February. 24, 2020 - The 23rd round of the Croatian First League was held from February 21 to 23, 2020. This round featured an unexpected Hajduk blowout against Gorica, while Rijeka topped Osijek in this weekend's derby.

Varazdin v. Lokomotiva (0:2)

Varazdin and Lokomotiv opened the 23rd round on Friday, February 21, 2020, in Varazdin in front of 1,787 fans.

Lokomotiva scored both goals in the first half thanks to Uzini (7’) and Karacic (38’). 

Varazdin is currently in the last place with 15 points, while Lokomotiva is in 5th with 37.

Hajduk v. Gorica (6:0)

Hajduk and Gorica met on Saturday, February 22, 2020, at Poljud stadium in front of 8,847 fans. 

Hajduk’s scoring spree starting in the 10th minute when Krekovic scored for 1:0. Jairo increased their lead in the 35th for 2:0, and Caktas made it 3:0 six minutes before the half. 

Caktas scored again for 4:0 in the 47th, and Jairo’s penalty made it 5:0 in the 56th. Eduok scored 8 minutes after being subbed in for the final score of 6:0.

Hajduk is currently in 2nd place with 44 points, while Gorica is in 6th with 31.

Rijeka v. Osijek (1:0)

Rijeka and Osijek met on Saturday, February 22, 2020, at Rujevica stadium.

Gorgon scored the only goal of the game in the 11th minute for the Rijeka lead. Osijek’s Skoric was given a red card in the final minute of regulation time, and the game ended 1:0.

Rijeka is currently in 3rd place with 41 points, while Osijek is in 4th with 38.

Dinamo v. Inter Zapresic (3:2)

Dinamo and Inter met on Sunday, February 23, 2020, at Maksimir stadium in front of 2,378 fans. 

Dinamo’s Leovac scored in the 6th minute to make it 1:0, though Bosec equalized just before the half to make it 1:1.

Kadzior helped Dinamo retake the lead in the 60th minute for 2:1, and Orsic missed a penalty in the 68th to keep the game at that score.

Gavranovic made up for the miss in the 72nd minute for 3:1, though Andric gave Inter their second goal in the first minute of injury time for a final score of 3:2.

Dinamo is currently in first place with 56 points, while Inter is in 8th with 17.

Istra 1961 v. Slaven Belupo (1:1)

Istra and Belupo closed out the 23rd round on Sunday, February 23, 2020, in Pula in front of 830 fans.

Paez scored for the Istra lead in the 4th minute, though Krstanovic equalized in the 33rd minute for 1:1, which was the final score of the game.

Istra is currently in 9th place with 16 points, while Belupo is in 7th with 22.

You can see the full HNL table here.

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

February 17, 2020 - The 22nd round of the Croatian First League was held from February 14 to 16, 2020. Dinamo recorded their second defeat of the season, while Hajduk struggled against Slaven Belupo once again.

Lokomotiva v. Istra 1961 (2:0)

Lokomotiva and Istra opened the 22nd round on Friday, February 14, in Zagreb in front of 320 fans. 

While the first half went without goals, Lokomotiva’s Uzini scored in the 63rd and 67th minutes for 2:0, which was the final score of the game. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 5th place with 34 points, while Istra is in 9th place with 15.

Inter Zapresic v. Varazdin (1:2)

Inter and Varazdin met in Zapresic on Saturday, February 15, 2020, in front of 2,045 spectators. 

Inter was in the lead first thanks to a goal by Serderov in the 19th minute for 1:0 at the half. 

Benko equalized for Varazdin in the 60th minute, and Petkovic gave them the lead in the 70th minute for a final score of 1:2.

Inter is currently in 8th place with 17 points, while Varazdin is in 10th with 15.

Slaven Belupo v. Hajduk (2:1)

Belupo and Hajduk met on Saturday, February 15, 2020, in Koprivnica in front of 2,912 spectators. 

Hajduk was awarded a penalty early the game, which Eduok scored for the lead (0:1). However, a double yellow for Juric in the 37th minute saw Hajduk play with a man down for the rest of the game. 

Bacelic-Grgic equalized just before halftime for 1:1.

Krstanovic scored the winning goal of the game in the 88th minute for the Belupo victory. 

Belupo is currently in 7th place with 21 points, while Hajduk is in 2nd with 41.

Osijek v. Dinamo (1:0)

Osijek and Dinamo met at City Garden Stadium on Sunday, February 16, 2020, in front of 6,450 spectators.

The second half made up for the uneventful first half. First, Dinamo’s Dilaver was shown his second yellow of the game in the 67th minute, which forced Dinamo to play with a man down. In the 77th minute, Maric scored for Osijek, which gave them the 1:0 lead. 

The chances for Dinamo to equalize were even slimmer once Stojanovic was shown a red card in the 4th minute of injury time, and coach Nenad Bjelica was ejected from the pitch two minutes later. 

Osijek is currently in 3rd place with 38 points, while Dinamo remains in 1st with 53. 

Gorica v. Rijeka (0:0)

Gorica and Rijeka closed out the 22nd round on Sunday, February 16, 2020, in Velika Gorica.

Neither team was able to score throughout the game, which ended 0:0.

Gorica is currently in 6th place with 31 points, while Rijeka is in 4th with 38.

You can see the full HNL table here. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

February 10, 2020 - The 21st round of the Croatian First League was held from February 7 to 9, and saw wins for the top three teams in the standings - Dinamo, Hajduk, and Rijeka.

Istra 1961 v. Varazdin (1:0)

Istra and Varazdin opened the 21st round on Friday, February 7, 2020, in Pula in front of 625 spectators. 

The only goal of the game came in the 30th minute when Grzan scored for Istra’s lead and, ultimately, the win. 

Istria is currently in 9th place with 15 points, while Varazdin is in 10th place with 12. 

Osijek v. Inter Zapresic (1:1)

Osijek and Inter met at City Garden Stadium on Saturday, February 8, 2020, in front of 2120 spectators. 

Osijek’s Lopa was sent off the pitch in the 16th minute after a double yellow, forcing Osijek to play with a man down for the remainder of the game. Inter took the lead with a goal by Tsonev in the 32nd minute, though Maric equalized in the 37th for 1:1, which is how the game ended. 

Osijek is currently in 4th place with 35 points, while Inter is in 8th with 17.

Hajduk v. Lokomotiva (1:0)

Hajduk and Lokomotiv met at Poljud on Saturday, February 8, 2020, in front of over 11,000 fans. 

Hajduk’s goal came in the 28th minute thanks to Eduok for 1:0 at the half. Mujakic received a red card with four minutes to go in the game, though Lokomotiva was unable to equalize. 

Hajduk is currently in 2nd place with 41 points, while Lokomotiva is in 5th with 31.

Rijeka v. Slaven Belupo (1:0)

Rijeka and Belupo met on Sunday, February 9, 2020, at Rujevica stadium.

Colak scored the only goal of the game in the 33rd minute for 1:0. Belupo’s Mikulic was given a red card in the 72nd minute. 

Rijeka is currently in 3rd place with 37 points, while Belupo is in 7th place with 18.

Dinamo v. Gorica (2:0)

Dinamo and Gorica closed out the 21st round on Sunday, February 9, 2020, at Maksimir stadium. 

While the first half went without goals, Theophile-Catherine scored in the 72nd minute for 1:0, and Kadzior increased Dinamo’s lead to 2:0 in the 86th minute for the final score of the game. Gorica’s Suk received a red card in the 50th minute. 

Dinamo is currently in 1st with 53 points, while Gorica is in 6th with 30.

You can see the full HNL table here.

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

February 2, 2020 - The Croatia futsal team met Russia in Osijek on Saturday to determine which team would directly qualify for the 2020 World Cup.

The Croatia futsal team failed to defeat World Cup finalists Russia at the end of the qualifying tournament of the Elite Circuit in Osijek. With this win, Russia wins first place in the group and automatically qualifies for the tournament in Lithuania, while Croatia sits in second place and will compete in the playoffs.

Lima led Russia on Saturday with a goal in the seventh minute, though Bajrusovic returned in the 16th minute for 1:1. However, a new goal by Lima and a goal by L. Sutton gave Russia a two-goal advantage at halftime (3:1).

Matosevic made the match uncertain one more with a great long-range goal in the 33rd minute for 3:2, though Romulo made it 4:2 six minutes later. 

Matosevic scored the final goal of the game for the final score of 4:3, as Croatia failed to equalize in the last thirty seconds. 

Thus, with six points, Russia is first in the standings, with Croatia in second, ahead of Azerbaijan and Slovakia, who played 3:3 in the previous match.

Coach Stankovic will lead his team through the World Cup qualifiers in two games (April 9-12), against the second-placed team in Group D, which features Kazakhstan, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Romania.

“Congratulations to Russia, we were beaten in an exciting match, and futsal won. We were cheered on by people from all over Croatia in Osijek, which shows that this sport has its place under the sun,” Stankovic said after the match.

"Our primary goal was the playoffs, we accomplished that, though there are some regrets because in front of the full hall at home, we could have avoided new qualifying matches. But we will prepare and do our best to qualify for the World Cup,” Stankovic concluded.

Source: HNS

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

January 22, 2020 - The International Institute for Football History and Statistics has released a table of the most successful clubs in 2019, with the Croatian champion Dinamo coming in 11th place.

According to the calculations of the International Institute of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), the current European champion Liverpool is the best club in 2019, ahead of Spanish club Barcelona, Manchester City and Brazil's Flamenco, the only South American representative among the top ten.

Croatian clubs are led by national champion Dinamo, which is just behind the top ten, in a high 11th place with 234 points, ahead of Brazilian greats Palmeiras and Atletico Mineira. Dinamo has thus moved up an impressive ten places from the also successful 2018 ranking.

Recall, in 2019, Dinamo became the Croatian champion in April, securing the 30th championship title in the club's history and the 20th title for the club in independent Croatia.  

Furthermore, Dinamo also advanced to the Champions League group stage. Though they finished last in the group, they had an impressive 4:0 win against Atalanta and drew to Shakhtar Donetsk twice. Dinamo was not as lucky against Manchester City, one of the best clubs in the world, losing 2:0 away and 1:4 at Maksimir. 

The Croatian Cup champion Rijeka holds 108th place with 126 points, between teams Petro de Luanda and Al Nassar, followed by Osijek (200th), Hajduk (217th), Gorica (290th) and Lokomotiva (340th).

IFFHS, Club Ranking for 2019:

1. Liverpool 316
2. Barcelona 293
3. Manchester City 284
4. Flamengo 275
5. Celtic 269
6. Valencia 268
7. Ajax 249,5
8. Chelsea 249
9. PSG 243
10. Wolverhampton 236
11. Dinamo Zagreb 234
...
108. Rijeka 126
...
200. Osijek 94
...
217. Hajduk 90
...
290. Gorica 74
...
340. Lokomotiva 67

Source: HNS

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

December 19, 2019 - Croatian Football Federation President Davor Suker spoke at the regular assembly in Zagreb on Thursday. 

"Honorable Members, Executive Board Members, Dear Guests, and Media Representatives,

I am glad to welcome you after another wonderful year for Croatian football.

With each new success, football is confirmed as one of Croatia's greatest values. Our jersey is the best gift you can give to any foreigner, and our football players are certainly the greatest ambassadors of the country abroad. Others want to learn from us because they are impressed with our system, our work and our results. This is a massive tribute to all of us who work in Croatian football and we can really be proud of that!

Our mood is highly dependent on the A-Team, and once again, they delighted us by qualifying for a big competition. Coach Dalic successfully rejuvenated the team after Russia while maintaining a recognizable togetherness and quality performance. This is precisely why we are very optimistic about the European Championships. Congratulations to the coach, staff and players on qualifying and I wish them good luck at the Euros.

The Federation will ensure maximum conditions for the national team, as it has always done. I believe our fans will enjoy London and Glasgow, and hopefully later across Europe.

EURO 2020 will be the 11th major competition for Croatia since independence. This continuity is the greatest confirmation that in Croatian football, success is not accidental but the result of systematic work, with the talent that we as a people have for team sports.

In the films, we will see some of the successes of our teams as well as some of the projects that the Federation has worked on in 2019, and you can find more details in the yearbooks on your tables. I don't want to repeat myself too much, but I have to mention a few more events.

Congratulations to our Under-18 national futsal team, who won the silver medal at the Under-19 European Championships, as well as to the seniors who qualified for the World Cup.

This fall, we were delighted by our young teams. Both the men's and women's U-19 and U-17 national teams qualified for the elite qualifying round for the Euros, a great success.

At the club level, the year was marked by Dinamo, which I congratulate in the Championship and excellent performances in Europe, both this spring in the Europa League and this autumn in the Champions League.

The successes weren't just on the pitch. It is a great honor for me to be representing the interests of our football for the next four years on the Executive Committee of Uefa, where many of our other officials are active.

We have successfully completed a demanding project to prepare the introduction of VAR technology in Croatian football. Congratulations to our Football Academy on their 20 years of service, as well as the many organizations and clubs that have celebrated their 100th anniversary this year. I want to emphasize the 100 years of the Zagreb Football Federation, which has made an immeasurable contribution to Croatian football.

I am proud of the humanitarian activities of our national teams and the Federation, as well as numerous activities with younger ages. With all the regular camps, we have supported the organization of more than 30 youth tournaments. We also continued investing in infrastructure with more than 15 million kuna distributed through inter-county football committees.

The results prove that HNS and Croatian football are doing a great job.

Therefore, I would like to thank all of you who work in clubs, counties and football centers and the Federation Office for your tremendous contribution to Croatian football, because without you there would be no such success.

Let's continue at the same pace and be proud!”

Following the Assembly, Suker addressed reporters, including HRT, revealing that the 2018 World Cup finalists would hold their Euro 2020 camp in Scotland, and that they would play a friendly against France at Stade France in June.

“The camp? It will be in the EU, near Glasgow," Suker said, adding that Croatia will play two games in March and another two in June.

“We will have a treat against France at Stade France in June, and we will play one game in Osijek. However, the appearance in the Doha tournament failed,” the HNS president revealed.

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

December 16, 2019 - The 19th round of the Croatian First League was held from December 13 to 15, 2019. This was the final round of the winter season for all clubs apart from Dinamo and Rijeka, who will make up their 6th round game on December 18, 2019. As the table stands now, Dinamo sits in first, Hajduk in second, and Rijeka in third place. 

Gorica v. Inter Zapresic (1:1)

Gorica and Inter opened the 19th round on Friday, December 13, 2019, in Velika Gorica in front of 689 fans. Zwolinski scored for Gorica in the first minute of the game to make it 1:0. Muhammed saw his second yellow card just before the half, forcing Gorica to play with a man down for the entire second half. Tsonev equalized for Inter in the 69th minute for 1:1, which was the final score of the game. 

Gorica is currently in 5th place with 29 points, while Inter is in 8th place with 13. 

Rijeka v. Varazdin (3:1)

Rijeka and Varazdin met at Rujevica stadium on Saturday, December 14, 2019, in front of 3,865 fans. 

Acosty opened the scoring spree for Rijeka with a goal in the 12th minute for 1:0 at the half. Colak increased Rijeka’s lead to 2:0 in the 47th minute. A penalty for Varazdin in the 83rd saw a 2:1 result, though Colak scored again for Rijeka in the 90th for a final score of 3:1. 

Rijeka is currently in 3rd place with 34 points, while Varazdin is in the last place with 12. 

Dinamo v. Lokomotiva (1:0)

Dinamo and Lokomotiva met on Saturday, December 14, 2019, at Maksimir stadium in front of 1,935 fans. 

The first half went without goals, and Dinamo’s only goal of the game came when Olmo scored in the 67th minute.

Dinamo is currently in first place with 44 points, while Lokomotiva is in 6th with 28. 

Osijek v. Slaven Belupo (3:2)

Osijek and Belupo met at City Garden Stadium on Sunday, December 16, 2019, in front of 2,058 fans. 

Maric scored for Osijek in the first minute of the game for 1:0 at the half. Lulic equalized in the 51st minute for 1:1, though a Maric penalty and a goal by Kleinheisler increased Osijek’s lead to 3:1 by the 65th minute. Bozic scored for Belupo in the 72nd for the final score of 3:2. 

Osijek is currently in 4th place with 33 points, while Belupo is in 7th with 18. 

Hajduk v. Istra 1961 (2:1)

Hajduk and Istra closed out the 19th round at Poljud on Sunday, December 16, 2019, in front of 6,262 fans. 

Istra was the first to score with a goal by Fintic right before the whistle blew for the half for 0:1. However, two goals from Caktas in the 62nd and 69th minutes saw Hajduk celebrate 2:1 in the end. 

Hajduk is currently in 2nd place with 35 points, while Istra is in 9th with 12. 

You can see the full HNL table here. 

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

December 9, 2019 - The 18th round of the Croatian First League was held from December 6 to 8, 2019. A draw for Hajduk against Inter kept them in 2nd place, but pushed them to nine points behind Dinamo who sits in 1st. Rijeka is now just one point behind Hajduk in 3rd. 

Dinamo v. Varazdin (1:0)

Dinamo and Varazdin opened the 18th round on Friday, December 6, 2019, at Maksimir stadium in front of 1,471 spectators. 

While the first half went without goals, Dinamo narrowly won with a goal by Gavranovic in the 77th minute for 1:0. 

Dinamo is currently in 1st place with 41 points, while Varazdin is in 9th place with 12 points. 

Gorica v. Slaven Belupo (2:0)

Gorica and Belupo met in Velika Gorica on Saturday, December 7, 2019.

Belupo’s Goda saw a straight red card in the 9th minute, forcing the away side to play with a man down for nearly the entire game. Gorica found it easy to capitalize on their player advantage and scored both goals in the 18th and 34th minute thanks to Zwolinski and Lovric. 

A double yellow for Ndiaye in the 53rd minute equaled the playing field, though neither team was able to score in the second half. 

Gorica is currently in 6th place with 28 points, while Belupo is in 7th with 18.

Inter Zapresic v. Hajduk (1:1)

Inter and Hajduk met in Zagreb on Saturday, December 7, 2019, in front of 1,620 fans. 

An own goal by Hajduk’s Simic in the 26th minute put Inter in the lead for 1:0, though Eduok was able to equalize for Hajduk to make the game 1:1 at the half, which was also the final score of the game.

Inter is currently in the last place with 12 points, while Hajduk is in 2nd with 32. 

Osijek v. Lokomotiva (4:0)

Osijek and Lokomotiva met at City Garden Stadium on Sunday, December 8, 2019, in front of 1,533 spectators. 

While the first half went without goals, Osijek made up for their absence in the net in the second half, scoring all four goals then (Maric 55’, Pilj 78’, Kleinheisler 82’, Bockaj 92’). 

Lokomotiva’s Kastrati was also given his second yellow of the game in the 62nd minute 

Osijek is currently in 4th place with 30 points, while Lokomotiva is in 5th with 28. 

Rijeka v. Istra 1961 (2:0)

Rijeka and Istra closed out the 18th round at Rujevica on December 8, 2019,in front of 4,675 spectators. 

An own goal by Galilea put Rijeka in the lead in the 15th minute, while Muric increased the lead for the home side with a goal in the 27th.

Rijeka is currently in 3rd place with 31 points, while Istra is in 8th with 12. 

You can see the full HNL table here. 

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