Türkiye's ambitions of clinching a second consecutive UEFA 2024 European Championship victory were dashed on Tuesday when Mateo Kovacic's two unanswered goals sent the Crescent Stars to the gallows on their home turf in Bursa.
The Crescent Stars sauntered onto the pitch of the Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Stadium, buoyed by their 2-1 victory away in Armenia but their lofty expectations were dented as the match did not end in their favor.
Boasting 18 shots, 9 more than the visitors, the hosts' forward line was rendered impotent as the experienced Luka Modric-led Vatreni were far too superior in front of goal, leaving their opponents in the dust.
Following the home defeat, all eyes were focused on manager Stefan Kuntz, who acknowledged his side's shortcomings.
"We are far from satisfied with the scoreline given our expectations tactically, as our team displayed a comprehensive range of tactical elements on the pitch. Croatia may be an experienced team, but they certainly seemed to be outmatched, 8-9. We made a mistake that cost us, and we entered 3-4 positions, but we were unable to capitalize. Our opponents scored immediately off their first attack. The key difference between the two teams is really in quality, and what matters most is how well you handle the ball on your first touch. We can think of Stanisic's proactive setup and deft first touch that led to the goal. Conversely, there were times when we were unable to make the best of our first contact, which put us in unfavorable positions," he said.
Stefan Kuntz said his team put up a good fight, but they need to reflect on this feeling in their next games and play more with the ball.
"We said and talked about what they should work on when we are not with our players. Our camp in June will be a little longer as a process, we will have the opportunity to work with them one-on-one. I believe they will take what we have to say seriously and make good use of this period. Let's criticize offensive players, but let's not go too far. Those players will play a key role in the upcoming games," he said.
Finally, the German coach opined that one of the foremost issues facing Turkish football is inadequate infrastructure.