Pumped-up Josip Juranovic had no doubt he’d hit back at savage criticism along with his Croatian team-mates.
The Celtic star was delighted to show his true qualities after helping his country fire back from flak and the depths of despair and humiliation.
Croatia were slaughtered in their homeland after a 3-0 home defeat by Austria last week in the Nations League.
But they responded in perfect fashion with a superb display against France.
With Rangers ’ Borna Barisic on the opposite flank also playing his part, Juranovic helped the side to a 1-1 draw.
He said: “We showed our true face. Everyone wrote us off after Austria. Croatia is always at its strongest when it matters the most.
“We are satisfied with a point but we regret the opportunities we had. The atmosphere was great, as it is usually here in Split.
“But, all in all, we did not give up after the unfortunate first match against Austria.”
The Celtic defender also refuted any notion his nation were able to take advantage of an understrength French set-up.
Didier Deschamps made wholesale changes to his line-up with key stars missing from the team. However, Juranovic is adamant the overall strength of the French means there is no way to downsize the efforts of his team.
He said: “What does the strongest team mean to the French? If the French came to the World Cup with the third team, they would still be equal with everyone.”
Juranovic, who is still recovering to top gear after missing the final matches of his club season due to a hamstring injury, gave a strong performance, despite fingers being pointed at him for Adrien Rabiot’s goal.
Boss Zlatko Dalic gave his assessment of the Celtic star’s performance and hinted that he may have to keep standards high to maintain his place.
He said: “He did a lot of good things. Maybe he didn’t close well at the goal. We will still be looking for a solution in that position by September, but I am happy.”
Juranovic, meanwhile, says it was a thrill to feature alongside the idol of the nation, Luka Modric.
Real Madrid’s multiple-Champions League winning playmaker was honoured on with a presentation for making his 150th appearance.
He said: “I’m honoured to play with Luka. We all know what he means to us. He is completely unique.”
