sun, Celtic’s World Cup star said: “Before the penalty kick we had a shot on goal and we should have won a corner. Those little mistakes turned the game in their favour. Luck was on their side today, but what can I say…there is one Leo Messi. For me he is the best player in the world, when he receives the ball he works miracles and wonders!
“The Argentines looked at our game against Brazil and prepared for us. I can’t say we were tired. If necessary, we will give the last atom of strength. We started the game well, but we lacked the final pass. Argentina have a lot of good players and I congratulate them on advancing. But still Messi is the one, there is no more to say. What’s it like to play against him? It’s a dream, but we wanted to win the game, so I wouldn’t look at it that way.”
Juranovic also revealed that defeat has only strengthened the resolve of Zlatko Dalic’s men to finish third place in whoever they face out of France and Morocco after they play tonight. Ahead of the Match this Saturday, he said: “As soon as we entered the dressing room, we said that we have to do our best to win that third place. The medal would be remembered for a lifetime. We need to pull ourselves together and close this chapter.”
Paul Gillespie
