October 4, 2021 - Croatia's October World Cup qualifiers begin on Friday against Cyprus and continue in Osijek against Slovakia next Monday. Coach Zlatko Dalić addressed the press in Zagreb today before the national team gathered to discuss the upcoming cycle.

The Croatia national team is gathering in Zagreb ahead of the October World Cup qualifiers. Zlatko Dalić's team will play against Cyprus on Friday and host Slovakia on Monday in Osijek. Dalić has a lot of problems in the Croatia defense due to injuries, reports HRT.

"We must continue to be disciplined. We must continue even more seriously, even more responsibly, if we want to ease the cycle in November," said Dalić to begin.

On Sunday, he activated a callup to Borussia Dortmund defender Marin Pongračić. A few days ago, he also called up Duje Ćaleta-Car, due to the uncertain injuries of Domagoj Vida and Josip Juranović.

Dalić commented on Josip Brekalo's return to the national team:

"Josip Brekalo was not a problem for me; he was looking for a club, he was not in rhythm, and that is why he was not invited. He went to Turin, he played, and as soon as he got back in shape, we called him. We need him like other players who were not on the national team. No one will be deprived of the national team; whoever deserves their games, with their behavior, statements, and attitude towards the national team, will not be deprived because I see my interest first. Mine is that Croatia plays well to qualify for Qatar and the interest of the Croatia national team. I did not communicate with Rebić; there was no contact."

Croatia leads Group H with 13 points, the same as Russia. Slovakia is third with nine points, and Slovenia has seven. Malta and Cyprus follow with four points each.

"I think that 21 points will be enough, but we must decide for ourselves."

What does he think of the World Cup every two years?

"I don't think it's good, especially for the players, and the charm of playing the World Cup would be lost. We have to take care of the health of the footballers, and they play too many games this way."

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October 4, 2021 - The 11th round of the Croatian First League was held from October 1-3, 2021. This round featured a blowout win for Dinamo, the della Učka derby, and Osijek and Hajduk at City Garden Stadium. Here's our HNL round 11 recap.

Šibenik v. Gorica (1:2)

Šibenik and Gorica opened the 11th round on Friday, October 1, 2021, at Subicevac Stadium in front of 466 spectators. 

Fruk put Gorica in the lead in the 15th minute and scored again in the 41st for 0:2 at the half. Curic came back for Sibenik in the 66th minute for 1:2, which was the match's final score. 

Sibenik is currently in 7th place with 10 points, while Goria is in 5th with 16. 

Lokomotiva v. Slaven Belupo (3:0)

Lokomotiva and Belupo met on Saturday, October 2, 2021, in Zagreb in front of 412 spectators. 

While the first half went without goals, Gorican scored the first goal of the match in the 54th minute for 1:0 Lokomotiva, follow by Kaacavenda in the 70th and Kulenpvic in the 74th for 3:0. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 6th place with 14 points, while Belupo is in 9th with 6. 

Istra 1961 v. Rijeka (3:6)

Istra and Rijeka met in the della Ucka derby on Saturday, October 2, 2021, in front of 1,274 spectators. 

Silva scored the first goal of the match in the 18th minute for 1:0 Istra, though Kresic equalized 6 minutes later for 1:1. Then, Pavicic put Rijeka in the lead at 1:2 and scored again 5 minutes later for 1:3. Finally, Vuckic scored for 1:4 at the half. 

Ampem opened the second half with a goal for Rijeka in the 52nd minute (1:5), and Mahmoud slightly redeemed Istra with a goal in the 60th for 2:5. Lisica made it 3:5 in the 77th though Busnja sealed Rijeka's victory with a goal in the 85th for the final 3:6.

Istra is in 8th place with 10 points, while Rijeka leads the table with 23. 

Dinamo v. Hr. Dragovoljac (8:0)

Dinamo and Dragovoljac met at Maksimir on Sunday, October 3, 2021. 

Dinamo's blowout began with a Misic goal in the 22nd minute for 1:0 and Menalo in the 2nd minute of injury time for 2:0 at the half. Ivanusec increased Dinamo's lead to 3:0 in the 50th minute and Spikic to 4:0 9 minutes later. Menalo scored his second goal in the 65th minute for 5:0 and Andric for 6:0 in the 69th. Bulat made it 7:0 in the 82nd and Tolic 8:0 in the 3rd minute of injury time for the final score. 

Dinamo is currently in 2nd place with 22 points (and two games behind), while Dragovoljac is in last place with 5 points. 

Osijek v. Hajduk (1:1)

Osijek and Hajduk closed out the 11th round on Sunday, October 3, 2021, at City Garden Stadium.

Kleinheisler opened the game with an early goal in the 9th minute for the Osijek lead. Lovrenciscs equalized in the 19th minute for 1:1, which was the final score of the match. 

Osijek is currently in 3rd place with 21 points, while Hajduk is in 4th with 20 (and one game behind). 

You can see the full HNL table HERE.

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October 1, 2021 - The Croatian Football Federation has suspended referee Ivan Bebek after an audio recording was released earlier this week in which he insulted Hajduk fans and Split journalist Blaž Duplančić.

The disciplinary commission of the Croatian Football Federation held a session today to discuss referee Ivan Bebek and the audio recording that was published in the media this week, HNS reported on its official website.

After the recording was published, HNS President Marijan Kustić reported referee Ivan Bebek to the Disciplinary Commission, which at today's session decided to initiate disciplinary proceedings and suspended Bebek until a decision was made on a possible sentence.

The Disciplinary Commission requested a statement from Ivan Bebek on this case and will decide at a new session next week.

After the 10th round HNL match between Hajduk and Lokomotiva, which was refereed at Poljud, Bebek insulted Hajduk fans and Split journalist Blaž Duplančić in a private conversation. This all resulted from a controversial moment in the 9th minute of the match when there was contact between Livaja and De Haas.

Namely, Bebek had numerous conversations with players and coaches with the desire to show his authority and missed a blatant penalty for Hajduk. De Haas tripped Marko Livaja in the penalty area, though Bebek did not even consult VAR, which provoked a fierce protest from Livaja, who eventually earned a yellow card. 

"The tripping is not intentional or of great intensity, but the criterion of the probable situation is the one for which it was a penalty kick. The Lokomotiva player disrupted the opponent's coordination and movement," said Croatian referee expert Mario Strahonja.

Hajduk immediately requested a statement from HNS, and HNS hastily opened an investigation and forwarded the entire case to the Disciplinary Commission for urgent resolution.

Bebek refereed the Europa League match between the Legia Warsaw and Leicester in Warsaw on Thursday night but was removed from reffing in the HNL 11th round even before today's decision. 

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September 29, 2021 - Tickets are on sale for the Croatia World Cup qualifier against Slovakia at City Garden Stadium in Osijek on October 11.

The Croatia national football team will continue qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in October. Zlatko Dalić's team will play against Cyprus in Larnaca on October 8 and Slovakia three days later in Osijek, reports HNS.

Online ticket sales for both Cyprus and Slovakia started on September 28 at 3 pm, the Croatian Football Federation announced.

The ticket price for the match against Cyprus is 80 kuna, and tickets can only be purchased online. One person can buy a maximum of four tickets.

Online ticket sales include a personal collection at the stadium box office with the presentation of a passport and a purchase confirmation (voucher), which is downloaded from the user's website after a successful purchase. Replacing vouchers at the stadium will be determined later, and all customers will be notified by e-mail.

Only citizens of the Republic of Croatia have the right to purchase online, regardless of residence address, by filling in personal data (name and surname, OIB, passport or identity card number, date of birth, and customer address). In addition to their data, the buyer also enters data on other spectators for whom they buy tickets, while other spectators do not have to be Croatian citizens.

The deadline for purchasing tickets is October 1 until 12 noon, i.e., until the availability of tickets is used.

Buying tickets for Croatia fans for the match against Cyprus is possible only through the Croatian Football Federation website. Croatia fans will not purchase tickets at the stadium box office or access the stadium without a voucher.

Entry to the stadium will be allowed only to those fans who have a valid EU digital COVID certificate issued based on complete vaccination or recovery of the coronavirus. EU digital COVID certificates issued based on PCR or antigen tests will not be recognized. HNS notes that no different vaccination certificates or sickness certificates will be recognized, but only the EU digital COVID certificate with a valid QR code checked at the entrance.

Ticket sales are organized exclusively online for the qualifying match between Croatia and Slovakia at City Garden Stadium in Osijek (October 11 at 8.45 pm). Ticket prices in presale (as of October 10) are 150 kn (west), 100 kn (east), and 75 kn (south). On the day of the match on October 11, the prices will be 200, 120 and 90 kn.

Everyone coming to the stadium must have an EU digital COVID certificate. However, children under the age of 12 who have a ticket can enter the stadium without an EU digital COVID certificate if accompanied by a parent or guardian who has a certificate and a ticket.

Ticket sales include e-tickets that the customer must download and print. Only citizens of the Republic of Croatia have the right to purchase, regardless of residence address, by filling in the required personal information.

One person can buy up to four tickets. In addition to their data, the buyer can also enter data on other ticket holders, where they do not necessarily have to be a citizen of the Republic of Croatia.

TICKETS CAN BE PURCHASED HERE

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September 28, 2021 - The referees in the 11th round of the Croatian First League have been announced, which does not include Mario Zebec and Ivan Bebek, two of Croatia's most famous referees who HNS has reprimanded for several blunders in the 10th round. 

24 Sata reports that several reffing mistakes marked the 10th round of the Croatian First League, and HNS has taken action with consequences for individual referees. 

The names of the referees in the 11th round have been announced, but the list does not include Mario Zebec and Ivan Bebek, who were chastised in the last round for numerous errors and poor judgment. 

This can be understood as a kind of punishment by the Croatian Football Federation for Zebec and Bebek, as a way to help the Croatian referees learn from their mistakes. There have been many objections around Croatia from various refereeing and football experts in recent days, forcing the two already infamous refs to cool off, at least as far as the next round is concerned.

Zebec was the center of attention after not awarding a blatant penalty for Gorica against Rijeka (3:4). In the 93rd minute, Štefulj stepped on Dvorneković in the penalty area, which Zebec did not find suspicious. He got a second chance after communicating with Fran Jović from the VAR room, but even after reviewing the video, Zebec did not call a penalty. 

In addition, according to referee expert Mario Strahonja, he should have repeated Rijeka's penalty because a player entered the penalty area too early, and he failed to show a red card to Rijeka's Krešić.

Ivan Bebek, on the other hand, led the match between Hajduk and Lokomotiva at Poljud. Bebek had numerous conversations with players and coaches with the desire to show his authority, and at the beginning of the match, he missed a blatant penalty for Hajduk. De Haas tripped Marko Livaja in the penalty area, but there was no penalty for Bebek. He didn’t even bother consulting VAR, which provoked a fierce protest from Livaja, who eventually earned a yellow card. 

"The tripping is not intentional or of great intensity, but the criterion of the probable situation is the one for which it was a penalty kick. The Lokomotiva player disrupted the opponent's coordination and movement," said Mario Strahonja.

The 11th round between Osijek and Hajduk (Sunday, 7:30 pm) will be reffed by Igor Pajač and the match between Šibenik and Gorica on Friday by Tihomir Pejin. Duje Strukan will lead Lokomotiva and Slaven Belupo, and Andrej Burilo from Osijek will ref Dinamo and Hrvatski Dragovoljac on Sunday. Fran Jović will referee the derby between Rijeka and Istria on Saturday.

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September 28, 2021 - The 10th round of the Croatian First League was played from September 25 to 27, 2021. This round saw Rijeka edge out Gorica in a dramatic finish, while Osijek, Dinamo, and Hajduk recorded victories to keep the race for the top tight. Here's our HNL round 10 recap. 

Slaven Belupo v. Dinamo (1:4)

Slaven Belupo and Dinamo opened the 10th round on Saturday, September 25, 2021, in Koprivnica in front of 993 spectators. 

Juric scored Dinamo's first goal in the 23rd minute for 0:1, and Orsic increased their lead to 0:2 in the 44th. Petkovic made it 0:3 in the 50th minute, and Cop 0:4 in the 76th! Grgic scored Belupo's only goal of the match in the 80th minute for the final score of 1:4. 

Belupo is in 9th place with 6 points, while Dinamo is in 3rd with 19 (and two games less). 

Sibenik v. Osijek (0:2)

Sibenik and Osijek met on Saturday, September 25, 2021, in Sibenik in front of 746 spectators.  

Fiolic scored for the Osijek lead in the 18th minute, and Zaper scored in the 82nd for the final 0:2. 

Sibenik is currently in 7th place with 10 points, while Osijek is in 2nd with 19. 

Gorica v. Rijeka (3:4)

Gorica and Rijeka met on Sunday, September 26, 2021, in Velika Gorica in front of 1,000 spectators. 

Gorica took the lead with a goal by Lovric in the 12th minute. Abass equalized for Rijeka in the 43rd, and Marjanovic scored in the 3rd minute of injury time for 2:1 Gorica at the half. Selahi made it 2:2 in the 46th minute, and Gorica's Delfi was shown a red card in the 51st, forcing them to play with a man down for the remainder of the match. 

Muric scored a penalty for 2:3 Rijeka in the 58th minute, and Fruk equalized for Gorica in the 90th minute! Pavicic scored the winning goal one minute later for the final 3:4. 

Gorica is currently in 5th place with 13 points, while Rijeka is in 1st with 20 (and one game less).

Hajduk v. Lokomotiva (1:0)

Hajduk and Lokomotiva met on Sunday, September 26, 2021, at Poljud in front of 7,657 spectators. 

The match's only goal came in the 81st minute, thanks to a Livaja header for 1:0. 

Hajduk is currently in 4th place with 19 points (and one game less), while Lokomotiva is in 6th place with 11 (and one game less).

Hr. Dragovoljac v. Istra 1961 (0:1)

Dragovoljac and Istra closed out the 10th round on Monday, September 27, 2021, in front of 92 spectators. 

The only goal of the match came in the 20th minute, thanks to Drena Beljo. 

Dragovoljac is currently in the last place with 5 points, while Istra is in 8th with 10 (and one game less). 

You can see the full HNL table HERE.

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September 24, 2021 - Potential Nations League opponents for Croatia have been revealed, while the groups for the 3rd edition of the competition will be decided in a draw on December 16. 

UEFA has announced the strongest groups for the upcoming Nations League draw on December 16 in Montreux, Switzerland, reports T.portal.

The Croatia national football team is still in the strongest, League A of the UEFA Nations League, and to start, Croatia has at least found out which three national teams they certainly cannot meet in the group stage. 

The plan is for the Nations League matches to be played in June and September next year, primarily because the World Cup in Qatar will be played in late winter, through November and December.

Croatia has thus been placed in the Group C draw group with England, Poland, and Switzerland.

But who does that leave as Croatia's potential opponents?

From Group A, Croatia can face France, Belgium, Italy, and Spain, in Group B, Portugal, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany, while from Group D, Croatia can play against Wales, Austria, the Czech Republic, or Hungary.

The winners of the UEFA Nations League will play the Final Four tournament in June 2023. They will also have a place in the additional qualifiers for Euro 2024 if they do not qualify for that competition through regular qualifiers.

The last national teams from each of the four League A groups are relegated to League B.

Nations League draw groups (December 16):

Group A: France, Belgium, Italy, Spain
Group B: Portugal, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany
Group C: CROATIA, England, Poland, Switzerland
Group D: Wales, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary

Nations League 2022/'23:

Round 1: June 2-4, 2022
Round 2: June 5 to 7, 2022
Round 3: June 9-11, 2022
Round 4: June 12-14, 2022
Round 5: September 22-24, 2022
Round 6: September 25-27, 2022

Recall, Croatia still has to finish up their 2022 World Cup qualifiers this year, with two games next month against Cyprus away and Slovakia at home. After that, Croatia completes their qualifying campaign in November against Malta away and Russia at Poljud. 

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September 20, 2021 - Captain Luka Modrić returns for Croatia's October World Cup qualifiers against Cyprus and Slovakia.

The Croatia national team coach Zlatko Dalić invited 24 players, with six call-ups, to the qualifying matches against Cyprus and Slovakia in October, reports HNS.

After a very successful September, sitting at the top of the group with seven points in three games, the Croatia national team awaits the continuation of the European qualifications for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Croatia will play in Larnaca near Cyprus on October 8, and then they will host Slovakia on October 11 in Osijek.

The national team will gather on October 4 in Zagreb, where they will train until October 7 and then travel to Larnaca. They will travel to Osijek immediately after the match against Cyprus.

After missing the September qualifying campaign due to injury, Dalić's player list is again led by captain Luka Modrić.

"After a successful September, of course, we now welcome the new gathering with a lot of optimism, positive energy, and confidence. However, we must be aware that all the good we have done must now be confirmed with six more points and that we can only do so with the full concentration, approach, and togetherness we had at the last gathering. We have already beaten Cyprus and Slovakia in this cycle, and we accept the role of favorites in both games, but I repeat - we must be at our maximum. I am convinced that the invited players will successfully respond to this challenge, and of course, we are especially pleased with the return of Luka Modrić, who as a player and leader is of inestimable importance to us," said coach Zlatko Dalic.

List of players for Cyprus and Slovakia:

Goalkeepers: Dominik Livaković (Dinamo Zagreb), Ivica Ivušić (Osijek), Ivo Grbić (Lille).

Defenders: Domagoj Vida (Bešiktaš), Dejan Lovren (Zenit), Borna Barišić (Glasgow Rangers), Josip Juranović (Celtic), Mile Škorić (Osijek), Filip Uremović (Rubin Kazan), Joško Gvardiol (RB Leipzig), Borna Sosa (Stuttgart), Josip Stanišić (Bayern).

Midfielders : Luka Modrić (Real Madrid), Mateo Kovačić (Chelsea), Marcelo Brozović (Inter), Mario Pašalić (Atalanta), Nikola Vlašić (West Ham), Luka Ivanušec (Dinamo Zagreb), Kristijan Jakić (Eintracht Frankfurt).

Strikers: Ivan Perišić (Inter), Andrej Kramarić (Hoffenheim), Josip Brekalo (Torino), Mislav Oršić (Dinamo Zagreb), Marko Livaja (Hajduk).

Callups: Duje Ćaleta-Car (Olimpique de Marseille), Ante Budimir (Osasuna), Antonio Mirko Čolak (Malmö), Simon Sluga (Luton Town), Kristijan Lovrić (Gorica), Nikola Moro (Dinamo Moskva).

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September 20, 2021 - The 9th round of the Croatian First League was held from September 17 to 19, 2021. The 'Eternal Derby' between Hajduk and Dinamo at Poljud was postponed due to Dinamo's Europa League schedule, while Osijek's late-winner against Gorica saw the match end 3:2 at City Garden. Here is our HNL Round 9 recap. 

Hr. Dragovoljac v. Rijeka (2:2)

Dragovoljac and Rijeka opened the 9th round in Zagreb on Friday, September 17, 2021, in front of 420 spectators. 

Petković and Majstorović shocked Rijeka with a 2:0 lead by the 36th minute. Ampem got a goal back for Rijeka in the 57th minute for 2:1, and Pavičić equalized 3 minutes later for 2:2. Vuckic's goal was called offside in the final minute of regulation time, so the match ended in a draw. 

Dragovoljac is currently in last place with 5 points, while Rijeka is in 1st with 17 points (and one game less).

Slaven Belupo v. Istra 1961 (1:1)

Belupo and Istra met in Koprivnica on Saturday, September 18, 2021. 

The first half went without goals but saw Navarro receive a red card, forcing Istra to play with a man down from the 41st minute. Krstanovic scored a penalty at the start of the second half for the Belupo lead, but Perkovic equalized in the 5th minute of injury time for 1:1. 

Belupo is currently in 9th place with 6 points, while Istra is in 8th with 7 (and one game less). 

Šibenik v. Lokomotiva (2:1)

Šibenik and Lokomotiva met on Saturday, September 18, 2021, in Šibenik. 

Marin scored in the 5th minute for the early Šibenik lead, though Dabro scored a penalty in the 28th minute for 1:1 at the half. Marin scored his second goal of the match in the 77th minute for the 2:1 Šibenik win. 

Šibenik is currently in 7th place with 10 points, while Lokomotiva is in 6th with 11 (and one game less).

Osijek v. Gorica (3:2)

Osijek and Gorica closed out the 9th round at City Garden Stadium on Sunday, September 19, 2021. 

Kalik gave Gorica the lead in the 29th minute. Daku didn't equalize for Osijek until the 75th. Brodic put Gorica back in the lead 6 minutes later, and Daku equalized again for 2:2 in the 84th minute. Loncar gave Osijek the late-game winner in the 3rd minute of injury time for a final score of 3:2. 

Osijek is currently in 2nd place with 17 points, while Gorica is in 5th with 13. 

You can see the full HNL table HERE.  

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September 18, 2021 - Croatian women's football will see an HRK 3.5 million investment by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS).

This week, the Croatian Football Federation paid the first installment of funds into Croatian women's football clubs, for which HRK 3.5 million is planned annually, reports HNS.

In cooperation with FIFA and using funds from the Forward program, the Croatian Football Federation will invest HRK 3.5 million in developing women's football this year.

The funds will be used to co-finance the national leagues of cadets and pioneers, which were successfully launched last year, and the new season began in early September. Also, the funds will be used to organize work in all women's clubs to give strong support to the further development of women's football in Croatia.

"Increasing interest in football among girls and raising the quality of women's football are among the important strategic goals of the Federation in the coming period. The launch of national leagues for cadets and pioneers was an important step forward for women's football in Croatia. We will continue to financially monitor this project to raise the quality in those ages and enable long-term growth in the quality of our first league and senior national team. This is a long-term project with which HNS stands firmly. In cooperation with FIFA, we will try to provide women's clubs and our football players with the best possible conditions and the best possible competitions," said HNS President Marijan Kustić.

The Croatia women's national team opened a new World Cup qualifying cycle with a visit to Romania, where they lost 2:0.

Mate Prskalo's team made their first appearance in the qualifications for the World Cup, which will be played in 2023 in Australia and New Zealand. Croatia played Romania, a rival they also met in the previous qualifications for the European Championship.

Romania took the lead with a goal by Rus after 12 minutes of play, and in the 32nd minute, Carp headed in the second goal for the final 2:0.

In the remaining matches of the first round of Group G, Italy beat Moldova 3:0 at home, while Switzerland beat Lithuania 4:1. In four days, Croatia will welcome Italy in Karlovac.

World Cup Qualifiers, Group G:
1. Switzerland 3
2. Italy 3
3. Romania 3
4. Croatia 0
5. Lithuania 0
6. Moldova 0

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