Croatia emphasized the need for greater focus and composure following a narrow 1-0 victory over Panama in their World Cup group stage match on Tuesday. Despite eventually securing the win, coach Zlatko Dalic expressed concern over his team’s initial struggles against a well-organized and fast Panamanian side.

Panama came close to scoring early in the match when Jose Luis Rodriguez’s header was deflected onto the crossbar by the Croatian goalkeeper just before the hydration break. Croatia’s inability to consistently maintain possession and withstand Panama’s pressure prompted a visibly frustrated Dalic to urge his players to regain control during the pause.

“They were really under a lot of pressure, and each and every ball was in the possession of the opponent … And we didn’t manage to overcome this initially,” Dalic said after the match, which resulted in Panama’s elimination from Group L contention.

Croatia entered the game mindful that only a win would keep their hopes alive of advancing from the expanded 48-team tournament’s Group L. Having lost their opening game against England, Dalic acknowledged the heavy pressure his team faced and admitted he was unprepared for how difficult the match turned out to be.

“I didn’t expect that it was going to be such a difficult match. We didn’t react the best, and perhaps it could be due to the pressure, because we really needed to get these three points to move on to the second stage,” Dalic remarked.

Looking ahead to their upcoming Group L match against Ghana in Philadelphia on Saturday, Dalic stressed the importance of improvement, especially in defensive areas. “I am not the happiest with the play, especially in the first half,” he said. “But I will forget this, and now focus on what awaits us.”

Croatia’s performance, while sufficient to secure all three points, underscored challenges the team must address as they aim for a deep run in the tournament, which saw them reach the final in 2018.