Bilic slams 'provoking' Cucurella after Perisic's controversial red card in Croatia's defeat to Spain

Croatia fell to a 1-2 home defeat against Spain in Rijeka in the UEFA Nations League. It was their second consecutive loss, following a heavy defeat to England only days earlier. The focus of the match was not tactics or individual brilliance, but refereeing and a series of controversial decisions. Slaven Bilic, described by Goal.com as Croatia's head coach, spoke sharply after the match. He criticised Spain left-back Marc Cucurella over behaviour he considered provocative, while still praising Cucurella's ability as a footballer. The turning point came with a second yellow card for Ivan Perisic. In a challenge with Cucurella, the veteran Croatian wide player was shown a second yellow and sent off. Cucurella went to ground in that incident. The dismissal was described as the moment that shifted the momentum of the match, leaving Croatia a man down for the closing period. Speaking afterwards, Bilic said: “Who is not angry with Cucurella. But of course, he provokes.” He also stressed that he admired Cucurella as a great player. Analysts read the praise-then-critique formulation as a savvy communication move: it aired his frustration without risking a disciplinary charge. Beyond the red card, Croatia also disputed Spain's second goal. Bilic claimed the goal was offside, arguing that a Spanish player interfered with goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic. That complaint is considered the more legally substantive of the two, because IFAB Law 11 explicitly covers an offside offence for interfering with an opponent. Retrospective correction, however, is highly unlikely. A second yellow card is almost never rescinded after the fact, and simulation incidents are rarely punished retrospectively. The Goal.com report does not mention whether VAR intervened. Croatia's grievance is therefore expressive rather than remedial. On results, Bilic admitted the England defeat was “unacceptable and cannot be erased”. But he argued the Spain match showed improved reaction and commitment. He said: “Playing like this, we can compete with anyone, even the best.” Croatia, he added, deserved at least a point. The message that “this must be the standard” is read as an attempt to stabilise morale after a damaging result. It converts a defeat into a benchmark to aim at, rather than a lasting psychological wound, a familiar expectation-management technique after a run of poor results. A separate debate is also heating up: whether Croatia's veteran core is sitting in a “comfort zone”. Bilic rejected that view, saying the senior players showed they can still be counted on. At the same time, he admitted the team needs young players in certain positions where it lacks the right profile. Three names were mentioned: Segecic, Jagusic and Soticek. The coach naming young prospects is seen as a signal of an imminent generational handover, and it reflects public pressure to refresh the squad after the heavy England loss. Bilic's dual message, defending the veterans while promising opportunities to younger players, is viewed as a balancing act designed to avoid alienating either camp during a transition window. It also helps keep the dressing room stable ahead of upcoming fixtures. The fixture context matters: Croatia faced two of the world's leading teams inside a single international window. England, then world champions Spain, is a punishing schedule for any national team. Accumulated physical and psychological load may partly explain the tense closing phase. The immediate consequence is a suspension for Perisic. Croatia will be without a veteran wide player in the next match, forcing the coaching staff to reshuffle the flanks. That is a tangible sporting cost, while Cucurella is almost certain to face no retrospective sanction. More broadly, Croatia's biggest risk is not a single defeat. The medium-term issue is generational: a golden generation is ageing while succession remains unfinished. Explaining results through refereeing decisions can also mask genuine problems in playing style and chance creation. In media terms, the story has been framed as the provocateur versus the wronged giant. That framing travels far but rests on a weak foundation, because it depends on rules interpretation rather than performance data. The cycle is expected to be short unless a repeat incident or an official review sustains it. Verification note: Goal.com describes Slaven Bilic as Croatia's current head coach. Public records, however, show Bilic managed Croatia from 2026 to 2026, while Zlatko Dalic has held the role since 2026. The discrepancy may stem from an editorial error or a translation artifact. Readers should verify the speaker's identity before drawing tactical or management conclusions. For Vietnamese football, the episode offers a reference point. Teams in the region, Vietnam included, have repeatedly found themselves on the wrong side of contentious decisions. The lesson is that complaints carry expressive value only, while points come from controlling what is within reach: structure, chance creation and squad stability. In short, the 1-2 defeat to Spain leaves two echoes. The first is frustration with the officiating and with Cucurella. The second, and more important, is the question of the road ahead for a national team that once reached a World Cup semi-final but now faces demands to renew its squad.