September 10, 2020 - Big football news today, as HNS discusses returning spectators to stadiums in the Croatian league.

24 Sata reports that about two months after the Croatian Football Federation decided that spectators could not visit stadiums "to minimize the risk of spreading the coronavirus at matches" and bring last season's competition to a successful end, fans should fill the stands of HNL stadiums soon.

"We have a working group that will propose the return of spectators to the stands, one third as allowed with the prior approval of the County Civil Protection Headquarters and, of course, with compliance with all epidemiological measures," said HNS Executive Director Marijan Kustic.

Unfortunately, there will be no fans for the biggest Croatian derby between Hajduk and Dinamo, which will be played on Saturday at Poljud. However, spectators should be allowed again, starting from the fifth round.

It should be reminded that in the 29th round of the HNL last season, HNS allowed spectators before the last round, when coronavirus cases were growing in Croatia. The last round, however, was played without fans. 

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September 8, 2020 - Croatia and France met in Paris on Tuesday evening for the second round of the Nations League A group. In the 2018 World Cup rematch, France tops Croatia 4:2.

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic changed half of the starting lineup from the match against Portugal. Melnjak was thus moved to left-back and debutant Uremovic to the right. Lovren played in the heart of the defense, accompanied by Duje Caleta-Car, while Perisic and Brozovic returned to the first 11. Modric and Rakitic were not included in this Nations League campaign. 

France coach Deschamps also changed his starting eleven, and Lloris, Upamecano, Kante, and Griezmann remained from the first round against Sweden. 

Recall, in the first round on Saturday, Croatia suffered a heavy defeat against Portugal, ending 4:1 for the current European champion and the first winner of the Nations League. 

Croatia started the match much better than against Portugal and hungrier for the win. In the first five minutes, they attacked France's backline, while the defense was solid in denying Griezmann any chances. France had their first corner in the 11th minute, which was headed out by the Croatian defense. 

Slobodan Kadic

Croatia had their first real chance in the 13th minute, though Kovacic missed the shot after Kramaric attacked to get the ball into the box. A few minutes later, Brozovic playing a beautiful through ball to Rebic which ended in Croatia's first corner. Brozovic played a high ball in which found the foot of Lovren who brilliantly scored far post for 1:0 Croatia!

Slobodan Kadic

Croatia saw their second corner of the match in the 18th minute, which was played short and didn't make it into the box.

France picked up their game by the 20th minute, though their second corner was headed out by the Croatian defense. Griezmann was dangerous moments later but the backline remained solid in the block. 

Perisic and Melnjak played a beautiful one-two up the left line which forced a free-kick for Croatia outside the box. An unlucky ball resulted in another Croatia corner.  

Slobodan Kadic

Croatia continued playing calm and collected, a much better performance than the team we saw just a few days ago. 

They unraveled, however, for the first time in the 32nd minute - Griezmann had a chance to score but Brozovic and Livakovic were stellar to stop the dangerous play. 

Slobodan Kadic

A France free-kick in the 34th minute, much like what we saw in the World Cup final, was worrying, but Griezmann shot over to keep the score 1:0 for Croatia.  

Croatia was combining brilliantly for the remainder of the half, playing quick passes up the pitch to press the France defense. Perisic shot in the 42nd which was saved by Lloris. 

Unfortunately, a quick France counter resulted in a goal in the 43rd minute. Griezmann scored for 1:1. Two minutes later, another quick counter saw France lead 2:1 with 30 seconds to go in the first half. Croatia held 57% of the possession in the first half. 

At the start of the second half, Josip Brekalo was substituted in for Ante Rebic. France made no changes.

Croatia saw their first corner of the second half already in the 46th minute, though Vlasic called for a handball. Without VAR in the Nations League, there was no review. 

Croatia continued pressing at the start of the second half and created good scoring opportunities, which were short of goals. France had their first corner of the second half in the 51st minute, which went over the post for a Croatia goal kick.

Slobodan Kadic

But then it happened, and Croatia could not have equalized any better. An incredible Kovacic ball from the halfway line found the foot of Brekalo who moved through three players in the French defense for 2:2!

Slobodan Kadic

A free kick in the 61st minute deflected to Vlasic who crossed the ball back into Perisic, though he volleyed over the crossbar.

France had a corner in the 64th minute which finished in a goal to put them back in the lead at 3:2.

Livakovic and Brozovic once again saved a dangerous Greizmann counter. Croatia's tempo had died down in the second half, though they continued to push the ball up France's half when they could. 

Slobodan Kadic

The game changed once France was awarded a penalty in the 75th minute due to a Croatia handball in the box. Giroud scored for 4:2, the same result as the 2018 World Cup final. 

Croatia tried finding the momentum and rhythm they had in the first half, but France was solid in denying any chances. 

Slobodan Kadic

A Vlasic shot in the last two minutes of regulation time hit the side post, while Lloris saved another seconds later. The ref added four minutes, in which neither team was able to score.

The match ended 4:2 for France.  

Slobodan Kadic

Conceding eight goals in two games is not the way Croatia wanted to start the Nations League. Up next, Croatia will meet Sweden and France at home in October.

Slobodan Kadic Facebook

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September 4, 2020 - The Croatia national football team has arrived in Porto, where they will play their first match in the second edition of the Nations League against Portugal on Saturday. After ten months, the Vatreni are back together at the start of a new competition season. Zlatko Dalic addressed the press ahead of the Nations League clash against Portugal. 

HNS reports:

"When the national team gathers, there is always a good atmosphere; it's cheerful, the guys are in the mood, and we all missed it. After ten months, we are back together; we use this time to prepare, work, and get back together as before. The boys are eager to work and train; they came to the national team full of will and motivation," says Zlatko Dalic, who is very aware of the demanding back-to-back games against Portugal and France.

Slobodan Kadic

"It couldn't have been harder right at the beginning, we are playing against the two strongest opponents, against the European and world champions on their pitches, and we are not in an ideal condition for such matches at the moment. Of course, this is no one's fault; the situation is as it is. Most of the players came to the gathering from holidays, a few of them started preparations, and a smaller part of the championship started. Therefore, in this regard, we have a very colorful situation, and it will be very difficult for us. We have demanding matches ahead of us, and we will have to be at a very high level if we want to achieve a good result. I expect that, but, I repeat, it will not be easy. Especially because we are not physically ready, and we can only use three subs at a time. Therefore, we will have to be very careful in that direction as well."

Especially because the team is handicapped by the absence of two important players, captain and vice-captain, Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic, whose roles will be taken over by some new, younger players.

"We will miss a lot of players who are not there, especially two captains, and that is a handicap for us, but in the near future, Croatia will be without Modric, Rakitic, Perisic, Lovren, Vida, and the time will come for some other players to take over their roles. Therefore, this is an ideal chance for them to prepare for it to get a chance to play matches. It will be difficult for us without Luka and Ivan; you know how sensitive I am to the players who have been with me in the national team since the first day and how much I respect them, but that is the situation. I think this is an ideal time for young players who play great in their clubs to get a chance to play for the national team because soon they will be the holders of the game and replace the older players. That is inevitable."

Dalic paid a lot of attention to opponents who require the maximum engagement of the whole team.

"I have already said, we are not in such a physical condition that we could play high pressure throughout the game and chase opponents on the pitch. In this segment of the game, we will have to mix, be in the block for a while and try to open quickly, and, when possible, decide on high pressure. During the game, we have to know how to rest, to have possession of the ball, because it will not be good if we are constantly chasing; we are not ready for that at this moment. However, we have the quality to save the ball, especially in the midfield, to develop the game through quality passing. We will have to be compact and homogeneous; if we succeed in that, we can expect a good game and result. I hope that the team will meet all the requirements."

Of course, at the mention of Portugal, everyone highlights Cristiano Ronaldo, which is, to some extent, unfair to a team that is too strong to be talked about exclusively in the context of one of the best players in the world.

“Of course Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best players in the world, a scorer who always gives his best, always physically flawlessly ready, a player who can take advantage and score a goal from any situation. We have to be very careful with him, but, on the other hand, Portugal is the current European champion and winner of the Nations League and has a number of quality players who can create problems. It will not be good if we focus only on Cristiano Ronaldo; the Portuguese have a good style of play. They are well-coordinated, have a rotation in the midfield, and throw a lot forward, especially backline players… We have to prevent that, Ronaldo is the most dangerous player, but he is not the only danger for Portugal."

The Nations League also allowed players the chance to prove themselves. 

"We always play for the result, and that must always be the case when it comes to the Croatia national team. Croatia must always look for a victory no matter who they play with, but the Nations League will also serve as good preparation for the European Championship. We will try to check and get some players through these matches, and in that sense, we are completely ready to welcome the European competition. That is our main goal, but we do not have much time to play some new variants. We are only together a few days, and there will be time to try some things when the friendly matches come. We have to look to achieve a good result and come back from Portugal and France with good results. I repeat, it will be extremely difficult and demanding, the opponents are the most dangerous at the moment, but we are also second in the world," concluded Dalic.

Slobodan Kadic

On late Friday evening, Portugal coach Fernando Santos confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo would miss the match against Croatia.

"He trained very well on Monday and Tuesday, but he had leg problems on Wednesday, so we sent him to the gym then. During lunch, we found out he had swelling in his leg, like a wasp sting, so he's on antibiotic treatment," Santos said after Friday's training, which was open to the media for 15 minutes.

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September 3, 2020 - The Croatia U-21 national football team remained in the game for a spot at the 2021 European Championship after toppling Greece 5:0 in Varazdin, inflicting their first defeat in the group.

Goals for Croatia were scored by Nikola Moro (1), Lovro Majer (5, 24), and Petar Musa (14, 52).

After recording two defeats in the first four rounds, and two home defeats at that, the Croatia U-21 national team did not have the chance to take Greece lightly.

The young Vatreni started the qualifying cycle for the European Championship with home defeats to Scotland and the Czech Republic and away victories against San Marino and Lithuania. There was a several-month break due to the coronavirus epidemic, and the continuation of the qualifications brought perhaps two key matches. The first against Greece has been settled, and in four days, Croatia is expected to play against the leading Czech Republic.

After coach Igor Biscan tested positive for the coronavirus and the entire professional staff ended up in self-isolation, the team was led by the main instructor of the Croatian Football Federation, Petar Krpan, and the coach of the Croatia U-17 side Tomislav Rukavina. While Biscan was the brains behind the composition, Krpan and Rukavina executed flawlessly.

The match was essentially over already just 24 minutes in as Croatia went up by four goals.

Croatia took the lead in the 45th second of the game. Sosa pulled up the left side and pushed into the middle; the ball bounced to the edge of the penalty area where Moro scored fantastically for 1:0. Just four minutes later, it was 2:0. Moro curved the ball into the penalty area where Majer headed in for the second goal. In the 14th minute, Musa was among the scorers, assisted by Spikic. Majer completed an incredible 25 minutes with his second goal on Sosa's assist.

In the continuation of the match, the rhythm dropped as expected, and the only goal was in the 52nd minute. Erlic ideally found Musa, who went around the goalkeeper Antonios Stergiakis and scored in an empty net.

With this victory, Croatia broke through to the third place of the group with nine points from five matches. Greece has a point more, while the Czech Republic is in the lead with 14 points from six matches.

The winners of nine groups and the five best second-placed teams will qualify directly for the Euros.

Source:  HRT

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September 1, 2020 - The Executive Board of the Croatian Football Federation has decided that the Nations League match between Croatia and Portugal will be played in Split.

The last round match of the Nations League Group C between Croatia and Portugal will be played on November 17 at Poljud Stadium in Split, announced HNS.

The 2018 World Cup finalists thus return to Split after a spectacular match against Hungary in the European qualifications for EURO 2020, which was played on October 10 last year.

HNS Executive Director Marijan Kustic and Executive Board member Ile Topuzovic held a meeting today with representatives of the City of Split, led by Mayor Andro Krstulovic-Opara, who gave their consent for the match in Split.

We remind you that in Group C of the Nations League, Croatia will compete against Portugal, France and Sweden. After the September opening in Porto and Paris, Croatia will host Sweden and France in October in Zagreb, while in November they will play against Sweden and then finish the group competition in Split against Portugal.

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September 1, 2020 - The Croatian Football Federation has released the new Croatia uniforms to be worn at the upcoming Nations League matches and the Euros next summer.

"Croatian football is a term for pride, passion, skill and those irresistible checkers, all of which can be seen in the new, dynamic Nike collection that the Croatia national team will wear in the upcoming cycle, which includes the European Championship next summer," announced HNS on Tuesday.

In the new collection, the traditional home jersey features the large and striking world-famous Croatian checkers. The traditional red and white jersey again has checkers on the sleeve of the jersey. The logos of HNS and technical partner Nike adorn the front of the jersey, with the number located in the center, while a blue line runs down along the torso side.

The words "Croatia" and "Vatreni" are printed inside the jersey as a symbol of pride, and white shorts and red socks complete look. The same words can be found on the new pre-match warm-up shirt with a modern design with two shades of blue and an unusual square pattern.

"Croatia is always a great inspiration to Nike because of the strength of its identity," said Scott Munson, vice president of Nike's football department. "The new home jersey is faithful to Croatian football heritage, while the reserve jersey is another great interpretation of Croatian design for players and fans."

HNS

The 2018 World Cup finalists get a fresh look on the reserve jersey, which has abstract black and gray checkers extending throughout the jersey and also appear on the socks. The Federation's coat of arms, the red line, and other red details give this jersey a special look.

"I like the new jerseys, I think they will suit us very well," said captain Luka Modric. "The first jersey is a classic design with a modern touch - and those striking checkers I remember from the time I watched the national team as a boy. The reserve jersey is new, different, and exciting, something we haven't had before."

The new jerseys are available on nike.com from September 1, and the entire collection is available from September 4 in all Nike stores and its partners.

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August 30, 2020 - HNS Executive Director Marijan Kustic explained the current situation in HNS, after they announced that members of the U-21 national team staff are coronavirus-positive.

Gol.hr reports that COVID-19 has entered the Croatian Football Federation. HNS issued a statement on Saturday:

"Two members of the youth national team staff, including coach Igor Biscan, are positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus (without symptoms), so the current coach will not lead the U-21 national team at the upcoming September gathering.

Due to close contact with the infected, other members of Biscan's staff, in addition to Renato Pilipovic, have to go into self-isolation for 14 days,” reads the HNS statement, among other things.

Nova TV reporter Milan Stjelja discussed the topic with HNS executive director Marijan Kustic.

"For the sake of prevention, we tested the staff of the senior and youth national teams. Unfortunately, we have now heard that the coach of the U-21 national team, Igor Biscan, is positive for the coronavirus, as well as another member of the staff. We heard from each other on several occasions today, Igor has no symptoms, but the result is positive, so he and his staff have to go to self-isolation for 14 days due to close contact,” Kustic said in the introduction.

The young national team will play two important matches in the Euro U-21 qualifiers at the beginning of September. Who will replace Biscan on the bench?

"We only had consultations today, in which Biscan also participated by phone. We agreed that the U-17 national team coach Tomislav Rukavina and the HNS chief instructor Petar Krpan would take over.“

Luckily, there are no positive results in the headquarters of the senior national team.

"It is gratifying, the entire staff headed by coach Dalic is negative. For the sake of prevention, we tested everything so as not to get into a situation where the virus, God forbid, spreads at the gathering, to bring playing the matches into question.”

What about the players?

"They must come to the gathering with negative results that must not be older than 72 hours."

Certainly of interest to the Croatian public is the HNS decision to play an exhibition match in Donji Miholjac between the veterans of Jedinstvo and veterans of the Croatia national team, which also featured the president of the Federation Davor Suker, with a limited audience.

When we know that HNS decided to play the end of the season without spectators, and there are currently no spectators in the new season,  was the wrong step taken?

"I can only say that the club Jedinstvo from Donji Miholjac, on the occasion of their anniversary, asked veterans of the Croatia national team to come and enhance their jubilee. Of course, before that, they had a meeting with the local Civil Protection Headquarters, with the obligation to respect all epidemiological measures. I am convinced that this was the case,"  concluded Kustic.

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August 28, 2020 - After the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) expressed interest in bringing the Croatia national team back to Split, City of Split has agreed to discuss hosting the national team of Portugal on November 17 at Poljud. 

Slobodna Dalmacija reports that following the example of last year's model and the sellout match between Croatia and Hungary, HNS is looking to bring the Croatia national team back to Split. 

On Thursday, the mayor of Split, Andro Krstulovic Opara, responded to the urgency sent by the executive director Marijan Kustic on behalf of HNS, asking for an answer by noon on Thursday.

Kustic received an answer:

"The City of Split accepts your initiative to hold a meeting to discuss the possible organization of the Croatia - Portugal match on November 17, 2020, in Split at Poljud Stadium, in the presence of spectators," responded Opara.

Recall, UEFA announced its intention to return spectators to stadiums by September 24, although not at full capacity. Nevertheless, it would be a step towards normalization.

If all goes to plan, Cristiano Ronaldo's national team, which is still the current European champion, will come to Split in the last round of Group 3 as part of the A-League of this UEFA competition. Apart from Croatia and Portugal, Sweden and France are also in that group.

The famous Hajduk stadium would thus host the Croatia national team for the 14th time. However, just like last year, Hajduk should not participate in the organization of the match, as HNS has yet to meet the club's demands. 

Croatia kicks off their Nations League campaign on September 5 in Porto against Portugal.  Three days later, they will play in St. Denis against France. The first home game in this competition will be played on October 11 against Sweden, which should, for now, be played at Maksimir.

Three days later, France should play at the same stadium, and before the potential spectacle at Poljud, Dalic's team will visit Sweden. That match will be played on November 14, three days before Croatia meets Portugal.

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August 27, 2020 -  Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic will miss the opening of the Nations League, which awaits the Croatia national team in early September. Coach Zlatko Dalic has invited Antonio Colak, Ante Budimir and Milo Skoric in their place.

HNS announced that in agreement with coach Dalic, the September gathering of the Croatia national team will be missed by captain Luka Modric and vice-captain Ivan Rakitic, while Wolfsburg stopper Marin Pongracic dropped out of the lineup due to illness.

Coach Dalic will replace these three players by activating three call-ups - attackers Antonio Colak and Ante Budimir and stopper Milo Skoric.

Osijek captain and stopper Skoric (29) has already made three appearances for Croatia. He made his debut on May 28, 2017, in a 2-1 win over Mexico in a friendly match. He made his last appearance on November 19 last year against Georgia, also in a friendly match when Croatia celebrated 2-1. Rijeka striker Colak (26) and Mallorca striker Budimir (29) have not yet made their debut for the strongest Croatia squad.

In addition, coach Dalic gave two additional days off to Ivan Perisic and Marcelo Brozovic, who played in the finals of the Champions League and Europa League, respectively. They will join the national team on Wednesday, September 2.

Recall that the national team gathers on August 31 in Zagreb, which is followed by two initial exams in the new edition of the Nations League. Namely, on September 5, Croatia will play in Porto against Portugal, and three days later, the World Cup finalists will play in St. Denis in a rematch against the 2018 World Champions, France. 

The first home game in this competition will be played on October 11 against Sweden, and that game should, for now, be played at Maksimir. Three days later, France should play at the same stadium.

Croatia will play against Sweden away on November 14, three days before Portugal visits Croatia, potentially at Poljud Stadium in Split.

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August 27, 2020 -  Dinamo is in the third qualifying round of the Champions League. The Zagreb club celebrated in Romania against Cluj on Wednesday after a penalty shootout.

After 120 minutes, the match ended 2:2, and all Dinamo players scored penalties except Amer Gojak, while the home team missed two.

Goals for the Croatian champions, who played 70 minutes with a player down thanks to Theophile's red card, were scored by Gojak and Lirim Kastrati. Dinamo led twice, but the home team managed to come back both times. It was especially painful for Dinamo when Debeljuh scored in the 92nd minute for extra time.

During the penalty shootout, Dinamo won 6:5. Interestingly, this is only the second time that penalties have decided Dinamo's fate in the Champions League. The first time the Zagreb club was eliminated by Sheriff in the 2010 Champions League.

Match recap

Cluj entered the match better, but Dinamo soon found their rhythm and in the 14th minute, the "Blues" took the lead. After a short tussle with the defender, Ivanusec shot, Balgradean defended, but Gojak rebounded to find the back of the net.

Cluj had their first big chance in the 20th minute, but Deac shot high. Five minutes later, the host threatened again, this time in front of Dinamo's goal. In the 36th minute, Cluj had another chance. Deac shot from a free-kick, the ball bounced off the wall to Chipciu who shot brilliantly into the near corner, but Livakovic was ready.

In the very end of the first half, Dinamo had two great opportunities, but failed to succeed - Orsic and Dilaver both hit the crossbar.

Unfortunately, the second half brought big problems for Dinamo. The crucial moment happened in the 51st minute when Theophile-Catherine earned a red card. The French stopper committed a foul on Debeljuh by pulling him from behind, which the Portuguese referee rewarded with a penalty kick and exclusion.

Deac took the penalty, but Livakovic defended brilliantly. Unfortunately, the home team equalized in the 64th minute, anyhow. Pereira shot from 25 meters, and Livakovic reacted badly by receiving a goal for 1-1.

In the 78th minute, Dinamo took a new lead. Kastrati scored for the 2-1 lead.

In the remaining minutes, Cluj rushed for an equalizer and extra time, and when it already seemed that Dinamo would celebrate, the host equalized in the second minute of the referee's added time. The goal was scored by 23-year-old Croatian striker Gabriel Debeljuh.

Petkovic lost the ball in the middle of the pitch, after which Cluj sprinted for the counter. The ball came on the wing to Rondon who sent a great ball into the penalty area where Debeljuh scored for 2-2 and extra time.

In extra time, Dinamo coped very well with the player less and managed to bring the match to penalties.

Two Croatian football players played for Cluj - Gabrijel Debeljuh and Damjan Đoković. Both the whole game.

Dinamo will be the leader in the third qualifying round as well, and they will certainly not play against Young Boys, Red Star, Qarabag and Maccabi. Potential rivals for the Croatian champion are Molde, Midtjylland, Ferencvaros, Omonia and Dinamo from Brest.

The draw for the third qualifying round is on August 31, and one game will be played on September 15 or 16. The playoffs will be played in two games on September 22/23 and September 29/30.

Lokomotiva failed to advance for the 3rd qualifying round of the Champions League after losing to Vienna's Rapid 0-1 in the 2nd qualifying round at Kranjčevićeva Street Stadium. The only goal of the match was scored by Ercen Kara in the 32nd minute.

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