I don't want to talk about the referee. I think he could not have missed the fouls on Corluka and Mandzukic, but Spain are world champions and they shouldn't need help from the referee.

...I have phenomenal players with great character. I came in as a young coach without any experience, now we have a great team and we can be proud of our work together. I've never been as proud as I am now.

• Croatia

[Ivan] Rakitic had a great chance, but we didn't have the luck.

...We are proud of tonight's match and our performances in this tournament. We haven't gone through to the quarter-finals, but we retain optimism.

• Croatia

This victory was really tough. Croatia had several chances to score, but we expected that and were ready for it.

...We weren't looking to play for the draw, that would have been too risky, and also goes against our philosophy.

• Spain

It was a very difficult game, they had chances. Well, it was a hard game to play because of the situation, for the fact that we were nearly qualified, but well, we were there until the end, and then we got the goal that calmed everything down.

They were a great opponent, and played on an equal level to us. They marked pretty well, and it was very difficult for us to get through. Nevertheless we were able to fight for this victory.