'Croatia demonstrated who f***ed whom': Andrej Kramaric hits back at Canada boss John Herdman after he declared his side would 'F' the Croats - and insists the 4-1 demolition was inspired by the manager's bold claims

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Andrej Kramaric hit back at John Herdman after Croatia's stunning 4-1 win against Canada on Sunday, insisting that the manager's bold claims earlier this week inspired the Croats to victory.

Following Canada's spirited 1-0 defeat by Belgium on Wednesday, Herdman declared that his side would 'F' the 2018 World Cup finalists at the weekend.

Despite taking the lead through star man Alphonso Davies in the second minute, Canada were ultimately humbled by a very confident Croatian outfit, who came from behind thanks to goals from Kramaric, Marko Livaja and Lavro Majer.

'Croatia demonstrated who F'd whom': Andrej Kramaric hit back at Canada boss John Herdman

John Herdman boldly claimed his side would 'F' Croatia after their 1-0 defeat by Belgium

Kramaric, who netted the equaliser in the 36th minute before doubling his tally midway through the second-half, insisted that Herdman's comments had spurred Croatia on.

Upon collecting his Player of the Match award, the striker said: 'I want to thank the Canada coach for the motivation. In the end, Croatia demonstrated who F'd whom.'

As Canada were eliminated from the tournament, Croatia climbed to top spot in Group F following Belgium's shock 2-0 defeat by Morocco on Sunday. 

Canada put in a spirited display against Belgium earlier this week but rued Davies' missed penalty, as Michy Batshuayi's first-half strike handed the Belgians a narrow 1-0 victory.

After the match, Herdman huddled his side together and gave a passionate speech on the pitch, insisting his players 'belonged' in the tournament.

When prompted during his post-match press conference to elaborate on the inspiration he gave to his players, the manager urged that his side were 'going to go and 'F' Croatia' in the following match.

Kramaric claimed Player of the Match after netting two goals as Croatia came back to win 4-1

He scored the leveller in the 36th minute before netting again midway through the second-half

'I just showed them the stats, I just showed them they belong here,' Herdman said. 

'I just told them they belong here and we're going to go and 'F' Croatia. It's as simple as it gets, that is our next mission now.

'I lost my first game at the London 2012 Olympics and we went on to win our first medal in 86 years.

'It is about how we respond now.'

Zlatko Dalic said earlier this week that his Croatian side 'deserved' more respect from everyone

Herdman's comments sparked mass frustration amongst the Croatian staff and players. 

Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic said earlier this week: 'The Croatia team deserves respect from everyone. We have proven that by the way we have played and our conduct during the World Cup. 

'We are the runners-up, second in the world. We respect everyone equally so we expect our opposing teams to respect us. This way of putting words together is not a sign of respect.'

Herdman gave a passionate speech to his side following their 1-0 defeat by Belgium this week

When asked by BBC reporters after the 4-1 defeat whether he regretted his claims, Herdman said: 'Not not at all. There is a respect for Croatia, we are here to push as far as we can.

'I could have been a little bit more composed coming out of the huddle and I take that on the chin.

'I did not see the other head coach after the match. When I win, I congratulate the winner but he was not there, that is his way of doing things. 

'He is obviously mad and it will take some time for him to learn some things.'