Russia Were 'Furious' Over Vida, Vukojevic Shouting 'Glory to Ukraine' - Dzyuba

© Sputnik / Ilya Pitalev / Go to the mediabankRussian national football team during a meeting with fans in the fan zone on the Vorobyovy Gory in Moscow
Russian national football team during a meeting with fans in the fan zone on the Vorobyovy Gory in Moscow - Sputnik International
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Zenit St. Petersburg forward Artem Dzyuba said on Monday that he and his Russia teammates were "furious" with Croatia's Domagoj Vida and Ognjen Vukojevic for their pro-Ukrainian comments following Croatia's penalty shootout win over Russia in the World Cup quarter-finals.

"On the one hand, I was impressed by Croatia's stubbornness. Everyone thought that England would sweep them away but they went through. But because of Vida and Vukojevic… We were really furious with them for their video… Our initial reaction was to come out [of the bus] and punch Vida. But then we cooled down a bit. Then he apologized, so I'm not angry with him. He doesn't know what he's doing," Dzyuba said, as quoted by Zenit's website.

READ MORE: Croatia Player Ante Rebić Pays Off Loans of 500 Residents of His Birthplace

Following the match, which was played in Sochi on July 7, a video was posted online showing Croatia defender Vida chanting "Glory to Ukraine!" and coaching assistant Vukojevic saying "This is a victory for Dynamo [Kiev] and Ukraine."

In the center to the left: Head coach Zlatko Dalić (Croatia) and players of the Croatian national team before the penalty shootout in the 1/4 finals match between Russia and Croatia. - Sputnik International
Team Croatia’s Misconduct in 2018 World Cup
Vukojevic was suspended from his duties at the World Cup by the Croatian Football Federation and fined $15,000 for unsporting behavior by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, while Vida was handed a warning, avoiding a ban that would have ruled him out of the World Cup.

Both Vida and the Croatian Football Federation later apologized for his statement.

Croatia went on to beat England 2-1 in extra time in the semi-finals before losing 4-2 to France in the final on July 15.

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