February 6, 2023 - The SuperSport HNL 20th round was played from February 3 to 5, 2023. It was another round where Dinamo slipped up, this time against Belupo, Osijek lost to Lokomotiva, and Hajduk failed to take advantage of both results after losing to Rijeka at Poljud. While the race for the title could have been shaken up again this round, Dinamo once against sits comfortably at the top. 

Istra 1961 v. Varazdin (2-1)

Istra and Varazdin opened the 20th round on Friday, February 3, in Pula in front of 952 fans.

The game was exciting from the get-go as Erceg missed a penalty for Istra in the 5th minute. However, Galilea scored for 1-0 Istra in the 42nd minute, which is how the match ended at halftime. It didn't take too long for Varazdin to equalize when Brodic scored for 1-1 in the 57th minute. But in the final minute of regulation time, Maresic put Istra back ahead at 2-1 for the victory. 

The match was close overall. Istra maintained 51% of possession to Varazdin's 49%. Both teams had four shots on target, while Varazdin had 17 to Istra's 7. 

Istra is in 5th place with 27 points and a game in hand, while Varazdin is in 6th place with 27 points. 

Lokomotiva v. Osijek (1-0)

Lokomotiva and Osijek met in Zagreb on Saturday, February 4, in front of 710 fans. 

Pivaric scored the only goal of the match in the 39th minute. Lokomotiva maintained 55% of possession throughout the game compared to Osijek's 45%. In addition, Lokomotiva had four shots on target to Osijek's 4 and 14 total shots compared to Osijek's 8. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 7th place with 22 points, while Osijek is in 3rd with 34. 

Slaven Belupo v. Dinamo (1-1)

Belupo and Dinamo met for the second match on Saturday in Koprivnica in front of 1,743 fans. 

Drmic gave Dinamo the early lead for 0-1 in the 3rd minute. Jambor equalized for 1-1 in the 32nd minute. Dinamo mostly struggled against a weaker Belupo. While Dinamo maintained 69% of possession throughout the match, they only had two shots on target (just like Belupo) and seven shots total (Belupo had 9). Dinamo also blocked three shots from Belupo, while Belupo only blocked one for Dinamo. Both keepers made one save. 

Belupo is currently in 4th place with 24 points, while Dinamo is in 1st with 46 and a game in hand. 

Gorica v. Sibenik (0-3)

Gorica and Sibenik met on Sunday, February 5, in Velika Gorica in front of 1,024 fans. 

Cop scored Sibenik's first goal for 0-1 in the 44th minute. Dolcek made it 0-2 in the 64th minute and Cop again for 0-3 in the 90+4'. 

Gorica had more possession throughout the match (53%), while both teams had six shots on target. Gorica had 26 total shots to Sibenik's 15. 

(no video available)

Gorica is currently in last place with 20 points, while Sibenik is 9th with 16. 

Hajduk v. Rijeka (1-2)

Hajduk and Rijeka closed out the 20th round on Sunday in front of 13,098 fans who braved the icy bura. 

Knowing they had yet another chance to capitalize on Dinamo's draw against Belupo this weekend, Hajduk failed to secure 3 points. The first half went without goals, and Rijeka shocked Poljud by scoring two in the second half - in the 65th and 83rd minutes. Hajduk was awarded a penalty in the 90th minute, which Livaja scored for some hope in the 8-minute-long stoppage time, though another penalty was given to Hajduk six minutes later, which was saved by Labrovic. 

Hajduk maintained 57% possession with eight shots on target to Rijeka's 43% possession and six shots on target.

Hajduk remains in 2nd place with 38 points, while Rijeka is in 8th with 22.  

You can check out the HNL table HERE. 

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

February the 6th, 2023 - You might have heard of Dalmatian (and I'm not talking about the ones Cruella tried to make coats out of), but have you ever heard of Dalmatic? In this edition of our series on all things to do with the Croatian language, dialects and subdialects, we'll explore why they're not one and the same.

A brief history

Not to be confused with Dalmatian, the Dalmatic language is now extinct. It belonged to the wider group of Italo-Dalmatian family of languages and was once spoken along both the Croatian and Montenegrin coastlines. What makes Dalmatic so interesting is that the date of its disappearance from use is very precisely known - June the 10th, 1898, when the last speaker of a form of this language (known as the Vegliot dialect), Tuone Udain, died. You can read more about Tuone, who was born on Krk and was unfortunately killed during a road mine explosion, by clicking here. 

Dalmatinski (Dalmatian) and Dalmatski (Dalmatic), what's the difference?

Here's where it gets linguistically tricky thanks to our good old (and awkward) friend - terminology. In the Croatian language, Dalmatic (Dalmatski) is the common name for this language, and it should never be confused with Dalmatian (Dalmatinski). One is a Slavic language and one is a Romance language.

The Dalmatian language, i.e. a dialect or a set of dialects, refers to various spoken versions of the Croatian language, which belongs to the wider group of Slavic languages. The Dalmatic language does not belong to the Slavic language family and is actually a Romance language which originated from Latin and was spoken all along the eastern Adriatic coast, this means that Dalmatian and Dalmatic are not at all closely related outside of the basic fact that both Slavic and Romance languages share a common ancestor as they belong to the far wider group of Indo-European languages.

Where did Dalmatic come from?

The Dalmatic language first came to be way back during Middle Ages as a direct continuation of spoken Latin in the then Roman Dalmatia, sharing the same spontaneous origins of most other Romance tongues. Latin language was the most important and most heavily used language at the time, and Dalmatic wasn't used for any official purposes, with the occasional exception of Dubrovnik (Ragusa) where it has been discovered in some old notarial documents. The oldest Dalmatic texts we know of date from way back in the thirteenth century, and were written in the Ragusan (Dubrovnik) subdialect.

How did it become extinct?

The use of Croatian (a Slavic language) began to gain a lot of ground and spread across a wider and wider geographical area, and Italian and Venetian also took hold across vast parts of modern Croatia owing to the power of the Venetians at the time. Unfortunately, this saw spoken Dalmatic become extinct, with the Zadar version of spoken Dalmatic likely dying out first, and Ragusan ceasing to exist during the sixteenth century.

Native Dalmatic speakers once resided on the Croatian islands of Rab, Cres and Krk, in numerous coastal Croatian cities, including Trogir, Split, Dubrovnik and Zadar, and further south across the border in neighbouring Montenegro (Kotor). The most well known regional Dalmatic dialects were Ragusan (Dubrovnik), Vegliot (Krk), and the local dialect spoken in Zadar (Jadera).

For more on the Croatian language, including learning it, looking into the history of the dialects, subdialects and extinct languages, and even learning to swear, make sure to check out our lifestyle section. A new article on the Croatian language is published every Monday.

February 5, 2023 - Croatian tourism workers are in uproar about the removal of the tourist bus stop on Palmotićeva Street and parking at Vončinina Street. A petition for common sense and reduced traffic.

If you recognize yourself in at least one of the 4 statements below, this petition also concerns you:

✅You often drive/travel by bus over the Sava bridges.

✅You often drive along Selska or Držićeva street.

✅You live in the neighborhood of Voltino and get to the center by bus n° 118

✅In general, you would like as few traffic jams as possible in Zagreb.

What is this about?

By the decision of the City Authorities of Zagreb (the Transport Department at the City Office for Reconstruction, Development, Physical Planning, Construction, Utility Services and Transport), the tourist bus stop (pick-up/drop-off point) on Palmotićeva Street and the tourist bus parking zone on Vončinina Street have been permanently closed and relocated to:  

1. Zagreb Train Station – the south side of Ante Starčević Square
2. Mažuranić Square [where bus 118 stops]
3. Zagreb Trade Fair (Zagrebački Velesajam) parking lot  

The licensed local tour guides from Zagreb, both foreign and local tour leaders and bus drivers, as well as travel agencies from all over the world have already expressed great dissatisfaction and disappointment with this decision, since its implementation would inevitably lead to a series of organizational and logistical problems and major traffic jams, which would significantly impact the number of tourist groups visiting the capital of Croatia.  

Here are six main reasons why we believe that it is of major importance for Zagreb as a tourist destination to re-establish the tourist bus stop on Palmotićeva Street and the bus parking zone on Vončinina Street.    

1.      Standard Zagreb tours are extremely time-limited: they usually last around 2 hours and cover the Old Town main sights, located in the very heart of the city center (Kaptol – the area around Zagreb’s Cathedral and the Upper Town). Due to the new decisions, Zagreb sightseeing tours would have to be extended by an hour (half an hour of additional walking in each direction) and this would inevitably cause negative reactions among many clients, leading to cancellations of sightseeing tours and exclusion of Zagreb tours from the travel itineraries. 

A significant reduction in the number of tourist groups visiting Zagreb would negatively impact not only travel agencies, tour leaders and tour guides, but also restaurants, souvenir shops and other retail stores in the city center, especially those in the before mentioned zone of the Old Town and namely, European Square.   2.      Most tourist groups need a comfort break after getting off the bus, before they start their sightseeing. If they get off on Palmotićeva Street, there is a nearby public toilet at their disposal, located on Cesarčeva Street, where you can find tourists from recently arrived buses (40 people per bus on average) waiting in line. Should the City of Zagreb go through with this decision, tens, sometimes hundreds of tourists will not be able to use the restroom before they go on a 2-hour walking tour, as there are no public toilets or similar appropriate facilities nowhere near the 2 newly suggested tourist bus stops.  

3.      Such a decision could lead to major traffic jams, especially if there are two or three tourist buses lined up on Mažuranić Square at the moment when the daily city bus arrives. That very same stop is used as a regular bus station for the 118 bus line to Voltino .

In the event that, for example, two tourist buses arrive at Mažuranić Square (and one would expect there to be more), the 118 city bus and other road users could very well find themselves in a highly inconvenient situation. Since the drivers of tourist buses cannot predict the amount of time they need to drive from the Zagreb Trade Fair to Mažuranić Square (or Starčević Square), one would expect them to arrive early and wait for their groups. This means that bus 118 would have nowhere to stop. Should bus 118 or the tourist buses have nowhere to stop, a traffic jam could easily build up on both Žerjavićeva and Perkovčeva streets.

4.     If the decision about the parking lot at the Zagreb Trade Fair remains in force, that would mean that all tourist buses visiting the capital would have to cross the Sava River at least twice in order to park at the Zagreb Trade Fair parking lot and then to return to the center and pick up their group. So, if all tourist buses visiting Zagreb would travel from the city center to the Zagreb Trade Fair parking lot and back during the entire tourist season, it would very likely lead to traffic jams and cause great frustration for both tourists and citizens of Zagreb.  

In addition, since most tourist buses (due to their height) are unable to pass through the underpasses on Savska and Miramarska Street on the way to the city center, it is to be expected that the new decision will cause additional traffic jams on Marin Držić Avenue and on Selska Street.  

5.      The designated tourist bus parking zone on Vončinina Street has been ideal for tourist buses. It allowed the drivers to wait for their groups relatively close to the pick-up/drop-offpoint. Parking at the Zagreb Trade Fair (located across the Sava River!) would make it much more difficult for them to estimate how long is needed to get back to the city center on time (especially in the event of traffic jams on the Sava bridges).  

Both foreign and Croatian tourist agencies have carefully planned round-trip schedules, where there is no room for major changes. The main reasons being the working hours and drivers’ mandatory rest periods.

As Andrea Sesar from the Four Travel Agency explains:

“In order to respect drivers’ working hours and the duration of their mandatory rest, it is necessary that both the pick-up/drop-off point and the parking zone return to Palmotićeva and Vončinina streets.
All drivers are obliged to take a legal break after a stipulated amount of driving time. If the bus parking zone is too far from the center and if the driver gets stuck in a traffic jam, he could well run out of hours. If that happened, the driver would be forced to park the vehicle during the last minute before his tachograph time runs out. In other words, if the driver has to take a break, he has to do it any place on the road because the inspection would not see the location when checking the tachograph card. The law is very strict and the penalties rigorous. For the sake of tourist bus drivers, it is of extreme importance that the pick-up/drop-off point and parking zone return to their old locations."

6. For the reasons laid out above, it is to be expected that the drivers of tourist buses are highly likely to disregard the rules and stop and park in prohibited areas of the city. 

This in fact has been confirmed by the random parking of tourist buses within the city center, since the new regulations were introduced a few days before the beginning of the Advent Christmas Market.

Here's what tourist guide Josipa Šiklić, known as “Purgerica”, says about this situation:

"During the period of Advent in Zagreb, when the bus stop in Palmotićeva Street was already marked as "out of use", I witnessed, first-hand, buses with foreign license plates making long stops at the top of Zrinjevac Park, taking their time, not minding the traffic jams they were causing for both guests and locals, proceeding upwards to Praška Street (strictly forbidden to even enter unless you are a tenant, taxi, guest of the hotel nearby, or emergency service cars), blocking the whole tram traffic towards our Main Square. Other buses, arriving from various destinations, chose ZET's bus stop on Kaptol as their new "solution" for dropping off their passengers, infuriating the locals, as those particular bus stops are exclusively for local ZET bus lines, and the space they occupy is already way too narrow even for the drop offs involving solely local passengers.  

In case people were bothered by our presence in Palmotićeva Street, we would have greatly appreciated being given some heads up, and being offered, as professionals in the hospitality industry, the chance for a fair dialogue with tenants of the street and representatives of the city council's sector for traffic & infrastructure, which could have led to finding common ground and a much more sustainable solution. The one we have now lacks logic, sustainability, fairness and good hospitality spirit, which we boast with so much in our charming Zagreb.

I won't even mention the extra long walk for elderly guests or young preschoolers who come to learn about their city, because empathy unfortunately has no place in bureaucracy, as it appears, so at least let's participate as citizens of this beautiful and beloved city in reducing, not increasing, traffic jams and generally good city behavior."

….

Therefore, we are kindly asking the Zagreb Authorities to re-establish the Palmotićeva Street pick-up/drop-off point and the Vončinina parking zone in order to avoid further organizational, logistical and traffic chaos, and to allow the further development and sustainability of Zagreb tourism.   Zagreb has become a regular destination for many tourists in the past few years because of its beauty, well organized infrastructure and accessibility to all attractions. If we want to keep tourism in Zagreb, we have to keep the well-established traditions and make them better, not worse.  Let Zagreb remain a city which tourists from all over the world are eager to return to.   

The petition is available both in Croatian and in English (the total signatures is being gathered from both URLs)

Croatian: https://www.peticijeonline.com/za_palmoticevu

English: https://www.petitions.net/zagreb

February 5, 2023 - He has done more for tennis in Croatia than anyone, and the efforts of Feliks Lukas are being rewarded with a prestigious invitation to the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington.

One of the secrets of a happy life in Croatia is to surround yourself with positive people. There are a lot of people who love to complain here, but if you choose the path more positive, you really do get a different perspective.

I was first introduced to Feliks Lukas about 8 years ago in Bol, where he was delivering the only WTA women's tennis event on an island, and not even in peak season. A champion of networking and promoting Croatia, his contribution to promote Croatian tennis and the country in general has been immense. And so it was with some satisfaction the other day that I saw Feliks - along with another of my legendary besties, Marko Rakar - representing Croatia at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, which was attended by USA President Joe Biden and many other dignitaries. More on that from this translated report from Kastela.org.

Feliks Lukas from Kaštela is the only sports manager from Europe at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington

Few can boast that they had breakfast with the President of the USA. One of them is sports manager and director of the WTA Makarska Open tennis tournament Feliks Lukas, who was invited with 600 other guests from 90 countries to the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington. This is a great recognition for a sports manager. He has dedicated his entire career to tennis and has been successfully running the WTA tournament for years, which moved to Makarska last year after Bol.

The centerpiece of this traditional event took place on Thursday in Washington in a somewhat different edition than previous years when the National Prayer Breakfast gathered a larger and more diverse audience, from prominent religious leaders to political lobbyists.

This tradition was started by President Eisenhower, who gave a speech on the relationship between religion and government at the first, more informal and much smaller meeting, so since then the speeches of the American president have been a key part of the event.

(Lukas and fellow Croatian legend Marko Rakar (extreme left) with Congressman Moolenaar)

Joe Biden is the first American president who is a practicing Catholic believer since J.F. Kennedy, and at this year's event, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and King Abdullah II of Jordan addressed the guests via video link.

This is a great recognition for the WTA Makarska Open tournament and its director Feliks Lukas, the only sports manager from Europe who also had several meetings with American representatives and senators and presented them with the successful project of the WTA tournament, which after Bol last year moved to an attractive Makarska.

"Magnificent experience. I'm still impressed. It is a great honor to participate in the traditional National Prayer Breakfast with President Biden and representatives of Congress and the Senate, and with you at this event are famous world names such as Evander Hollyfield, the world boxing legend. I had the opportunity to promote Croatia, Kaštela and our tournament in Makarska and talk to high-ranking politicians such as Congressman John Moolenaar from Michigan; Stan Holmes and Bill Wall, leaders of the US Senate and House Prayer Breakfast Group; Bill Wall, president and CEO of XP International, a company that is involved in the organization of major sports events such as the Tour de France and the Olympic Games," said Lukas.

You can learn more about this year's WTA Makarska Open on the official website.

February 5, 2023 - 6 months after the death of journalist Vladimir Matijanić, a protest will take place today, reports Index.hr.

Today, a protest called "Sorry to bother you, I can't breathe" will be held in Zagreb, exactly six months after the death of journalist Vladimir Matijanić, who died on August 5 last year, after five days of not only not being provided with medical care rather, he did not even receive an adequate medical examination.

The protest is organized by the Croatian Journalists' Association (HND), which announced that the gathering will begin at 12:00 in front of the Journalists' House, and then at 1:00 p.m. the procession will start to St Mark's Square.

It is protesting against the system that killed Matijanić and for all other victims of the healthcare system, which does not work in Croatia. HND advocates for an independent investigation into the circumstances of Vladimir Matijanić's death, as well as for the resignation of Minister of Health Vili Beroš.

Petition for a new investigation and resignation of Vili Beroš
Andrea Topić, journalist and life partner of Vladimir Matijanić, Vice President of the Split-Dalmatia County HND Branch Gabrijela Radanović, Index journalist Ilko Ćimić, HND Vice President Branko Mijić and HND President Hrvoje Zovko will speak on St Mark's Square.

With this action, HND insists on the demands set out in the petition signed by almost 5,000 citizens, in which they demand that a new, independent commission conduct investigations and determine whether there are failures in the treatment of colleague Matijanić, and that the Minister of Health, Vili Beroš, who in the failures of the system he manages, does not sees nothing controversial - step down from that responsible position.

This is not a protest against healthcare workers, they are equally victims of a system that does not work. And there are fewer and fewer of them left to work in Croatia. And that's why we protest.

Against the system that killed our colleague Vladimir Matijanić. For an independent investigation into the circumstances of his death. For the resignation of Minister of Health Vili Beroš. So that it doesn't happen again to anyone...", reads the HND press release on the eve of the protest.

ZET announced a schedule change
During the protest over the death of journalist Vladimir Matijanić, ZET warns, the timetable will change.

They say that from 12:45 to 2:30 p.m. tram traffic will be suspended on Ilica from Ulica Republike Austrije to Trg ban Josip Jelačić, Jurišićev and Ulica Franje Rački, then Zrinjevac, Frankopanski and Savska to Vodnikova Ulica.

Tram lines will operate on changed routes in both directions:

Line 6: Črnomerec - Ulica Republike Austrije - Vodnikova - Main station - Bus station - Sopot
Line 11: Črnomerec - Ulica Republike Austrije - Vodnikova - Main station - Draškovićeva - Vlaška - Dubec
Line 12: Ljubljanica - Savska cesta - Ulica grada Vukovara - Držićeva - Šubićeva - Kvaternikov trg - Dubrava
Street 13: Zitnjak - Vukovar Street - Savska - Vodnikova - Main Station - Draškovićeva - Kneza Mislava Street - Victims of Fascism Square - Kvaternikov Square
Line 14: Savski bridge - Savska cesta - Vodnikova - Main station - Branimirova - Draškovićeva - Mihaljevac
Line 17: Prečko - Savska - Vodnikova - Main station - Draškovićeva - Kneza Mislava Street - Trg žrtava fašizma - Borongaj

February 5, 2023 - It is windy out there - don't travel unless you have to - official advice, reports Index.hr.

The Croatian Meteoroglogical and Hyfrological Association (DHMZ) has issued a red warning for today for the Velebit Channel and southern Dalmatia due to a strong, in places, storm surge with the strongest wind gusts of 35 to 90 knots, and an orange warning for the Rijeka, Split and Dubrovnik regions, the western coast of Istria and Kvarner due to strong and very strong bura wind.

"Due to the stormy wind speed in combination with locally high waves, which have already or will be generated, the management of a vessel in these conditions requires great experience and adequately equipped vessels," DHMZ said in a warning for Sunday, February 5.

"Expect and be prepared for gusty wind speeds combined with locally high waves that have already or will be generated. Operating a vessel in these conditions requires extensive experience and adequately equipped vessels. It is recommended that mariners without adequate experience seek a safe harbor before starting potentially dangerous wind and waves.

It is likely that many catamarans and ferries will not be sailing so if you are travelling, keep an eye on traffic information. Be aware of the dangers and pay attention and follow the latest weather reports. We advise the public to avoid traveling and staying near threatened coastal areas. Be prepared for disturbances, damage to structures and the risk of injury due to uprooted trees, broken branches and flying debris. Interruption of traffic and interruption of electricity supply is possible," said DHMZ.

On Dinara -14, on Mosor -10. Storm speed 155 km/h
In the greater part of Dalmatia, Sunday dawned with mostly sunny weather, especially on the coast and islands, while there were slightly more clouds in the area of Zagora. Minimum temperatures ranged mostly from -5 to 0°C in Zagora and from 1 to 4°C on the coast and islands.

The coldest stations were Dinara-Sinjal with -14.7°C and Mosor-Veliki Kabal with -10.3°C, while the warmest were Komiža, Hvar and Supetar with 4°C.

The night and morning were marked by a stormy, gusty and hurricane-like storm. The strongest wind gust was measured in Split around 10 pm and was 155 km/h, with an average wind speed of 97 km/h. Let's remind you, the strongest storm surge ever in Split was 176.5 km/h, measured on February 23, 2019 at 2 am.

For the rest of the day, we expect mostly sunny weather with moderate to strong, and in places, stormy weather and tramontana. Maximum temperatures will range mostly between 5 and 8°C.

The storm broke the sailboats in JK Labud
Dalmatinski Portal published footage showing that the storm did not spare even the sailboats of the Labud Split Sailing Club.

The stormy wind caused chaos throughout Croatia yesterday
Let us remind you that the stormy wind caused problems all over the country on Saturday. DHMZ announced a red alert for the entire coast, except for Istria, for which an orange alert was in effect. An orange alarm was on for the whole of northern Croatia, and a yellow one for the rest of the country.

Uprooted trees fell on cars and roads in Zagreb. All available teams went out in the field, and two people were slightly injured. An 11-year-old boy was injured on a soccer pitch in Split. He was transferred to KBC Split. In Osijek, the wind damaged part of the market canopy, and in Virovitica, the roof of a nearby garage fell on a school.

Parts of the facade fell from the buildings, there was damage to the roofs, and there was also damage to the electrical lines, so some areas were left without electricity.

HAK announced the traffic situation
The A1 Zagreb-Ploče-Karamatići, A6 Rijeka-Zagreb, the Solin-Klis expressway, the Maslenica-Zaton state road Obrovacki, Paški, Krčki and the bridge Dr. Franje Tuđman, but the wind slows down traffic on some sections, HAK reported on Sunday.

There is a ban on traffic for double-decker buses, vehicles with caravans and motorcycles on the state roads DC1 Vaganac-Korenica-Udbina-Gračac and DC217 between the town and the Ličko Petrovo Selo border crossing, and on the section of the Adriatic highway between Senj and Sveta Marija Magdalena there is an additional ban for delivery vehicles and vehicles with a covered cargo space.

The strong wind also slows down traffic on the A1 Zagreb-Ploče-Karamatići highways between the Sveti Rok tunnel and the Božići viaduct and the A6 Rijeka-Zagreb between Kikovica and the Tuhobić tunnel, driving at the speed limit.

On certain roads in the coast and inland, driving is difficult due to the strong wind. There are occasional delays on road sections where works are ongoing.

Difficulties in maritime transport as well
Due to unfavorable weather conditions, the following ferry lines are suspended: Prapratno-Sobra, Prizna-Žigljen; catamaran lines: Korčila-Hvar-Split, Vis-Split, Jelsa-Bol-Split, Ubli-Vela Luka-Hvar-Split, Mali Lošinj - Cres - Rijeka and Novalja - Rab - Rijeka and the Komiža-Biševo boat line.

For the latest travel info from HAK in English, click here.

February 5, 2023 - Croatia took a 2-0 lead against Austria on Saturday in the Davis Cup qualifier at Zamet Hall in Rijeka. Borna Ćorić played first and beat Dennis Novak as expected, before Borna Gojo surprised the favorite Dominic Thiem for Croatia's big 2-0 lead on day one.

On the first day of the Davis Cup qualifier in Rijeka, Borna Ćorić beat Denis Novak (144th on the ATP list) 6:3, 7:5, while Borno Gojo was better than Dominic Thiem, once the #3 player in the world - 6:3, 7:6(2).

"I am very satisfied with my performance, especially when serving, which has not been at the expected level in the last few months. However, the feeling is slowly coming back," said Ćorić after his victory. 

"I think we both played well. In the second set, he put a lot of pressure on me, but the break at 5:5 broke him," concluded the Zagreb native.

"A good match for me; mentally, it's always a little easier when you enter the match with a 1-0 lead. Thanks to Borna Ćorić for making it possible for me. However, even though we are up 2-0, nothing is over. I hope we can finish everything already in the doubles, but one ball often decides that. Regardless, Borna and I are ready to finish the job if necessary," assures Gojo.

Croatia's national team coach Vedran Martić praised Gojo but warned that the winner is still not resolved. 

"Borna did a fantastic job. He served exceptionally well. He was aggressive when needed and defended when required. His volleys were better and better throughout the match. In the tie-break, he played bravely, going to the net. Then, when it was the most difficult, he pulled out some moves that the best players in the world do, which is the quality of a champion. I am looking forward to the continuation of the Davis Cup," Vedran Martić said at the press conference.

Although Croatia has a significant advantage, they need to be cautious. 

"An ideal scenario for us after the first day. Both our players played great matches. Ćorić, as expected, defeated Novak, and Gojo surprised Thiem. A tough doubles match awaits us on Sunday. Nothing is over yet. It's not football when you lead 2-0 and wait for the referee to play the end. We have to win the third point. Everyone in the team is aware of this, and there is no relaxation," warned the coach.

Vedran Martić adds that they do their best when everyone comes to play in the Davis Cup.

"Borna Ćorić, Borna Gojo, and Marin Čilić give their all when they play. All matches are open; we can also lose just as we lead. We have had excellent results in recent years, and we should be grateful for that. We are leading, but we haven't won yet," he pointed out.

The first match on Sunday starts at 1 pm. Doubles team Ivan Dodig and Nikola Mektic will compete against Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler. 

After the doubles match, if necessary, Ćorić and Thiem should play, and then Gojo and Novak.

Source:  HTS

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

February 4, 2023 - If you live in Zagreb or were lucky enough to visit on the first Saturday of the month in the last four months, you might have witnessed the unforgettable sight of a bunch of fully grown men kneeling in the Ban Josip Jelacic square, praying in unison. This Saturday, the Zagreb kneeling men were met with a counter-protest by the Croatian Women's Network, joined by MEP member and SPF presidency member Fred Matić.

As 24Sata writes, the Zagreb kneeling men organized another one of their protests at the Ban Josip Jelacic Square, praying for the chastity of women in Croatia. This time, though, they were met by a counter-protest of the Croatian Women's Network on the Square, in which Fred Matić was one of the participants.

He pointed out that he is afraid that the Zagreb kneeling men are a prelude to what happened not that long ago in Poland, which resulted in the ban on abortion and encroachment on other women's rights.

"I came to support these people standing around me. What is happening on the other side of the Square is irresistibly reminiscent of Poland and Hungary, and when we mention those two countries, we have no reason to be too optimistic. In addition to so many problems and so many women who are beaten and killed every day, the biggest concern in Croatia is how women dress, whether they will be polite, or whether they will cook them lunch. It would be smarter to show women that they are equal and that they love their wives. Many Iranians are not proud to be Iranian because of all that is happening in their country. Only in Croatia can you see people who want to be those Iranians, and we will not allow them to do that. I stand very proudly on this side of the Square. I have nothing against anyone praying. What is hidden behind those prayers, however, we have seen where it leads historically - to the bonfires. As long as I am alive and engaged in politics, I will not allow my female colleagues, wife, and sister to be treated as secondary. Women are certainly not to blame for what Croatia is like. I think that women bring an additional quality of life and lead to betterment. All these prayers and stories of theirs cause a quiet chill in me. They take us back to the Middle Ages", concluded Matić.

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