Coach Zlatko Dalić pinpointed set-piece defending and poor reactions to long balls as decisive factors in Croatia's 2-4 defeat to England in Group L on 17 June. "We conceded two goals from set pieces in the first half, the first after a penalty. When we conceded from a long ball, it became clear how hard it would be to come back in the match," Dalić told FIFA's official website.
"We reacted poorly to long balls and had poor transitions," Dalić added. Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford scored in the second half as England pulled away to claim a dominant victory.
Croatia face Panama on 24 June in their second Group L fixture. Dalić's analysis underscores set-piece vulnerability as a defensive pattern requiring attention.
Set-piece weakness revealed in this match may influence bookmaker odds for Croatia's remaining group encounters, particularly affecting both-teams-to-score and expected-goals conceded markets.
→ Match stats and preview on ScanGoal