Slaven Bilic slams 'provoking' Marc Cucurella over controversial Ivan Perisic red card during Croatia's defeat to Spain

Bilic did not hold back in his assessment of Marc Cucurella following the controversial dismissal of Ivan Perisic. The Croatia head coach was left furious by what he perceived as theatrical behaviour from the Spanish left-back, who went to ground during a challenge that saw Perisic receive his second yellow card of the evening. The incident shifted the momentum of the clash, allowing Spain to eventually secure a narrow victory.

Speaking after the final whistle, Bilic expressed a mix of professional admiration and personal frustration regarding the defender. "Who is not angry with Cucurella if he is not on their team? He is a great player, I admire him for what he does on the pitch and for the history of his son. He defends his team with everything, but of course he provokes," he stated, as quoted by Marca.

The former West Ham boss was also adamant that Spain's winning goal should have been disallowed for an infringement on goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic. He insisted that an offside player directly obstructed Livakovic during the play, preventing him from properly defending the shot. "The second goal was offside, the player was bothering Livakovic," Bilic noted, as cited by Jutarnji.

While expressing disappointment over certain aspects of the match, Bilić was pleased with his squad's fight and overall performance. "There are some things I'm not happy with, but I'm happy with the reaction and the game. I've now told the players to remember both games, they are the best indicators of what should not be done and what should be done. And how it must be done," he added.

Despite the anger over the result, Bilic was quick to praise his players for their improved attitude following a heavy defeat to England just days prior. He emphasized that the level of commitment shown against Spain must become the baseline for the national team moving forward. The manager noted that while the previous result was unacceptable, the response in Rijeka proved that Croatia can still compete with the world's elite teams.

"It’s a shame. We deserved at least a point. We got what we asked of the team—a reaction to what happened a few days ago, which was unacceptable and cannot be erased. This must be the standard for our drive and commitment. Playing like this, we can compete with anyone, even the best," he explained.

The manager also addressed questions regarding the inclusion of younger talents like Segecic, Jagusic, and Soticek in future squads. Bilic insisted that while he values youth and the need for fresh blood in certain positions, the current veteran core proved they are still capable of fighting against the world champions. He rejected the idea that his senior players had entered a "comfort zone," praising their ability to bounce back under pressure.

"I like young players. Comfort zones do not have to be solved by moving them away. The boys showed that they can still be counted on. Of course, we need young people for some positions where we lack such a profile of players. Today we showed that you can even beat the world champion with a frame that you question," Bilic concluded.