April 4, 2022 - The 29th round of the Croatian First League was played from April 2 to 4, 2022. This round featured the highly anticipated derby between Osijek and Hajduk, while Dinamo and Rijeka recorded routine wins against Istra and Dragovoljac. Here is our HNL round 29 recap. 

Šibenik v. Gorica (0:1)

Šibenik and Gorica opened the 29th round on Friday, April 2, 2022, in Šibenik in front of 487 fans. 

The only goal of the match came at the end of the first half when Stojanovksi scored for 0:1. 

Šibenik is currently in 8th place with 26 points, while Gorica is in 6th with 39. 

Istra 1961 v. Rijeka (0:2)

Istra and Rijeka met on Saturday, April 3, 2022, in Pula in front of 2,170 fans. 

Vuckic scored Rijeka's first goal in the 29th minute for 0:1 at halftime. Vuckic scored his second goal of the match in the 87th minute for the final 0:2. 

Istra is currently in 9th place with 25 points, while Rijeka is in 3rd with 55. 

Dinamo v. Dragovoljac (2:0)

Dinamo and Dragovoljac met at Maksimir Stadium on Sunday, April 3, 2022, in front of 2,029 fans. 

While the first half went without goals, Andrić scored Dinamo's first in the 46th minute. A Smolčić own goal made it 2:0, which was the final score. 

Dinamo sits in 1st place with 60 points and a game in hand, while Dragovoljac is in last place with 14 points. 

Osijek v. Hajduk (0:0)

Osijek and Hajduk met for the highly anticipated derby of the 29th round on Sunday, April 3, 2022, at City Garden Stadium in front of 7,181 fans. 

It was an exciting first half which included a penalty awarded then taken back for Hajduk, a red card called and taken back for Osijek, a missed penalty for Osijek by former Hajduk player Mijo Caktaš, and a 5-minute wait for referee Jović to sort out his technical equipment. The second half, however, was much less exciting, and neither side was able to find the back of the net. 

Osijek is currently in 2nd place with 58 points, while Hajduk is in 4th with 53 points and a game in hand. 

Lokomotiva v. Slaven Belupo (3:1)

Lokomotiva and Slaven Belupo closed out the 29th round on Monday, April 4, 2022, in Zagreb.

Crnac scored in the 1st minute of stoppage time for the Belupo lead at halftime. Dabro equalized in the 48th minute before the same player put Lokomotiva in the lead in the 76th minute for 2:1. Ibrahim scored for 3:1 in the 91st minute for the final result. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 5th place with 29 points, while Belupo is in 7th with 30. 

You can see the full HNL table HERE. 

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

April 2, 2022 - The Croatia 2022 World Cup schedule is here, with the dates, times, and stadiums listed for the highly anticipated tournament later this year.

The Croatia national team will play this November at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in Group F together with Morocco, Canada, and Belgium. The draw was held on Friday night in Doha. 

If Croatia is one of the first two national teams in their group, they will cross paths with Group E, where Spain and Germany are the favorites to pass, while the group also includes Japan and either Costa Rica or New Zealand. 

Croatia's 2022 World Cup matches
FIFA has announced the exact schedule of matches, and Croatia will open the tournament against Morocco on November 23 at 11 am local time at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor.

The second round is scheduled four days later, on November 27, when Croatia plays Canada at 5 pm at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha.

The Group F derby is played on December 1, when Croatia and Belgium will play at 4 pm at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan.

Qatar is not opening the World Cup.
Interestingly, host Qatar will not be the first to open the competition at the World Cup. Their match against Ecuador was scheduled by the organizer at 5 pm on the first day of the tournament, but before them, the Netherlands and Senegal will take the pitch at 11 am in the same group. Then, from 2 pm, England and Iran will play.

Remembering Croatia against Mexico 20 years ago.
This early match time between Croatia and Morocco is not the earliest Croatia has played at a World Cup. Twenty years ago in Japan, Croatia played and lost to Mexico at 8:30 Croatian time.

Croatia 2022 World Cup Schedule: 
Wednesday, November 23

11:00 Croatia - Morocco

Sunday, November 27

17:00 Croatia - Canada

Thursday, December 1

16:00 Croatia - Belgium

Source: Gol.hr

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

April 2, 2022 - Coach Zlatko Dalić comments on the Croatia World Cup draw, expressing that the goal is to get out of the group stage. 

Croatia national team coach Zlatko Dalić commented on the 2022 World Cup draw, which placed Croatia in Group F with Belgium, Morocco, and Canada, reports HNS.

Impressions are positive.

"At first glance, the group is not too tough. However, there is no easy group at the World Cup because there are the best national teams in the world. It won't be easy, but we have our goal, and that is to get out of the group. I believe we will prepare to win every game and make a step to the next round. The schedule of playing matches is good; we are playing against Morocco, Canada, and only then against Belgium." 

What does the opening against Morocco bring?

"We know that the coach of Morocco is Mr. Halilhodžić, who took four national teams to the World Cup. He will certainly prepare well for us, and it will be a tough match. Morocco beat Congo in the additional qualifiers, and several outstanding players in their ranks play in Europe. But, equally, Morocco will be very motivated because this is their first game in the World Cup."

Next up is the match against Canada, the team's first appearance at the World Cup since 1986.

“They achieved great success, but they fully deserved it. They were the first in their group; they beat the USA and Mexico, which signifies that they are very good. So they will be very motivated, they will come to the World Cup with a lot of good energy, and we will be a kind of "target" for them. So we have to be very careful because we have a tough opponent ahead of us."

In the last match in the group, Croatia awaits Belgium, the strongest national team on paper. 

"Belgium has been first in the Fifa ranking for several years; I know Mr. Martinez very well, a great coach. He has a great team at his disposal, powerful and capable of great things, with many quality individuals. That game will be our biggest challenge in the group, and it is good that it will be our third game. In any case, Belgium is the favorite in our group in terms of rating." 

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

March 31, 2022 - The 2022 World Cup draw will be held on Friday, April 1, at 18:00 Croatia time. A look at who the Vatreni could face in the group stage. 

The last spots at the 2022 World Cup are slowly filling up. Earlier this week, we learned about seven new national teams that will compete in Qatar. Portugal and Poland have qualified from Europe, while Senegal, Ghana, Morocco, Tunisia, and Cameroon have passed through the African qualifiers.

The draw for the World Cup will be held on Friday, April 1, in Doha, and Croatia will be in the second strongest group (Pot 2), which means that Croatia will avoid some powerful national teams such as Germany, the Netherlands, Mexico, Uruguay and Denmark in Qatar.

The first strong group is the world's football superpowers - Brazil, France, Argentina, Spain, Belgium, England, and Portugal. The absolute best choice for Croatia would be to draw the host Qatar.

National teams such as the African champion Senegal, Serbia, and Poland threaten the third strong group. Finally, the last fourth strong group includes Canada, Cameroon, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, and three other national teams that have yet to qualify for the World Cup.

Teams from the same confederation cannot be in the same group except those from Europe because 13 European teams are at the World Cup.

The World Cup is played from November 21 to December 18 in Qatar.

"I have no big wishes. Our goal is to pass the group. I want to avoid France, and it would be better to draw Asian teams than European ones. But I am optimistic, and I believe in us no matter which team we draw," coach Zlatko Dalić said after Croatia played two friendly games in Doha against Slovenia and Bulgaria, drawing to Slovenia 1:1 and beating Bulgaria 2:1. 

"Congratulations to the boys on the victory that ended our successful seven-day stay in Doha, even though it was difficult to win, much harder than expected. It is good that we returned to the game after 0:1; all in all, we must be satisfied. The main goal was "team-building," but also the result. Everything turned out well; we kept our place in the second strong group. We will certainly make a more detailed analysis of these two games and prepare for June," Dalić said. 

The 2022 World Cup draw will be held on Friday at 18:00 Croatia time on HRT's Second Program.

Source: HRT

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

March 29, 2022 - Modrić and Kramarić scored in Croatia's 2:1 win against Bulgaria on Tuesday in Doha. 

After Croatia played 1:1 with Slovenia on Saturday, Croatia met Bulgaria on Tuesday for their second friendly match in Doha. 

Coach Zlatko Dalić changed 10 of the 11 players from the starting lineup against Slovenia. Just as he announced, he gave everyone a chance to start from the first minute, that is, to rest those who were in the starting 11 three days ago. Because Lovren wasn't ready, the only player who started both matches was Duje Ćaleta-Car.

Lineups

Croatia: (3-5-2): Ivušić - Škorić, Vida, Ćaleta-Car - Oršić, Majer, Moro, Pašalić, Barišić - Vlašić, Livaja

Bulgaria: Vucov - Turicov, P. Hristov, A. Hristov, Jordanov - Nedelev, Čočev, Malinov, Kirilov - Minčev, Despodov.

Recap

Croatia started offensively and got into Bulgaria's penalty area in the first minute. Bulgaria had their first dangerous counter in the 6th minute which Škorić cleared. 

Livaja had a chance in the 8th minute and Barišić shot from the left in the 11th which was cleared for a corner. Oršić had a chance two minutes later which also went out for a corner. 

Moro shot on target from 20 meters in the 20th minute which the Bulgaria keeper hit out for Croatia's third corner of the match.

Bulgaria had a chance in the 25th minute which Ivušić defended for a Bulgaria corner. Mile Škorić was injured moments later forcing Pogrančić to be subbed on in the 28th minute.

Barišić shot again from the left in the 35th minute and Orišić with his left foot three minutes later. 

The first half ended 0:0 with 59% of possession for Croatia and 11 total shots, 4 of which were on target. 

Perišić and Kovačić came on for Moro and Vida to start the second half. 

Perišić threatened Bulgaria's goal two minutes into the second half. Pašalić also had a chance in the 54th minute. 

In the 60th minute, Vlašić and Livaja came out for Kramarić and Budimir. 

In the 63rd minute, Ćaleta-Car got his second yellow card and was sent off, forcing Croatia to play with a man down. 

Despodov took advantage of a hole in Croatia's defense to put Bulgaria ahead in the 69th minute. A foul was called on Kramarić in the penalty area five minutes later and Modrić scored from the penalty spot for 1:1. 

Kramarić dribbled through Bulgaria's defense in the 80th minute to find the far post for 2:1 Croatia. 

Bulgaria had a brilliant chance in the 87th minute after Kovačić lost the ball, though Barišić saved the day to keep it 2:1. 

Bulgaria had another chance in the 90th minute and the ref added 4 minutes of stoppage time. The match ended 2:1 for Croatia. 

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

March 27, 2022 - Croatia has secured Pot 2 in the 2022 World Cup draw after playing 1:1 against Slovenia on Saturday. 

After drawing 1:1 against Slovenia on Saturday, the Croatia national football team secured a place in the second strongest group in the 2022 World Cup draw. 

The draw for the World Cup will be held in Doha on Friday, April 1. The 2022 World Cup will be hosted by Qatar from November 21 to December 18 this year.

The International Football Federation (FIFA) has indicated that strong draw groups will be formed according to its ranking, which will be published on March 31. Since the qualifications are still not over on all continents and because Croatia is currently 15th in the FIFA rankings, one point from two games against Slovenia and Bulgaria was enough for Zlatko Dalić's side on this mini-tour in Doha.

Thus, Croatia's goal was achieved already in the first match against Slovenia, and now Croatia can anticipate the draw a bit more relaxed. 

Croatia has thus avoided some powerful teams by securing Pot 2. 

Namely, Croatia cannot meet Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, and Uruguay. Mexico and the United States should be added if those two national teams confirm their spot at the World Cup in the remaining two CONCACAF rounds. Potential opponents from Pot 1 are Qatar, Brazil, Belgium, France, Argentina, England, Spain, and Portugal, unless North Macedonia shocks them in the remaining qualifier. 

In Pot 3, Croatia is most likely threatened by Sweden, Egypt, Japan, Iran, Serbia, Morocco, Korea, and Poland. The last group will include Ecuador and Saudi Arabia for sure. 

Thirty-two national teams will play in eight groups of four teams at the World Cup. The top seeds in the draw will be the host Qatar plus the top seven ranked national teams in the FIFA rankings, announced on March 31. It will be the last World Cup with 32 national teams, and from 2026, 48 national teams will participate. Europe will have 13 representatives in Qatar, and there can be a maximum of two national teams from the same continent in each group.

Recall, the current World Champion is France (and Croatia the 2018 finalist), while we will not watch the current European champion Italy at the World Cup this year. 

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

March 26, 2022 - Croatia and Slovenia draw 1:1 in the first friendly match in Doha on Saturday. Croatia meets Bulgaria next on Tuesday. 

The Croatia national football team met Slovenia in a friendly match at the Education City Stadium in Doha today at 15:00. 

Even though this was a friendly match, it was still important for Croatia. Namely, Croatia needs one draw from two friendly matches to be placed in Pot 2 in the World Cup draw scheduled on April 1. 

Zlatko Dalić is using this friendly tournament to try out the new system of three in the back, though it is also a great opportunity to get a glimpse of the conditions that await them at the end of the year when the World Cup begins.

Lineups 

Croatia: Livaković - Pongračić, Ćaleta Car, Gvardiol - Perišić, Juranović - Jakić, Kovačić, Modrić - Kramarić, Budimir

Slovenia: Oblak - Blažić, Bijol, Brekalo - Karničkik, Gnezda Čerin, Kurtić, Sikošek - Zajc, Šporar, Lovrić

Recap

Croatia's first serious attack came already in the 3rd minute. Perišić passed on the left side and centered the ball in Slovenia's penalty area, though it could not reach Kramarić and was cleared by the Slovenia defense. 

Modrić won a free kick after being fouled on the right side, which the Slovenia defense cleared in the 12th minute. A minute later, Jakić took Croatia's first shot on goal. Slovenia had their first attack in the 15th minute. 

Kovačić won a free kick in the 28th minute. Modrić tried to find Budimir but Oblak was solid in goal to keep in 0:0. 

Kramarić scored for the Croatia lead in the 39th minute. Ćaleta-Car played a through ball down the right wing, which found Andrej one-on-one with the keeper for 1:0! 

Croatia had another chance in the 43rd minute. Kovačić's backheel found Perišić on the left side. However, Perišić shot from the near post twice - the first time at Oblak and the second time hitting Budimir. 

Perišić passed on the left side again with a minute to go in the first half, but Oblak remained solid. 

Croatia ended the first half with 69% of the possession and five shots (two were on target). 

Croatia started the second half without any changes to the lineup. 

Croatia kept up their intensity in the second half with several chances in the first 10 minutes, with Modrić and Juranović hitting dangerous attempts. 

Dalić made his first substitutions in the 68th minute. Livaja, Majer, and Pašalić went in for Budimir, Modrić and Kovačić. Four minutes later, he made his second round of subs - Vlašić, Oršić, and Vida came in for Kramarić, Perišić, and Ćaleta-Car. 

Croatia maintained possession for the second half, with a few moments of Slovenian intensity.  

Livaja had a chance in the 84th minute and Pašalić a minute later. Slovenia's closest opportunity came in the 87th minute with a mix-up in front of Livaković, but the play was ultimately called offside. 

Oršić had a chance a minute later, and Livaja played Juranović for a cross back into the penalty area, but it was saved by Oblak. Oršić shot over the goal in the 89th. 

A quick reaction from Slovenia found saw them capitalize on Croatia's defense to equalize for 1:1 in the 90th minute, which was the final score. 

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

March 26, 2022 - The young Croatia side resumed the 2023 Euro qualifiers with a draw against Austria, breaking their six-match winning streak. 

The Croatian Under-21 national team played 0:0 against Austria in the qualifying match for the European Championship in Varaždin. Croatia was the favorite but failed to win.

It was Croatia's first draw in these qualifiers. So far, they have had six victories in six games. Igor Bišćan's team remained in first place in the group with 19 points, while Austria is in third with 13 points and practically lost their chances for first place. Norway is second with 15 points and a game less than Croatia.

Croatia coach Igor Bišćan decided to play with three stoppers from the first minute. Mario Vušković, Josip Šutalo, and Josip Stanišić played in the back, Franjić and Boško Šutalo as the wing defenders, Palaversa and Sučić in the middle, while Kačavenda, Marin and Šimić played up top.

Both teams looked like their primary goal was not to concede a goal in the first half. There was only one shot on target in the first 45 minutes. In the 13th minute, Stanišić shot from the right side, and Josip Šutalo with his head, but they were too weak to endanger the Austria goalkeeper Hedl.

Austria suffered several serious fouls in the middle of the first half. Fortunately, no one was hurt. In the second half, both teams had more chances.

Kacavenda received his second yellow card in the 82nd minute and was sent off. He committed a foul during Croatia's attack. He complained to the referee, who showed him his second yellow card.

It was a challenging game with few chances, said coach Bišćan.

"Tough. Quite organized on both sides, the teams came up with a clear plan. I think Austria has shown that it is a serious team. The match was competitive, there was not much beauty in it until the middle of the second half and then when we seemed to be close to the goal, that we imposed ourselves enough to create another chance, that a goal was close, then a red card happened, and in the end, we had to keep that result. It is as what is, but with that point, we put ourselves in a good position and not so much worse than we were before this game. In the next game, they will be motivated to beat Norway, and we have Finland at home, and we believe that we can win that game, and then after eight games, we would be in a good situation. We are not the most satisfied because we did not win and continue that series, but we should congratulate the guys; I am satisfied because we played a serious game."

Croatia will play its next qualifier on Tuesday, March 29, against Finland.

Source: HRT

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

March 24, 2022 - Croatia national team midfielder Marcelo Brozović has extended his contract with the current Italian football champion Inter Milan until the summer of 2026!

Brozović arrived at Inter from Dinamo Zagreb in January 2015, and has so far played 279 games for Inter Milan in all competitions, reports Sportske Novosti. 

"I am really happy to have extended my contract with Inter. Out of respect for the club, I didn’t even want to talk to other clubs. I would only do that if Inter told me they didn't need me anymore. I am proud to be a part of this club with a great tradition and history, and I am determined to strive to achieve new great successes with this club. Our only goal is to win and I am sure that we will do everything in our power to defend the title of champion and win the Cup," said Brozović after signing a new contract.

"Inter fans have always loved me. I can't wait to get back on the pitch and keep celebrating with them."

Although the new contract brings him better financial conditions, Marcelo Brozović points out that this has never been a problem in the negotiations.

"Money has never been why I play football, and it never will be. When I see people's suffering and disease, especially now in Ukraine, I realize how happy I am to play for a club like Inter and live in such a top city as I spent some tough moments at Inter, both for the club and me. Still, we continued to fight to be better. All this was rewarded when we won the title last year. I am here to become an even better player and help Inter win more trophies," concluded Brozović.

Inter is currently in third place in the Serie A rankings with six points behind the leading city rival Milan, of which they have one game less. On April 20, they will play against Milan in the Cup semifinals. 

Brozović has played 70 games for the Croatia national team so far and was part of the team that won a silver medal at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

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

March 23, 2022 - Who are the most valuable Croatian First League players? A closer look during one of the most interesting HNL seasons. 

The Croatian First League (HNL) is more interesting than ever this season. Four clubs are in a tight race for the title of Croatian champion, and all top teams are full of quality.

Dinamo is by far the most valuable team in the HNL, and according to the estimates of the reputable Transfermarkt, is worth around 97.45 million euros. In second place is Hajduk Split, worth 40.95 million euros, followed by Osijek in third worth 35 million, and Rijeka in fourth worth 27 million euros.

When looking at the players individually, Dinamo dominates again, which is to be expected, considering that the club has been successfully representing Croatia in European competitions for several seasons.

However, only two footballers, the young Josip Šutalo and Martin Baturina, have increased in value compared to the last Transfermarkt update. 

The list of the 10 most expensive Croatian First League players starts with Luka Ivanušec, valued at 12.5 million euros, which is a drop of one million compared to previous data. In second place is his teammate Mislav Oršić, worth 11 million euros. In the top five are three more Dinamo players - Dominik Livaković, Arijan Ademi, and Bruno Petković.

The Croatian First League's top scorer and according to many the best player of this season, Marko Livaja, achieved the highest market value in his career and is now worth 6.5 million euros, which is enough for sixth place on the list of the most expensive players in the HNL.

In seventh place is the new Osijek reinforcement Kristijan Lovrić, who shares the spot with Dinamo defenders Josip Šutalo and Rasmus Lauritsen.

The tenth spot is shared by Bartol Franjić and the young winger of Hajduk Stipe Biuk, with an estimated value of 4.5 million euros.

It is interesting that Rijeka's most valuable player, Robert Murić, is only in 16th place.

Source: HRT

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