Croatia’s squad has been reduced to 22 players after forward Nikola Kalinic was sent home following the team’s 2-0 victory over Nigeria in their opening World Cup match.
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Coach Zlatko Dalic announced his decision Monday. Dalic says he wanted to use Kalinic as a substitute in the second half but the AC Milan forward, who was already warming up, told him he was not able to play because of a back problem. Dalic says Kalinic did the same in a World Cup warmup against Brazil and also didn’t train with the team for the same reason Sunday.
Dalic says "I need my players fit and ready to play."
Croatia next faces Argentina on Thursday. Croatia’s media speculated Kalinic was not happy with his role in the team.
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