Coupe du monde 2026 : « nous ne sommes pas le Congo », Dejan Lovren crée la polémique après l'élimination de la Croatie
Croatia's elimination in the round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup against Portugal (2-1) continues to generate strong reactions. Among the most notable is that of former Croatian international defender Dejan Lovren, whose comments made on national television sparked controversy.
A pundit for Croatian channel HTV, the former Liverpool player didn't mince words when analyzing the decisive goal conceded by Croatia in the final minutes of the match. Visibly frustrated, he criticized his former teammates for their lack of fighting spirit on that play.
"It's very painful to go out like that. Conceding such a goal in the last five minutes is simply unacceptable. Watching the footage again makes me nauseous. A single opponent jumps in the middle of three of our defenders. We are not Congo," said Lovren, a comparison that quickly drew widespread criticism.
Beyond this controversial statement, the former international defender took the opportunity to pay tribute to several key players on the Croatian national team. He notably felt that Luka Modrić did not deserve to leave the competition on such a disappointing note. He also praised the performances of Mateo Kovačić, Igor Matanović, and Petar Sučić, whom he considered among the few bright spots of the tournament.
Dejan Lovren believes Croatia still has a squad capable of competing with the best nations. However, he regrets their overly cautious approach and calls for a change of mindset.
“We are among the top ten teams in the world. We need to play with more boldness, rediscover our aggression and the character that brought us success in major competitions,” he concluded, urging the Croatian team to learn from this premature elimination.
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