Kovač delighted with victory, Penev disappointed

• Niko Kovač calls Croatia's win in Sofia "a credit to the players"
• Angry Luboslav Penev insists Bulgarian "heads will not drop"
• Nikolay Bodurov own goal secures second Group H victory for Croatia
• Ćorluka hails Croatian resilience
• Next games: Norway v Bulgaria, Croatia v Azerbaijan (Monday)

Niko Kovač, Croatia coach
We scored from a corner – we've been practising set pieces in the past few days and it paid off. I have players in this team that are capable of producing killer passes, but that didn't happen this time. Even so, I am happy with the three points. I don't know whether I will come in for less criticism now. The most important thing is that we performed well and that is a credit to the players.

Vedran Ćorluka, Croatia defender
I think we deserved the win. We played extremely well in defence. We were totally focused and careful and did not allow Bulgaria to create clear chances. All players were committed and we played very well as a team and were resilient. The victory is very important as we now have six points from the first two games. Sofia is a tough place to go. I am sure other teams in the group will have also tough visits here. 

Luboslav Penev, Bulgaria coach
I accept the defeat, but not the manner of it. Key players did not show their true qualities. I did not expect to lose, but we could not win the match with that kind of performance. Maybe there will be changes for the next game. I am happy with the players I have at my disposal – I'm not complaining. But in 90 minutes they have to show the best of themselves.

Nikolay Bodurov, Bulgaria defender|
Of course, scoring an own goal is a tough pill to swallow. It was a really bad moment, a slip and an unfortunate touch. Now I must focus on the next game and try to make amends. We were below-par against Croatia. We must forget this game and focus on Norway. There are lots of games to come and we must play much better.