World Cup Qualifiers: Croatia Replaces Coach After Draw With Finland

Davor Suker, the president of Croatia's soccer association, says Dalic is taking over after Croatia stumbled in a 1-1 home draw against Finland on Friday in World Cup qualifiers.

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) Croatia coach Ante Cacic has been fired and replaced by Zlatko Dalic.

Davor Suker, the president of Croatia's soccer association, says Dalic is taking over after Croatia stumbled in a 1-1 home draw against Finland on Friday in World Cup qualifiers. Croatia is second in Group I, level on 17 points with Ukraine, and two points behind leader Iceland with one game left.

Croatia faces Ukraine on Monday.

Suker says Croatia still has ''a chance to get into the playoffs and to make it to the World Cup'' in Russia next year. He adds that Dalic ''will lead the team in the crucial game against Ukraine and we are hoping for a positive outcome.''

Croatia's match against Finland also marked Luka Modric's 100th appearance for his country.

👏🇭🇷 #HalaMadrid
Congratulations to @lm19official, who earned his 100th cap for Croatia last night!https://t.co/R15jzFakie

— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) October 7, 2017

After the match, Modric spoke of his frustration to the press. "Until our match with Iceland, everything was fine and now all of a sudden nothing is of any worth," he said speaking to the media after the game. "That's the honest truth, the situation is catastrophic, but we still have a chance to make it right."