March 24, 2020 - The Croatia national football team has raised HRK 4.2 million which will be donated to the Croatian government fund opened today for two purposes - the fight against the coronavirus and to help rehabilitate Zagreb after the earthquake.

HNS announces that the state of emergency, caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the devastating earthquake in Zagreb, has spawned many well-known and unknown heroes across the country, who show exceptional effort, courage and organization every day to cope with this crisis successfully.

Therefore, in addition to a series of personal initiatives and donations, the players and the staff of the Croatia national football team decided to raise funds for the fight against the coronavirus and to support the City of Zagreb and raised HRK 4.2 million!

The funds will be paid into two separate accounts opened today by the Croatian Government: "Croatia against Coronavirus" and "Together for Zagreb". The funds will be used to rehabilitate hospitals and purchase the necessary appliances, medicines and other medical supplies to combat the pandemic.

"With this action, we want to show that we are committed to supporting our people and our capital, and that together, as always, we will overcome these great challenges. We stand with all our heart with the people who have shown great courage, ability and strength in this crisis, from doctors and nurses to firefighters, police officers, soldiers and members of the Civil Protection Headquarters to the people who work daily for us to live relatively normally, such as merchants, delivery drivers and many others. We will win together again,” said the Croatia national team and staff in a joint statement.

In less than two days, the Vatreni have collected more than half a million euros for epidemic and earthquake relief. When we call our team and our fans a #Family, this is exactly the kind of unity and solidarity that we're referring to! ??❤ pic.twitter.com/KbDHnqkIjI

— HNS (@HNS_CFF) March 24, 2020

“In less than two days, the Vatreni have collected more than half a million euros for epidemic and earthquake relief. When we call our team and our fans a #Family, this is exactly the kind of unity and solidarity that we're referring to!”

The Croatia national team has shown many times both through public actions and also through their private initiatives far from the public eye that they have a big heart and a great sense of social responsibility. Through the Vatreno Srco Foundation, they have been raising funds for needy children and young people for years, but this amount has surpassed all previous actions.

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

March 14, 2020 - With the decision of the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) leadership and coach Zlatko Dalic, the Croatia national team will not gather this March, HNS announced on Friday.

"After the planned Doha Friendly Tournament was canceled due to the global coronavirus pandemic, where Croatia was scheduled to measure their strength against Switzerland and Portugal, the Federation’s leadership and coach Dalic have agreed that there will be no national team meeting this month in the scheduled representative term.

HNS has informed the clubs of all the invited national team members about this decision.

The decision was made keeping in mind the current situation in Croatia and Europe, that is, the global pandemic of the new coronavirus, to protect the health of the national team. It is the view of the Federation and the expert staff, headed by coach Dalic, that at this moment, it is safest for the representatives to stay in the cities where they reside, in quarantines or under other measures in force in certain countries,” HNS announced on its website. 

The Croatia national team will only gather at the end of May ahead of the European Championships, and it will also be their first gathering after a friendly match against Georgia in November 2019. However, the Euro is under question.

President of the Health Committee of the Croatian Football Federation, prof. dr. sc. Dragan Primorac, was a guest on Dnevnik Nova TV, where he commented on the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on Croatian and European football.

Have all the measures taken by leading football organizations been taken on time? Hajduk, Dinamo and Rijeka have stopped training. Should all other clubs follow suit?

"At times when there needs to be a broader responsibility, when we see that the spread of the infection is unstoppable, I welcome this move and the recommendation of the HNS Health Commission is to go in that direction until the situation stabilizes."

How long can it take?

"Well, you see, most organizations in the world have made a recommendation every two weeks, and after that we will monitor what is happening and make the next decisions."

HNS has postponed all matches under its jurisdiction, with UEFA only this Friday. Should this have happened earlier?

"Well, look, sure, but it's not easy for big organizations to make decisions that have a huge impact, both financially and others, but thank God they recognized that the health of the players and the audience are far more important than any interest."

There were some Europa League games played on Thursday night. How risky is playing those matches?

"Here, when you look at some of the most famous coaches, including Arsenal and their players, contracting the coronavirus, it becomes clear that no one can circumvent this spread. This is one of the strongest messages; it needs to take preventative action rather than cure. And that's exactly why UEFA made that decision."

Next week, UEFA decides on possibly postponing the European Championship to 2021. L 'Equipe wrote that it has already been postponed. 

“It is the responsibility of both UEFA and FIFA. Because if the competition starts and the rapid spread of the virus happens, then you have direct responsibility. UEFA does not want this and no national Federation wants it, I think it is a wise path, and the final decision will be in the coming days. "

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

March 12, 2020 - Due to the coronavirus outbreak, the international Qatar Airways tournament in Doha, featuring Croatia, Portugal, Switzerland and Belgium, will not be played this month, the Croatian Football Federation announced.

HNS reports that the Croatian football team was due to play in a friendly tournament in Qatar's capital Doha at the end of March and measure its strength against the national teams of Switzerland and Portugal as part of preparations for the 2020 European Championships.

However, given the emerging health circumstances around the world, the tournament was canceled. In addition to Croatia, Switzerland and Portugal, the current top-ranked national team by FIFA was due to perform - Belgium.

The Croatian Football Federation will subsequently inform the public of the plans of the first team during the national team break.

A few days ago, Qatar authorities imposed a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all travelers arriving or staying in Italy for the past two weeks, after which they closed schools and universities, so a tournament delay was expected.

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic hoped to have two quality matches in Doha, and planned to give all players a chance and try out some systems.

“The plan is to give everyone a chance and to see the condition of all players, especially those who have been injured. The most important thing for me is to have seven days of  being together because there won't be much time later,”  the coach said Monday after releasing the player list for Doha.

This news comes after the Croatian Football Federation announced that all Croatian league games in the country would be played without fans until March 31. 

“Taking into account the emerging circumstances regarding the epidemic of the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, today the leading people of the HNS and the relevant bodies of the Federation have re-analyzed the current situation and decided that all matches in competitions under the jurisdiction of the HNS will be played without spectators until March 31.

The new measure applies to the HT First League, Croatian Cup, 2. HNL, 3. HNL, 1. HNLŽ, 2. HNLŽ, 1. HMNL, 2. HMNL and all youth leagues under the auspices of HNS, as well as the upcoming UEFA qualifying matches that take place in Croatia.

In these competitions, only teams with their staff, senior management and officials of clubs and HNS, technical staff and a certain number of media representatives will be able to attend the matches until further notice, with all the usual measures for organizing matches.

The HNS also recommends that all county associations take the same measure in competitions under their jurisdiction.

As before, the HNS will closely monitor the development of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus epidemic and, if necessary, determine other measures to which the football family and the public will be informed in due time. The decision shall enter into force immediately and shall be valid until March 31 or the end of the representative break. The Federation will make a timely decision to continue or discontinue this measure, taking into account developments, recommendations from public health institutions, and considering, above all, the health of spectators, football players and all other actors in football.

You can find the Croatia Football Federation's statement in Croatian here.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow. TCN's dedicated page.

March 9, 2020 - Croatia national team coach Zlatko Dalic has announced the list of players to compete in the Doha tournament against Portugal and Switzerland.

Three months before the upcoming Euro 2020, Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic has announced the first player list this year. There are two strong friendly matches ahead of Croatia this month, against Switzerland (March 26) and Portugal (March 30) at the tournament in  Doha, Qatar.

The tournament plans to go ahead, even though the spread of coronavirus around the world has already delayed many sporting events. While everything is going to plan, Croatian footballers playing in Italy may not be able to play in Qatar. Qatar, in fact, has introduced a two-week quarantine for all those coming from the countries most affected by the coronavirus alongside China.

Marcelo Brozovic, Mario Pasalic and Ante Rebic play in Lombardy, which has become a major quarantine, as well as Milan Badelj. Cristiano Ronaldo would not be allowed to play in Qatar either, and the real question is what the organizer will decide in the end.

"They are on the list, so they are going, but the situation is being monitored," HNS spokesman Tomislav Pacak said. 

Dalic put the strongest forces on the roster and said that they were acting as if everyone would be able to play and that the tournament would go according to plan.

"I sincerely hope that this will happen, that there will be no cancellation, but we will follow the course of the situation and act accordingly. We put a lot of players on the callup list if something that we can't influence happens."

Dalic said he is not bothered by the coronavirus at the moment. 

“I am not bothered and am acting like it's going to be OK. If it isn’t, then we'll react."

What does Dalic expect to see in these two games?

"I plan to give everyone a chance to play, to get minutes and to reunite, to see the players and in what condition they are. The agreement with Kalinic is that if he does not defend, we will replace him with Grbic. We'll try some systems and see what we can do. We don't have much time later and we have to make the most of it."

Croatian footballers have much better minutes this spring than in the fall.

"We have a better situation, and we cannot change it. The most important thing is that everyone is ready for the Euros.”

If the tournament in Qatar is delayed, does Dalic have a plan B?

"As far as I know, there is no decision. I cannot take a stand on this because I do not know and I am not competent. I repeat, we are working as if everything will be fine."

Lineup 

?? #Croatia squad for Qatar Airways International Tournament in Doha! ??

??? (26/03)
??? (30/03)#BeProud #Family #Vatreni? pic.twitter.com/LFE27uTLS9

— HNS (@HNS_CFF) March 9, 2020

Goalkeepers: Dominik Livaković (Dinamo), Lovre Kalinić (Toulouse), Simon Sluga (Luton Town)

Defenders: Domagoj Vida (Bešiktaš), Dejan Lovren (Liverpool), Tin Jedvaj (Augsburg), Mile Škorić (Osijek), Duje Ćaleta-Car (Marseille), Borna Barišić (Rangers), Šime Vrsaljko (Atletico Madrid), Dario Melnjak (Rizespor)

Midfielders: Luka Modrić (Real Madrid), Ivan Rakitić (Barcelona), Mateo Kovačić (Chelsea), Marcelo Brozović (Inter), Milan Badelj (Fiorentina), Nikola Vlašić (CSKA Moskva), Mario Pašalić (Atalanta)

Attackers: Ivan Perišić (Bayern), Ante Rebić (Milan), Josip Brekalo (Wolfsburg), Andrej Kramarić (Hoffenheim), Bruno Petković (Dinamo)

Callups: Marko Rog (Cagliari), Filip Bradarić (Celta), Ivo Grbić (Lokomotiva), Josip Juranović (Hajduk), Domagoj Bradarić (Lille), Filip Benković (Bristol City), Mislav Oršić (Dinamo), Mirko Marić (Osijek) and Antonio Mirko Čolak (Rijeka)

Source: Gol.hr

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

March 3, 2020 -  The UEFA Nations League draw was held in Amsterdam on Tuesday. Croatia will play in Group 4 against Sweden, France and Portugal.

Following the football excitement that awaits us at Euro 2020 this summer, we can also look forward to the new edition of the Nations League awaits in early September. The matches will be played in September, October and November this year. 

Croatia will play in the elite League A against Sweden, France, and Portugal. 

The first-ranked team from the group will play in the Nations League final tournament, and the last-placed team falls out of the strongest class.

The Nations League starts at the beginning of September this year (September 3-5) and the remaining dates September 6-8, October 8-10, 11-13, and November 12-14, 15-17 this year.

Croatia will play against the current world and European champions. It is interesting to note that the national team will play friendly matches against both teams ahead of the Euros. The 'Vatreni' has never defeated France or Portugal in history.

Sweden is 17th in the FIFA rankings and no easy game, but it is clear that France and Portugal will be the biggest rivals in the fight for first place leading to the Final Four.

Recall, Portugal won the first edition of the Nations League in 2019.

"We got probably the strongest group that could have been. But it's very nice, we will play against the European and world champions," Zlatko Dalic said, adding:

"We knew we were expecting tough opponents, as the whole group was like that. This will be good preparation for what awaits us later, which is Qatar qualifications. I think the competition is tough, that's what suits us and that's what we want."

League A

Group 1: Poland, BiH, Italy, Netherlands

Group 2: Iceland, Denmark, Belgium, England

Group 3: CROATIA, Sweden, France, Portugal

Group 4: Germany, Spain, Ukraine, Switzerland

League B

Group 1: Romania, Northern Ireland, Norway, Austria

Group 2: Israel, Slovakia, Scotland, Czech Republic

Group 3: Hungary, Turkey, Serbia, Russia

Group 4: Bulgaria, Ireland, Finland, Wales

League C

Group 1: Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Montenegro

Group 2: Armenia, Estonia, Northern Macedonia, Georgia

Group 3: Moldova, Slovenia, Kosovo, Greece

Group 4: Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Belarus, Albania

League D

Group 1: Malta, Andorra, Latvia, Faroe Islands

Group 2: San Marino, Liechtenstein, Gibraltar

More soon...

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

February. 20, 2020 - In October 2017, Zlatko Dalic was named coach of the Croatia national football team. At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, he took Modric & Co. to the World Cup final. Now, he’s leading the team through the next major International competition - EURO 2020.

The European Football Federation (UEFA) presented the Croatia national team in a video ahead of EURO 2020, featuring coach Zlatko Dalic and midfielder Mateo Kovacic.

“A lot of things have changed. It’s completely different from working at a club. I’m working for my national team, my country. That is what is truly priceless for me,” said Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic at the start of the video, and continued:

“We’ve had an amazing time and we’ve done well again. The situation wasn’t great when I came here. There were a lot of divisions and negativity surrounding the national team. We played matches in empty stadiums. There were fines and problems with our fans. Now whenever we play, the whole country stops and watches. For me, that’s the most important thing. The Croatia national team has finally returned to its people.”

Mateo Kovacic was also interviewed in the video.

“Our coach is a very calm man. He is leading Croatia in the right direction, exactly as it should be. He’s making good, intelligent decisions, and I hope it continues like that,” Kovacic said, and Zlatko Dalic added:

“I didn’t get here by chance. I worked hard for 12 years, I got some good results. I built my name, built my career. What we are now achieving makes these years the best of my career.”

“In Euro 2008 and 2012 we had big opportunities and in 2016 we conceded in the last minuteagainst Portugal. Bad luck followed us for years, but it led to the incredible high of 2018.  Hopefully we’ll have more of those experiences,” said Kovacic.

"We must have quality, be persistent, work hard and be aware that we have got results as a team, not by standing out as individuals. That’s what’s important. I know we will be under pressure but we are used to that," Dalic concluded.

To read more about sport, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

February 15, 2020 - The Croatian Football Federation has confirmed that Croatia will participate in the Qatar Airways International Tournament in Doha next month.

HNS reports that the Croatia national football team will participate in the Doha tournament in late March, where they will play friendly matches against Switzerland and Portugal as part of preparations for Euro 2020.

The tournament schedule has been set in advance, so Croatia will compete with Switzerland on March 26 (7:30 pm local time), while on March 30, they will play against Portugal (8:30 pm local time).

For the first time, Croatia will play in Qatar, the country that will host the World Cup at the end of 2022, and both matches will be played at the spectacular Education City Stadium.

"I am proud that we were able to reach an agreement on Croatia's participation in such a prestigious tournament. On the sports side, we assured the top opponents for coach Dalic and the national team, which is what the professional staff wanted, and on the other hand, we negotiated significant financial resources that could be invested in the further development of Croatian football,” said HNS President Davor Suker.

"It is a well-known wish of Croatia to play strong friendly matches before the big competition, to see where we are and what we need to work on, so I am very pleased that Croatia's performance in such a strong tournament has been confirmed. We will also be playing against great teams that we respect very much. The trip to Doha will also be a great opportunity to empower the community, to have a good time after an almost five-month break from the representative gatherings, which we certainly all very much look forward to,” said Croatian coach Zlatko Dalic.

This news comes after the Croatian Football Federation confirmed a friendly against Turkey in Osijek on June 1, which will be played just before the Euros. Croatia and France should also play a friendly in Nice just after, though we are still waiting for both federations to confirm the news.

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

February 14, 2020 - Ivan Rakitic, Barcelona midfielder and member of the Croatia national team, said during a Bleacher Report interview that he hopes he can become European champions with Croatia and that the team has a good future because of its young players.

When asked if he thought Croatia could continue to succeed when the golden generation (Rakitic, Modric, Perisic) step down, Rakitic replied:

“We hope so, there are a lot of young really good guys and hopefully the guys can do it better than the generation.”

When asked if he would prefer the Euros or the Champions League title this year, Rakitic didn’t hesitate.

“I prefer the Euros because I've already won the Champions League and would love to win the Euros with Croatia.”

Rakitic, who won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2015, received new coach Quique Setien last month, replacing Ernest Valverde, who has been coaching the Croatian midfielder since the summer of 2017.

"It is impossible to compare them," he said without explanation.

Rakitic still regrets that he lost the World Cup final 2:4 to France in 2018, saying that he would replace winning the Champions League with the World Cup title.

“In every station there are special people, I would change it for sure as there are plenty of opportunities to win a Champions League but it is difficult for a World Cup.”

He said that the World Cup in Russia changed him.

“It changed a lot, to have an experience where we were there until the last day, to lose it was really hard. To feel the love from the whole world was really special for us and I will never forget it for sure.”

Barcelona sports director Eric Abidal said this month in an interview with Catalan Sport that Rakitic had talked to Juventus but not Barcelona, and that the Catalan club had not received any offers from Turin. Juventus Sports Director told Sky Sports in November that "Rakitic is a great player" but that they do not intend to bring him in because they have a good and well-placed team. Asked if he would like to play with Cristiano Ronaldo, Rakitic replied:

“Of course I would like he is also one of the biggest players in history, you really enjoy watching him and you see now what he's doing at Juventus and for me is one of the best players in history.”

Rakitic will turn 32 in March and has a contract with Barcelona until the summer of 2021. Portuguese coach José Mourinho once said that Rakitic is the most underrated football player in the world. But who does Rakitic think is the most underrated in the world?

“There are a lot, Jose Mourinho told it was me haha and he was right (joking) there are a lot of players in this way and I think there are a lot. For me though [Miralem] Pjanic.”

He would like to play with Brazilian striker Neymar once again, a player he shared a dressing room with until the summer of 2017.

“First of all I would like to have Neymar in my team for sure, he needs to decide what's best for him as he's my big friend and I want to see him happy and for sure when he is happy he is one of the best players in the world.”

For him, however, the best player is Barcelona captain Lionel Messi - the GOAT.

“Yes just amazing to play with him and I think it's really special and if he is the GOAT, I think in every moment there were special players, for sure he was the best player in the last 15 year and in my opinion he is the best of all time and I think for me to play with him on the left side for the last six years was amazing.”

Rakitic went on to name Robert Prosinecki as his favorite player and Eminem as his favorite rapper. He loves the Barcelona kits this season "because they fit the kits of Croatia". 

His favorite goal is his first for Basel, Switzerland - a left volley. The most entertaining player he played with is Brazilian Dani Alves, and the best defender is current teammate Gerard Pique. His favorite stadium besides Camp Nou is his Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, the Sevilla stadium where he played from January 2011 to June 2014, and where he was the team captain. 

You can see the full interview on Bleacher Report.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

February 12, 2020 - The Croatia national football team will open June with a friendly match against Turkey in Osijek as part of their preparations for the European Championship.

Gol.hr reports that while waiting for confirmation of the two friendly matches that the 2018 World Cup finalists will play in March, the Croatian Football Federation has confirmed the first of two friendly games to be played in June.

Namely, on June 1, just before the Euro 2020 begins, Croatia will welcome Turkey at the City Garden Stadium for their first friendly preparatory match. Turkey will also play at the Euros and is currently the 29th best national team in the world in the FIFA rankings.

The second friendly match before the start of the European Championship should be played on June 8 in Nice against France, though we are still waiting for the official confirmation of that match.

The meeting between Croatia and Turkey in Osijek will be the tenth jubilee match between these two teams. Several of these meetings are very memorable.

At the Euros in 1996, it was Turkey that was Croatia's historic first opponent in major competitions, and thanks to Goran Vlaovic's goal, it also became the first Croatia win. Croatia also beat Turkey 1:0 at the Euro 2016 with a brilliant goal by Luka Modric, and we certainly remember playing Turkey in the Euro 2012 qualifiers, with a glorious 3:0 victory in Istanbul.

On the other hand, we still cannot forget that Euro 2008 match when Turkey celebrated after a dramatic penalty shootout and thus advanced to the tournament semifinal.

Ticket prices and ticket sales for this friendly will be announced at a later date.

Recall, Croatia will play in the European Championship this summer in Group D against England, the Czech Republic, and the playoff winner of Nations League C.

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

January 30, 2020 - Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic features on the official website of the World Football Federation, FIFA.

On Wednesday, January 29, 2020, FIFA spoke with Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic about that magic 2018 summer in Russia, an impressive qualification period, and what's next for Modric & Co.

"It's always fulfilling to reach your goals. It wasn't easy - it never is in qualifying - but we were at our best at the crucial points and I believe we deserved to top the group. Whenever we really needed to show our quality and pick up points, we did it, and that shows the quality, character and spirit of this group. I’m very satisfied because we managed to bring some new blood into the team, while keeping a high level of performance. What makes me even happier is the fact that we kept our togetherness, and had great support from our fans.

That unity was the key for us at the World Cup, and it will be vital for us going forward too. We saw a number of important, big-game players retire from the national team, such as Mario Mandzukic, and it was normal that the rest of the team from Russia felt something of a comedown after such an amazing World Cup. However, we tackled those issues by bringing in a few younger players, who are hungry, ambitious, and very talented - players such as Josip Brekalo and Nikola Vlasic, who were very important during qualifying. We also found an excellent new forward in Bruno Petkovic, so we managed to refresh our team with some new faces, while maintaining quality with experienced world-class players such as Modric, [Ivan] Rakitic and [Ivan] Perisic," Dalic answered when asked about qualifying for the Euro.

“I often say that togetherness is the most important quality of this group and, yes, that was true again during the qualifiers. We had some unexpected setbacks, such as losing in Hungary and dropping points to Azerbaijan, but the reaction was always fantastic. For instance, after the defeat in Budapest, we won against Wales with a quality display, and then played a brilliant game in Slovakia, winning 4-0. The leadership of our captain (Modric) was also so important in dealing with tough times; along with other senior players, he gives confidence to the whole team,” Dalic added about how Croatia tackled any setbacks along the way. 

"I love what our young players bring to the team and it will be great for them to experience the EURO with the likes of Modric, Rakitic, Perisic, and others, because the future belongs to them. Nikola Vlasic scored three very important goals for us during qualifying, while Josip Brekalo is a talented winger and played in nine matches out of ten in 2019, which shows the trust we have in him. We have a number of players who are about to enter the best years of their careers - such as Kovacic, Petkovic, Livakovic or Jedvaj, all of whom 25 or younger and played a major role during qualifying. Their quality and attitude tells me that Croatia will still be in excellent hands even after some of our senior players like Luka retire from the national team at some point."

Croatia, as a World Cup finalist, is a particular challenge for all rivals.

“For any opponent, playing Croatia is now seen as a huge game and they all play with a lot of energy, focus and desire to beat the World Cup finalists. We understand that and we prepare for it, but it still means we get everybody's best shot and that's not easy to deal with game after game. All the same, if you're a competitor, you enjoy that challenge, and you want to show everybody that you deserved your silver medals. And we have a team full of competitors who love to represent Croatia, and who understand the importance and privilege of playing for the national team,” said Dalic.

At the Euros, Croatia awaits England, the Czech Republic and the Nations League playoff winner.

“If you look at our World Cup Final starting XI, and then at our team at the end of EURO qualifying, you can see that we've changed quite a lot. We don't have as experienced a team as we did during the World Cup but, in some areas, we might be even better. If you look at our 4-0 win in Slovakia, that was as good a performance as we’ve had during my time as Croatia head coach – the World Cup included. That performance showed that Croatia will be formidable opponents for anybody, not only at the EURO, but for years to come,” Dalic said.

“It's a tough group, but there are no easy groups at major tournaments. The game against England will be an especially great challenge. They have the big advantage of playing at home, but that will also bring additional pressure to them, which is not always easy to cope with. We managed to beat England at Wembley once, in 2007, and hopefully we can do it again. But we also understand it's not the only game in the group - we need to be ready for a very solid Czech Republic, as well as a difficult third opponent, whoever that turns out to be. Our goal will be to qualify for the next round and then try to recapture the magic from Russia in the knockout stage.”

You can read the full interview in English on the FIFA website.

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