August 25, 2020 - Numerous Croatian media outlets revealed on Tuesday that sources close to HNS have said Croatia and Portugal will meet at Poljud this November. Here's what we know so far.

As 24 Sata and Index.hr reported on Tuesday, the Croatian Football Federation is in talks to hold the Nations League match between Croatia and Portugal on November 17, 2020, at Poljud stadium in Split.  

If all goes to plan, the famous Hajduk stadium will host the Croatia national team for the 14th time. After the match against Hungary passed without incident last year, and after absolutely everyone praised the organization, HNS allegedly decided that Modric and company would play at Poljud once they had the next big opportunity. We'd say bringing Cristiano Ronaldo to Poljud warrants just that. 

24 Sata reported that UEFA might allow a certain number of spectators for the November match. However, UEFA initially reported that the upcoming Nations League games would be played without the presence of spectators. We will have to wait and see what the umbrella organization decides given the current epidemiological situation.

Cristiano Ronaldo's national team, which is still the current European champion, should 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 in that group.

Croatia kicks off their Nations League campaign on September 5 in Porto against Portugal, and three days later, they will play in Paris against 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, and before the spectacle at Poljud, Dalic's team will visit Sweden. That match will be played on November 14, three days before Portugal's visit to Split.

24 Sata concludes that the Croatian Football Federation has sent a letter to Split, in line with what they said after Hungary - and that is that the national team will play at Poljud very soon. Now, we await an answer from Split, though we foresee no issues. After all, who wouldn’t want to host Ronaldo?

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August 25, 2020 - During his visit to Riva, the president of the Croatian Football Federation, Davor Suker, signed a contract for a friendly match with Croatia and the national team of Turkey in November this year.

HNS announced that the national teams of Turkey and Croatia would meet on November 11, 2020, at Istanbul's Atatürk Stadium, after a match between the same rivals scheduled for June had to be canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

After a several-month break, Croatia will return to the pitch as part of the Nations League, away against Portugal (September 5 in Porto) and France (September 8 in Paris). In October, they will play a friendly match against Switzerland (October 7) and home matches in the Nations League against Sweden (October 11) and France (October 14).

The match against Turkey will be played before the two final Croatia matches in the Nations League, in Sweden (November 14) and at home against Portugal (November 17).

Turkey will also participate in the postponed European Championships. They have been drawn in Group A with Italy, Wales and Switzerland and is currently the 29th best national team in the world, according to the FIFA rankings. In the Nations League, they will play with Russia, Serbia and Hungary.

The friendly clash in November will be the jubilee tenth meeting between Croatia and Turkey, and several meetings are very memorable. Turkeywas Croatia's historic first opponent at major competitions, at the Euros in 1996, and thanks to a goal by Goran Vlaovic, it also became the first victory of the Vatreni.

Croatia also defeated Turkey 1-0 at Euro 2016 with a great goal by Luka Modric, and we certainly remember passing Turkey in the qualifiers for EURO 2012, with a brilliant 3-0 victory in Istanbul. On the other hand, the match at Euro 2008 is also unforgettable, when Turkey celebrated after a dramatic finish which ended in penalties, and thus reached the semifinal of the tournament.

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August 24, 2020 - The 2nd round of the Croatian First League was held from August 21 to 23, 2020. This round saw big wins for Lokomotiva, Dinamo and Hajduk.

Lokomotiva v. Rijeka (1:0)

Lokomotiva and Rijeka opened the 2nd round on Friday, August 21, 2020, in Zagreb. 

The first half went without goals, and it wasn't until the 53rd minute that Halilovic scored the only goal of the game for the Lokomotiva win. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 6th place with 3 points, while Rijeka is in 4th with 3 points. 

Istra 1961 v. Dinamo (0:1)

Istra and Dinamo met at Aldo Drosini Stadium in Pula on Friday, August 21, 2020. 

After another scoreless first half, a double yellow for Kastrati saw Dinamo play with a man down from the 57th minute. Nevertheless, a Dinamo penalty was scored by Bruno Petkovic in the 87th minute for the 0:1 win.

Istra is currently in the last place with 0 points, while Dinamo is in first place with 6 points. 

Slaven Belupo v. Gorica (1:2)

Belupo and Gorica met in Koprivnica on Saturday, August 22, 2020. 

While Belupo was the first to score with a goal by Glavcic seconds before halftime, two late goals by Mudrinski in the 86th and 93rd minutes gave Gorica the win. 

Belupo is currently in 8th place with 1 point, while Gorica is in 2nd with 6 points. 

Sibenik v. Varazdin (0:1)

Sibenik and Varazdin met on Saturday, August 22, 2020, at Subicevac Stadium in Sibenik. 

After Sibenik's Spanja received a red card in the 85th minute, Varazdin scored a late game-winner thanks to Benko in the 89th minute. The game ended 0:1.

Sibenik is currently in 9th place with 0 points, while Varazdin is in 5th place with 3. 

Osijek v. Hajduk (1:2)

Osijek and Hajduk closed out the 2nd round on Sunday, August 23, 2020, at City Garden Stadium. 

Hajduk was the first to score thanks to a header by Jairo in the 34th minute. A Caktas penalty two minutes later put Hajduk up 0:2 in the 36th minute. Jugovic scored for Osijek in the 43rd minute for 1:2, which was the final score of the game. 

Osijek is currently in 7th place with 1 point, while Hajduk is in 3rd with 6 points. 

All games were played without the presence of spectators. You can see the full HNL table here. 

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August 22, 2020 - Everything is ready for Sunday's tense clash at City Garden Stadium in Osijek, against an always interesting opponent - Hajduk.

There is a lack of recently sold strikers, especially Mirko Maric, who now defends the colors of Monza, but also Antonio Mance, who was loaned to the Hungarian Puskas Academy. Coach Ivica Kulesevic has not yet decided whether Ante Erceg will play against Hajduk from the first minute. However, the blood count has improved because the recovered Petar Bockaj is returning to the team, and Laszlo Kleinheisler has trained all week, so he is expected to perform much better than in the first round match against Slaven Belupo when he played the last ten minutes.

"Erceg is physically good, he probably lacks competitive matches and training with the team, but we will bridge that quickly. His arrival gives us a wide range of possibilities when it comes to attacking because he can play in more positions," says Kulesevic.

Slobodan Kadic 

Although practically all the good that Osijek currently has will run on the pitch, there will still be no captain Mile Skoric who was suspended due to a reckless move and exclusion from the beginning of the match against Slaven Belupo. By the way, Skoric recently received a pre-invitation from Zlatko Dalic, the coach of the Croatia national football team for the Nations League matches against Portugal and France, which are scheduled for September 5 and 8 in Porto and Paris. However, he is not in the best shape at the moment.

Osijek residents have high hopes for Erceg, a former Hajduk player who did not really play in Brondby, Denmark. To acclimatize to Osijek, his former teammate from RNK Split, who plays for Osijek - Ante Majstorovic - will come in handy.

Slobodan Kadic 

"My first wish is to win against Hajduk. I am really glad to be in such a club that is ambitious and growing in every segment. Regardless of the opponent, I now play for Osijek. If I get the chance, it is only logical to do everything I can to make Osijek more successful in that derby in the end," Erceg pointed out.

Ramon Mierez is expected to arrive in Osijek, and sports director Alen Petrovic is constantly looking for new names. He is interested in Kristijan Kahlina, the goalkeeper of Gorica, but also another back midfielder and left-back to strengthen the competition in the team further.

Slobodan Kadic 

The Osijek pitch will burn on Sunday, and whether the home team will manage to overcome the always challenging Hajduk players who will present themselves in Osijek with a new coach, will be seen soon.

All that remains for Ivica Kulesevic is to arrange the dice together until the end.

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August 21, 2020 - After the transfer of his life, Croatian goalkeeper Ivo Grbic introduced himself to Atletico Madrid fans.

Croatian goalkeeper Ivo Grbic introduced himself to the fans of Atletico Madrid, where he signed a goalkeeping contract on Thursday. Grbic has signed a four-year contract and will be the reserve goalkeeper for Slovenian first-keeper Jan Oblak.

"I am very happy. I am grateful to all the people at the club who welcomed me. Thank you to the fans for the welcome. My dream has come true. I have come to Madrid and I will play for one of the biggest clubs in the world," said the new Atletico Madrid goalkeeper.

"Atletico is one of the biggest clubs in the world. I watched all their games this season. I like coach Simeone and the character of the team. In all games, all the players give 100 percent of themselves, have a great coach and top fans. My favorite players in Atletico's history are Forlan and Fernando Torres, and today Jan Oblak," Grbic said and continued how much he loves and appreciates the Slovenian keeper.

"All my dreams have come true. I will do every training and learn from one of the best goalkeepers in the world. For me, he is the best. Oblak is from Slovenia near Croatia and I will learn from him every day."

Grbic is a child of Hajduk. He grew up at Poljud and left the club two years ago for Lokomotiva, which brought him for free. Today, he made the biggest transfer in the history of the Kajzerica club.

"I'm from Split, a city that has the biggest club in Croatia, which also has the mentality of always giving 100 percent on the pitch. It has the best fans in Croatia. I know everything about Atletico. Vrsaljko told me everything I need to know; he told me that we have the best coach in the world and I am really happy to play for this club. Aupa Atleti," said Grbic.

[?️] INTERVIEW

Ivo Grbić’s first words as an Atleti player:

“??’? ? ????? ?? ???? ??? ??? ?? ??? ?????’? ???? ?????."

? #WelcomeGrbic
?⚪ #AúpaAtleti pic.twitter.com/EgTg1mzaGp

— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) August 20, 2020

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August 19, 2020 - Dinamo Zagreb released a statement Wednesday morning that one player tested positive for coronavirus, but did not reveal the identity of the player.

We have transmitted the club's press release in its entirety below:

"We hereby inform the public that one player from the GNK Dinamo system is positive for COVID-19. Pursuant to the Personal Data Protection Act (GDPR), we cannot disclose the identity of a person positive for the coronavirus.

The player who had symptoms immediately informed the GNK Dinamo medical service about his condition, which informed the competent epidemiological service about the situation in accordance with all prescribed measures. Today, the player received a positive result and was given a measure of strict self-isolation, in accordance with the recommendations of the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia and the working group of the Croatian Football Federation.

According to the assessment of the medical service of the club and the epidemiological service at this time, there is no need for self-isolation of other players or members of the professional staff, given that the infected player was not in close contact with other people indoors, within the confines of the stadium.

Clubs participating in the UEFA competition are required to perform COVID-19 tests before each match in accordance with all prescribed measures, twice before the match. All members of the first team will be tested on COVID-19 on Thursday, August 20, and a few days later, the second test will be done.

GNK Dinamo will carry out intensified supervision in the coming days and will closely monitor the situation within the club in order to protect the players, the professional staff and all employees."

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August 17, 2020 - The coach of the Croatia national team, Zlatko Dalic, has published a list of 23 players he is counting on for the upcoming Croatia matches against Portugal and France.

HNS announced that after a break of almost 10 months caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the Croatia national football team would gather in Zagreb again on August 31, with two appearances at the opening of the new edition of the Nations League in September.

The 2018 World Cup runners-up will play in Porto on September 5, where the European champions Portugal await them, and three days later in Paris (St. Denis), at the Stade de France, they will once again face France in the rematch of the 2018 FIFA World Cup final.

Dalic invited 23 players for this international round, with six reserves and two new names on the list - goalkeeper Ivo Grbic and defender Marin Pongracic.

"Although the circumstances are not great given the coronavirus epidemic, it is certain that we are all very much looking forward to reuniting after such a long break. The term is not ideal because many players will practically come from their breaks to reunite, but we are all in the same situation on that issue. It is important for the players to rest as well as possible, because they have a tough competition season ahead of them, at the end of which the EURO is waiting for us, and that is our primary goal," said coach Dalic.

"Our opponents can't be harder - suffice it to say that in three days we will play away against European and world champions. We respect Portugal and France to the maximum, but we have a lot of trump cards and we will certainly try to break the negative tradition we have against both teams. We will see in what condition the players will come to the gathering and we will act accordingly, because although the result in the Nations League is important to us, our priority is the health of players and preparation for World Cup qualifiers and then EURO 2020," concludes coach Dalic.

You can see the full list of players below.

?⬇️ The Croatia squad list for the September UNL matches is out now

Just 2️⃣ weeks left until the Vatreni are finally back in action and we are EXCITED ??? pic.twitter.com/ymnlNaRlao

— HNS (@HNS_CFF) August 17, 2020

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August 17, 2020 - The Croatian First League first round of the 2020/21 season was held from August 14 to 16, 2020. The opening round saw Dinamo embarrass 2019/20 season runners-up Lokomotiva, while Hajduk started with a win at home. Due to epidemiological reasons, all games were played without spectators. 

Varazdin v. Gorica (1:5)

Varazdin and Gorica opened the 1st round on Friday, August 14, 2020, in  Varazdin. 

Spikic scored the first goal for Gorica in the 39th minute for 0:1 at the half. Djurasek equalized in the 63rd for 1:1. A Mudrinski goal in the 81st put Gorica back in the lead, which was followed by three goals from the 90th minute by Doka, Canadjija, and Mudrinski for a final score of 1:5. 

Varazdin is currently in 9th place with 0 points, while Gorica is in 2nd with 3. 

Rijeka v. Sibenik (2:1)

Rijeka and Sibenik met on Saturday, August 15, 2020,  at Rujevica stadium. 

It was Sibenik to take the lead in the 9th minute thanks to a goal by Bulat - and Rijeka's Yakete didn't equalize until the 84th minute! A 90th-minute goal by Muric ultimately gave Rijeka the win. 

Rijeka is currently in 4th place with 3 points, while Sibenik is in 7th with 0. 

Osijek v. Slaven Belupo (0:0)

Osijek and Belupo met on Saturday, August 15, 2020, at City Garden Stadium.

A double yellow for Skoric has Osijek playing with 10 men from the 30th minute. Neither team was able to score. 

Osijek is currently in 5th place with one point, while Belupo is in 6th with one point. 

Hajduk v. Istra 1961 (2:0)

Hajduk and Istra met at Poljud on Sunday, August 16, 2020. 

While the first half went without goals, it was Dimitrov to put Hajduk in the lead for 1:0 in the 72nd minute. Gyursco increased Hajduk's lead to 2:0 with a goal in the 83rd minute, which was the final result. 

Hajduk is currently in 3rd place with 3 points, while Istra is in 8th with 0. 

Dinamo v. Lokomotiva (6:0)

Dinamo and Lokomotiva closed out the first round on Sunday, August 16, 2020, at Maksimir stadium. 

Two quick goals by Majer in the 6th and 27th minute put Dinamo in the 2:0 lead at the half. Gavranovic increased Dinamo's lead to 3:0 in the 50th minute, while goals by Orsic and Ivanusec in the 78th and 79th minutes made it 5:0. Andric scored the final goal of the match ten minutes later for the 6:0 result. 

Dinamo is currently in first place with 3 points, while Lokomotiva is in last with 0. 

You can see the full HNL table here. 

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August 12, 2020 -  Young Croatia national team player Luka Lucic, who played for Stuttgarter Kickers, has died in a tragic accident in Germany.

Vecernji List reports that a 16-year-old was seriously injured in a collision with a train on the U8 line in Ostfildern (Esslingen district in Baden-Württemberg) on Tuesday afternoon at Stuttgarter Straße between Ruit and Heumaden, and later died from the accident.

As Fenix-magazine reveals, the victim was young Croatia national team player Luka Lucic, who played for Stuttgarter Kickers. Lucic made three appearances for the U-17 Croatia national team. According to the German police, Lucic was walking from the direction of Ruit on the bike path on the right side of Stuttgarter Straße. Lucic then wanted to cross the railway line at a crossing equipped with a flashing light.

According to current information, he overlooked the train going in the direction of Ruit.

Despite an emergency stop and a warning signal, the 56-year-old train driver failed to prevent the collision with Lucic. The 16-year-old suffered serious injuries and had to be flown to the clinic by helicopter after receiving first aid from a doctor.

According to the latest police findings, the young man died on Tuesday night. The train driver and passengers were unharmed. The railway, and part of both the Stuttgarter Straße and the transition area were closed until 5:45 am. A fire brigade with six vehicles and 20 firefighters was on duty at the scene of the accident.

Rescue services and an ambulance doctor were at the scene with eleven ambulance services and an ambulance helicopter. The police were on duty with a total of four patrol cars. An expert witness was summoned by the order of the Stuttgart State Attorney's Office. Traffic police have launched an investigation and are asking witnesses who saw the course of the accident to call 0711/39900.

Luka Lucic was born in 2003 in Germany and has participated in several activities of Croatia's youth teams. At the end of 2019, he was invited to a winter camp, and in February 2020, at a friendly tournament in Spain, he made his first appearances for the Croatia U-17 national team.

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August 10, 2020 - The HNS Executive Board has decided that the matches of the Croatian First League, the Second HNL, the Croatian Football Cup, and the youth competition will be played without the presence of spectators.

HNS announced on its website:

"At the proposal of the Competition Commission of the HNS and the Working Group for the Return of Football, the Executive Board of the Croatian Football Federation decided that the matches of the Croatian Telecom First League, Croatian Football Cup, Second Croatian Football League, First Croatian Junior Football League and First Croatian Football league for pioneers and cadets in the competition year 2020/21, will be played without spectators until further notice.

This decision builds on the decision made by the Executive Board on July 20, 2020, which determined that the end of the 2019/20 competition year will take place without the presence of spectators in stadiums, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The new season of the Croatian First League will be opened by Varazdin and Gorica, who will meet on August 14 at the NK Varazdin stadium."

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