Coach Kovačević: This is a big warning for us, I believe that the players will react well

This was a tough defeat, we all believed in victory, we prepared well this week, and then we entered the match drowsily in the middle of the field, nervously, with a lot of mistakes, emphasized Dinamo's coach Mario Kovačević after the match at Maksimir in which Gorica won 2-1.

- We had the opportunity before their goal, if we had scored then the match would probably have been different, but after conceding the goal, even greater nervousness crept in. What we offered was too little for Dinamo. We made changes at halftime, we had to, and then an action happened in which we conceded the second goal... When Sandro Kulenović scored to reduce their lead, it seemed like we would come back, but we carelessly earned a red card and after that everything became harder. Gorica's players later also tried to waste time as much as they could, but unfortunately, we did not create any major chances. I say, our poor start to the match, nervousness... Gorica took advantage of that and I can only congratulate them on the victory.

Journalists were interested in the coach's opinion on whether Josip Mišić and Gonzalo Villar could play together considering that the play in the midfield was not so fluent.

– I believe they can, but this time it didn't go well. I wouldn't analyze individually now. I had to make changes at halftime, I made three substitutions then, maybe I could have made more, but I still left room in case something happened. The two of them can play together, but they need to be better. We have other options, we'll see.

In the second half, the team was led by 16-year-old Cardoso Varela.

– We opened up the left side with Varela's entry. We weren't sure if he could, he hadn't trained... Four days ago, he played the whole game.

Was there a problem in preparing for this match?

- I take responsibility for such an entry into the game. Everything was fine in training, we knew how Gorica plays, but sometimes you can't influence everything. Nothing indicated that this would happen. I know that my team can do better. I say, I take responsibility, maybe I didn't warn enough that Gorica is a good team. When you're not at your best, it's hard to beat anyone in the HNL.

In the next round, Dinamo will play away against Hajduk, and due to a red card, Luka Stojković will be absent. Will Ismaël Bennacer make his debut?

- This is an important match even though it's practically the beginning of the season. We will definitely prepare well. Bennacer trains well, we'll see. We will certainly use him, but we'll see how much. It's a shame for Stojković, but we have strong competition. This is a big warning for us, the players are aware, I believe they will react well - concluded coach Kovačević.