December 5, 2022 - Livakovic saves three Japan penalties for Croatia's 2022 World Cup quarter-final spot in Qatar!

The Croatia national team met Japan in the World Cup round of 16 match at Al Janoub Stadium in Qatar on Monday, December 5. Japan and Croatia have met twice before at the World Cup, but this is their first knockout encounter.

Japan has surprised many at this World Cup, topping Group E. They defeated Germany (2-1) and Spain (2-1) and lost to Costa Rica (0-1), which was enough for first place. 

Croatia opened the World Cup with a scoreless draw against Morocco, then convincingly beat Canada 4-1, and ended the group stage with a draw against Belgium (0-0). Croatia reached the round of 16 as the second-placed team in Group F with five points. Morocco won the group and will face Spain.

Lineups

Croatia: Livaković - Juranović, Lovren, Gvardiol, Barišić - Modrić, Brozović, Kovačić - Kramarić, Petković, Perišić

Japan: Gonda - Tomiyasu, Yoshida, Taniguchi - J.Ito, Endo, Morita, Nagatomo - Doan, Maeda, Kamada

Match report

It was a shaky start for Croatia, with a close encounter already in the 3rd minute. A precise cross into the penalty area found Shogo Taniguchi, and luckily finished with a Croatia goal kick. 

Croatia kept the ball in their possession, working their way up the pitch with short passes. 

Croatia's best chance was in the 8th minute - Perisic was one-on-one with the Japan keeper and tried bending his shot to hit the far post. Gonda got his hands on the ball, which went back into play. Kramaric was unable to get a shot off in the penalty area. 

Croatia was otherwise quite shaky, with two dangerous free kicks given to Japan by the 18th minute. They were also allowing Japan to get crosses into the box. 

Petkovic had an open chance in the 25th minute. Instead of finding Kramaric alone in the penalty area, he shot at the keeper. Perisic got a great ball into the box for Kramaric, who was double-teamed by the Japan defense. 

Croatia was finally pressing Japan's defense but was unable to finish. However, in the next 10 minutes, they struggled to get out of their third. 

We were lucky at this point that Japan couldn't finish, either. That is, until the 44th minute. Another dangerous Japan free-kick found made its way into the box. Petkovic left his player unmarked. He played Lovren's mark Maeda who scored for 1-0 Japan. 

Croatia had a final chance from a corner to end the half, which was 1-0. The first half ended with 59% possession for Croatia. 

The second half started without substitutions for either side. 

Daichi Kamada shot from the edge of the penalty area and over the crossbar in the 46th minute. 

Kovacic shot on goal off a Juranvic throw-in in the 48th minute. At this point, Croatia struggled to win tackles and headers. 

Croatia called for a penalty on Petkovic in the 51st, but the ref refused to consult VAR. 

Japan was awarded another corner kick in the 53rd minute. 

But then it finally happened for Croatia. A brilliant ball from Lovren found Perisic in the penalty area who perfectly headed far post into the goal for 1-1! 

Japan threatened in the next attack, forcing Livakovic to save the shot with his fingertips and out for a Japan corner. Croatia's defense struggled again in the 60th, allowing Japan to get a shot off. 

Dalic made his first sub in the 61st minute. Budimir went in for Petkovic. 

And then Modric had a stellar shot in the 62nd minute, forcing the Japan keeper to make one of the best diving saves of the tournament. 

Japan made their first subs in the 65th minute for fresh legs. Kaoru Mitoma went in for Yuto Nagatomo.

Croatia had another great chance in the 66th minute. Kramaric crossed to Budimir whose header just missed the goal.

Dalic subbed off Kramamric for Pasalic in the 67th minute. 

Japan made another sub. Hiroki Sakai (Japan) came on for Daichi Kamada.

Perisic had an incredible chance in the 77th minute. Budimir brilliantly played Perisic on the left wing, whose rocket just missed the goal. The ball went out for a corner. 

Japan had yet another free kick in the 80th minute, which Juranovic cleared. 

Croatia seemed to be waiting for a hole to open in Japan's defense. Perisic played into the box to Pasalic whose header missed the goal in the 86th minute. 

Kovacic was shown a yellow card in the 90th minute. 

The match ended 1-1 in regulation time and went to extra time, where two 15-minute halves are played. Neither team made substitutions. 

Japan had a corner in the 91st minute. And another in the 95th minute. 

Dalic made two subs in the 98th minute - Modric came out for Majer and Vlasic for Kovacic. Pasalic stayed on the right wing and Vlasic in the middle. 

Japan had their best chance of the first half in the 105th minute. A brilliant save by Livakovic saved Croatia, then the defense struggled to clear the ball. Japan was given a corner kick. The first half ended without goals. 

Dalic subbed on Livaja and Orsic for Budimir and Perisic to start the second half. The future of the Croatia national team was on the pitch for the second half. 

Japan was in Croatia's half for the first five minutes. Livaja's shot deflected off for a corner in the 111th minute. Croatia continued to attack. 

Livakovic saved another dangerous Japan attack in the 115th minute. 

Croatia had a deep throw-in in the 119th minute. The red added one minute of stoppage time. Majer almost shot on target in the final minute. The match went to penalties.

Japan was up first. 

Livakovic saved Minamino's penalty!!!

Vlasic scored Croatia's first penalty!!!

Livakovic saved Japan's second penalty too, taken by Mitoma!!!

Brozovic scored next for Croatia!!! Croatia was up by two. 

Japan scored their next penalty by Asano. 

Livaja went up next for Croatia and hit the post... 

But Livakovic saved the day again and saved Japan's next penalty!!!

Pasalic needed to score the next one for Croatia to book their spot in the quarterfinal...

And he did! 

Croatia will play the winner of Brazil and South Korea in the 2022 World Cup quarter-final on Friday! 

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

December 4, 2022 - Croatia national team coach Zlatko Dalić and superstar center-back Joško Gvardiol addressed the press ahead of the World Cup round of 16 match against Japan. 

Croatia will play Japan at Al Janoub Stadium on Monday at 6 pm local time. There is a fantastic atmosphere within the Croatia national team. Apart from Borna Sosa, everyone else is fully prepared and focused on Japan.

Japan announced that they would enter the match like Samurai.

"We respect our opponent, the winner who defeated two world champions, Spain and Germany. In their defeats, they showed character and quality. We must not underestimate anyone. We know they will go into the match like Samurai; we won't do any worse, either. We know what kind of opponent we are playing against and our mentality. We have to position ourselves in the same way. We will play with maximum respect for the opponent, so the pitch will show who is better," Dalić emphasized at the beginning of the press conference.

He also spoke about Borno Sosa, who was not at yesterday's press conference due to exhaustion.

"We have the last training, so we will see the situation. If Borna is not ready, we will not risk anything. We will look for a replacement. We are still waiting. We need players at full strength for tomorrow because that game will demand it. Regardless of choice, we are ready and will give our best. Whoever we have given our trust to has justified it so far," he adds.

Joško Gvardiol said he was honored to join the coach at this press conference.

"I am honored that the coach took me to today's conference. I hope it won't be the last time I announce the match," he said.

"I know the Japanese players very well. They present many problems, and when they are with the national team, they are a team that fights for the whole 90 minutes and will not give up until the end."

They looked back at the 2020 Euros and being knocked out by Spain.

"That was the situation then. Joško came from the young national team, and we trusted him. You can't become a player if you don't have support. And then we endured some things and matured. Of course, there will be more mistakes and bad moments, but to become a real player, you must go through it all and play matches. I think that Joško justified our trust," said Dalić. 

Gvardiol agreed.

"Everyone makes mistakes, and I made a mistake then. There were a lot of circumstances. Debut matches and jitters, but that's behind us now. I am open to new challenges."

They say the third time is a charm. Can Croatia win the World Cup?

"No one is happier for it to be than us. We will try; we have a chance. We believe in our dream. I'm always an optimist, but this competition is of high quality. We provide excellent results at World Cups. We are among the last 16 with the smallest population and the smallest country. We are a small country, but with big dreams. The goal is to go as far as possible. When Croatia plays and produces good results, our entire nation is happy, and I want it to last even longer," Dalić said.

"The first step is in front of us, and when we pass it, we will look further. Croatia is successful, and the results are in the rank of a world miracle. This is our quality and our success. We continuously play well in big competitions. We have become a football superpower that everyone respects and must respect. A difficult match awaits us against an opponent who wants to prove itself. It will be difficult for us. However, we are happy to be here at the World Cup, that was our goal, and now the goal is to make the nation happy." 

And finally - is this the last national team competition for Luka Modrić?

"Whatever I say about Luka, it's too little. May God give him health, and may he last longer. I am sure that this is not his last competition for Croatia. His physique, training, work, and professionalism prove us right. He is a very important player. I don't want to talk about individuals. After Belgium, there was talk about Gvardiol. We are a team. That's the only way we can get a result. Not Luka or Gvardiol. The individual will jump out if the team is good. Luka is our captain and leader, let him continue," said Dalić. 

Source: HRT

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

November 28, 2022 - Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić addressed the press after Croatia's crucial World Cup win against Canada on Sunday night at Khalifa International Stadium. 

Zlatko Dalić opened the conference by saying he was surprised by Belgium in their first two World  Cup matches. Belgium beat Canada 1-0 and lost to Morocco 0-2. Croatia will play their last Group F match against Belgium. A draw is good enough for Croatia to advance into the last 16.

"In the first game against Canada, Belgium had a bad start, but they managed to win. Big national teams win games even when they don't play well. Against Morocco, they had several opportunities, and when they went for it all or nothing, they conceded the second goal. However, they are not happy with their performance, and I expect a much better Belgium against us," he said. 

Dalić was asked if he was under stress ahead of Canada. 

"Every game is stressful for me. It's like that; that's us. I have no problem with that. We played well against Canada, but it's a small step; if we don't confirm it with Belgium, we haven't done anything," he added. 

"We can't get carried away with the match, we had a little fun, but now the preparation for Belgium begins. We have quality, I believe we can, and we will look for it. The data that we ran 120 kilometers is great; we outran and outplayed Canada. A very good match. We haven't been this good in all segments of the game for a long time."

He also spoke about Andrej Kramarić and his position in the team.

"Media are creating that drama around him. Instead of asking about his scoring, you ask what his position is. Got some better questions? The two of us resolved everything two years ago. He will play what he is told; he understands that and made up his mind. So be silent, work, and it'll come back to him."

The midfield played together for several years, culminating in the silver medal in Russia.

"It is difficult to replace Rakitić, but we need Kovačić as he was yesterday. With his vertical conquest of the pitch. When the team struggled yesterday, he kept the game's rhythm. In preparations, we said that the most important thing is to break through the first block; if we break through that, everything opens up. The team was fantastic, but Andrej and Mateo might have been a shade better."

The coach spoke about whether he knew the squad for Belgium.

"We will see the situation with the players today at training. I think everyone who entered justified their role. We planned to start with Marko Livaja, so later, Bruno entered the game. We were thinking about whether it would be Budimir or Petković. We ran enough, and the solution was to put a player to guard the ball. He replaced Marko, and I think that was good. I am happy we have guys on the bench who can come in and continue in the same rhythm."

A Belgian journalist asked Dalić to explain why it was difficult for Croatia to play against Belgium in the last ten years.

"For the last ten years, Belgium has been at a high level. For five years, they were first in the FIFA ranking. They played great, won bronze at the World Cup, and were always in the finals. That's why it was difficult to beat them because they are a great team."

Canadian coach John Herdman did not congratulate Zlatko Dalić after the game.

"I experienced that twice in my career. When we beat Argentina and now. I don't remember leaving the pitch in my career without congratulating whoever beat me. I think it's basic culture, but I won't get into that. As far as I have seen and filmed, the gentleman is a good coach, promising, and has ambition, but he is young and will learn the latter."

Belgium is a crucial match. The most important thing is that Croatia rests well in the next two days.

"To repeat the approach, the same desire, and energy. We still have good reserves. Ivan Perišić was very dangerous, and he set up two goals. A slightly different role than against Morocco. He played more forward, like Kramarić. It is very important against Belgium that our midfield is at a high level. It is important not to make these small mistakes because the opponent will punish them. We mustn't have black holes like in the first 10 minutes against Canada."

When asked who he would like in the round of 16, Spain, Germany, or Japan, Dalić concluded:

"Japan."

Source HRT

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

November 26, 2022 - Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić and Ivan Perišić addressed the press before Croatia's 2022 World Cup match against Canada on Sunday. 

After drawing 0-0 against Morocco, expectations are high for Croatia to get a good result against Canada in their second match. The two teams meet at Khalifa International Stadium in Qatar on Sunday, November 27, at 19:00 local time. Canada lost their 2022 World Cup opener against Belgium 0-1. 

After Canada's first match, coach John Herdman stirred the pot by saying, 'eff Croatia.'

"I told them they belong here, and we're going to go and eff Croatia. That's as simple as it gets," Herdman said. 

Dalić replied: 

"It's not really nice to say something like that, but it's his right. We need to show on the pitch that we are better."

Will there be any lineup changes compared to Morocco?

"We changed our training to the evening. This is a crucial game. We need to be aggressive. Canada played great against Belgium. Vlašić didn't train with us last night, so we will see the status at training tonight. We need to have a lot more energy than we had in the first game," said Dalić.

"For every national team, this is something new. We need to show a lot more in the next two games. We were not good offensively. We need to maintain what we did defensively and fix our offense. We have another training tonight. We need to show the real Croatia.  That last game wasn't us. We need to return to how we were in the Nations League," said Perišić. 

Will this be Perišić's last World Cup?

"The focus is on the next game. After that, what will be for the next 2-3 years, I don't know," said Perišić. 

On how the team was different four years ago in Russia

"Four years ago was different. Our starting lineup was together for ten years, playing for the biggest European clubs. It's not the same now. The teams are different and can't be compared. 6-7 players came from that generation. We have created a new team, but I want a result," said Dalić. 

Who will be the #9 for Croatia?

"I won't tell you the lineup or who will be the striker. We have four strikers; each plays in their way. For tomorrow we will choose the best we have. Four years ago, it was different. We have different player profiles now. We will choose the best we have for tomorrow," added Dalić. 

"Canada played aggressively against Belgium. They have a lot of energy and might. We need to be careful. Many of these 'smaller' national teams are surprising everyone. We cannot look at the past. This is all new. We are playing in the middle of the club season. We had no real break. This means anything can happen," he continued. 

"We watched Canada against Belgium. We need to be able to keep up with their speed and aggressiveness. They played well and did well against Belgium," said Perišić. 

How did the Croatia team respond to the Canada coach's comments?

"Croatia gives respect to everyone, no matter what, no matter who we play."

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

March 23, 2022 - On Tuesday, the procedures for the 2022 FIFA World Cup draw were announced, scheduled for April 1. 28 national teams, which have already qualified, will be divided into four strong groups based on the FIFA rankings, which will be published March 31. 

Croatia is currently 15th in the FIFA ranking. If it stays in that position, it will be in the second strong group (Pot 2), which will depend on the results of the friendly matches against Slovenia and Bulgaria in Doha. Croatia is most threatened by Sweden and Senegal.

The first seven teams in the FIFA ranking on March 31 will be the top seeds, and Qatar as the host country will be the top seed of Group A. The final fourth pot will include 24th to 28th in the ranking, plus three teams, which will not be defined at the time of the draw, and which will come out of the intercontinental playoffs and the remaining UEFA playoff winners.

Ukraine has been granted a postponement of the semi-final playoff against Scotland, and the winner of that match will face the winner of Wales and Austria. The European playoffs will end in May or June, and two intercontinental playoffs in Qatar on June 14 and 15. 

FIFA also announced that teams from the same confederation could not be included in the same group, except those from Europe, of which there are 13. Thus, five of the eight groups will have two European teams.

The group stage will play across 12 days, with four games played per day. The schedule will be determined after each match is assigned a stadium and start time.

The Croatia national football team will play two friendly matches later this month in Qatar. The first match is scheduled for Saturday, March 26, at 3 pm against Slovenia. The second match will be played against Bulgaria on Tuesday, March 29 at 4 pm, both at the Education City Stadium in Doha.

These will be the first Croatia national team matches after qualifying for the 2022 World Cup and will serve as preparation for coach Zlatko Dalić and what awaits the team for the rest of the year. This tournament also serves as excellent preparation for the World Cup in Qatar, as the climate and stadiums will be tested. As far as tactics are concerned, Dalić will also test a new formation with three in the backline as there will be no room to experiment in the four Nations League matches in June.

To read more about sports in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.