"It was a difficult match against an excellent opponent," Dalic said post match.

"We were disciplined, we were well-deployed and we deservedly won. Truly, the atmosphere was like at home. We did not expect so many of them, we knew that there would be quite a few of them [fans] but not this many.

"My thanks go to them, they came from all over the globe, from all over Croatia. They've shown the love for the team and their country. We played for them, this win is for them. God willing, this will be repeated." 

Croatia, who beat Nigeria 2-0 in Kaliningrad on Saturday, will next face Argentina on Thursday and Iceland on June 26.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicked off on Thursday and will continue until July 15, with the matches set to be played in 11 cities across Russia.