December 1, 2021 - The Croatian Cup quarterfinals came to an end on Wednesday as Osijek topped Slaven Belupo on penalties and Rijeka knocked out Dinamo 3:1 at Maksimir to secure their spots in the semifinals. 

Osijek became the third semifinalist of this season's Croatian Cup on Wednesday, beating Slaven Belupo 5:4 on penalties after no goals were scored in 120 minutes at City Garden Stadium. 

Although there were no goals, this quarterfinal match was full of events, as both teams missed a penalty during regulation time and both finished the match with 10 players in extra time. 

In the 94th minute, Žaper received a direct red card, and in the 108th minute, Kvržić was booked for his second yellow card. 

During the penalty shootout, Belupo was first to gain the advantage after Osijek captain Škorić shook the crossbar, but Goda missed immediately after. In the sixth round, Zirdum hit the crossbar, and Daku was precise for Osijek to push them into the top four.

Osijek thus joined Gorica and Hajduk, which reached the quarterfinals on Tuesday. Gorica beat Istra 1961 on penalties, and Hajduk defeated Lokomotiva 6-3 in Zagreb. 

Dinamo and Rijeka met in the last quarterfinal match at Maksimir on Wednesday. 

Obregon scored Rijeka's first goal in the 27th minute for the 0:1 lead. Josip Drmić scored three minutes later to make it 0:2 for Rijeka at the half. 

Dinamo couldn't score until the 73rd minute when Marko Tolić gave the home team hope for 1:2. 

Dinamo could not equalize even in the nearly 8 minutes of stoppage time added by the referee, and after putting in a last-minute effort, it was Rijeka to secure the last Croatian Cup semifinal spot with a goal in the 98th minute for 1:3. 

Rijeka, Gorica, Osijek, and Hajduk will fight in the Croatian Cup semifinals in the spring of 2022.

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

November 30, 2021 - The first day of the Croatian Cup quarterfinals came to a close, with Gorica and Hajduk securing their spot in the semifinals!

Gorica was the first to qualify for the Croatian Cup semifinals, defeating Istria 1961 at home on penalties, 6-4 (2-2, 2-2). 

By the 96th minute, Istra had the semifinal match in their hands. With two goals, Beljo had Istra up 2-1, but in the last seconds, Kristijan Lovrić scored, and in the penalty shootout, the hero was Gorica goalkeeper Dominik Kotarski, who stopped two shots.

Assisted by Serderov, Beljo put Istra in the lead in the 10th minute. Dieye equalized in the 2nd minute of stoppage time for 1-1 at the half. 

Dieye tried increased Gorica's lead in the 68th minute though his goal was called offside thanks to VAR. Beljo put Istra back in the lead for 1-2 in the 83rd minute. 

A last-minute equalizer came for Gorica when hero Lovrić scored in the 6th minute of stoppage time to send the match to extra time. 

VAR canceled another Gorica goal in the 98th minute, and the match ultimately finished on penalties. Iličić and Silva were stopped by the Gorica keeper, giving Gorica the penalty shootout victory and semifinal spot. 

In the wild second quarterfinal match, Hajduk topped Lokomotiva 6-3 in Zagreb. 

Krovinović gave Hajduk the early lead with a goal in the 7th minute for 0-1. A penalty was awarded to Lokomotiva which Pivarić nailed in the 3rd minute of stoppage time for 1-1 at the half. 

The second half was one to remember. Atanasov nailed the far post from the goal line in the 51st minute for 1-2, which Ljubičić increased to 1-3 two minutes later. Livaja made it 1-4 for Hajduk in the 57th!

Dabro gave Lokomotiva some hope in the 59th minute with a goal for 2-4, but Atanasov increased Hajduk's lead to 2-5 with a rocket from 30 meters out for 2-5. Hajduk's goal in the 71st minute was called offside by VAR, but Sahiti's goal in the 90th minute made it 6-2 for the Split club. 

An own goal by Elez gave Lokomotiva their third goal of the match in the 4th minute of stoppage time for the final 3-6, and Hajduk has comfortably booked their spot in the semifinal. 

Osijek and Slaven Belupo will meet Wednesday at 4 pm, and Dinamo and Rijeka at 6:30 pm.

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

November 29, 2021 - As a way to get into the holiday spirit and thank their most loyal fans, the Croatian Football Federation Advent has been announced with gifts for all ages this year. 

Advent has just begun, and the Croatian Football Federation, in cooperation with their commercial partners, is organizing an Advent giveaway for all loyal Croatia fans and social media followers, where you can win sports equipment, national team jerseys, gift cards, overnight stays in luxury hotels, plane tickets, match tickets and more, reports HNS.

What is it all about?

This Advent season, the Croatian Football Federation has organized 27 Advent competitions for the 27 days of Advent, which will be held through the official Croatian Football Federation Instagram account (@hns_cff) to thank the fans for their support in 2021.

Advent competitions will be held until December 24 with valuable gifts from their commercial partners Nike, Football Mania, Croatia Airlines, Zagrebačka pivovara, Hrvatski Telekom, Konzum, Hyundai Hrvatska, Zagreb Tourist Board, Čipi Čips, Heraldija, Puđa, PBZ, PIK Vrbovec, and others.

The rules for the Advent competitions will be published every day of Advent at 10 am on the official HNS Instagram profile. Each prize competition will end with the selection and announcement of the winners on Instagram by 11:59 pm the next day.

Participating in all Advent contests is free. All-natural persons who use Instagram and are older than 13 can participate, except those Advent contests whose prizes include products intended exclusively for adults, which will be further emphasized in the relevant posts.

Potential winners under the age of 18 must provide written consent from their parents or guardians. In addition, the parent or guardian confirms that they agree to provide personal information and the address of the Advent winner to receive the prize.

Advent contests will also be open to international participants, except for those Advent contests whose prizes cannot be submitted outside the Republic of Croatia, which will be available only to participants residing in the Republic of Croatia and will be further emphasized.

One person cannot win more than one prize during all Advent competitions. Participants are free to participate in several Advent competitions and/or content sharing to participate in each Advent competition several times, but they cannot be awarded more than once.

"Enjoy Advent, take part in our sweepstakes, and win valuable gifts for yourself and your loved ones to put under the Christmas tree!" concludes HNS. 

You can find the rules and general conditions of the HNS Advent competitions here.

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

November 29, 2021 - The 17th round of the Croatian First League was held from November 26 to 28, 2021. This round saw Osijek, Rijeka, Dinamo, and Hajduk record victories, keeping the top of the standings tight. Here's our HNL round 17 recap. 

Osijek v. Lokomotiva (2:1)

Osijek and Lokomotiva opened the 17th round on Friday, November 26, 2021, at City Garden Stadium in front of 1,083 fans. 

Kulenovic put Lokomotiva in the lead with a goal in the 9th minute for 0:1, though Nejasmic equalized for 1:1 in the 40th. Lokomotiva's Ibrahim was booked for his second yellow in the 72nd minute, forcing them to play with a man down for the remainder of the match. Daku scored for Osijek to put them in the lead (2:1). Lokomotiva had another player sent off the pitch in the final minutes of stoppage time as Cojak was shown his second yellow. Fiolic scored in the 6th minute of added time for the final 3:1. 

Osijek is currently in first place with 34 points (and one game less), while Lokomotiva is in 6th with 22. 

Hajduk v. Istra 1961 (4:0)

Hajduk and Istra played the second Friday match on November 26, 2021, at Poljud in front of 4,560 fans. 

Ljubicic scored Hajduk's first goal for 1:0 in the 11th minute. A Fossati rocket hit with the outside of his boot made it 2:0 in the 27th minute. Krovinovic increased Hajduk's lead to 3:0 in the 70th, and Livaja got his chance to score for the final 4:0 in the 2nd minute of stoppage time. 

Hajduk is currently in 4th place with 30 points (and one game less), while Istra is in 8th with 15 (and one game less).

Hr. Dragovoljac v Gorica (0:1)

Dragovoljac and Gorica met in Zagreb on Saturday, November 27, 2021, in front of 105 fans. 

The only goal of the match came in the 70th minute when Lovric scored for the Gorica win. 

Dragovoljac is currently in the last place with 7 points, while Gorica is in 5th with 25. 

Slaven Belupo v. Rijeka (1:2)

Slaven Belupo and Rijeka met in Koprivnica on Saturday, November 27, 2021, in front of 387 fans. 

Belupo's Krstanovic scored an own goal for the Rijeka lead in the 51st minute. Drmic increased Rijeka's lead to 0:2 in the 70th. Caimacov gave Belupo some hope with a goal in the 74th minute for 1:2, but Hadzic missed a penalty and their chance to equalize in the 86th. 

Belupo is currently in 9th place with 13 points, while Rijeka is in 2nd with 33 (and one game less). 

Sibenik v. Dinamo (1:2)

Sibenik and Dinamo closed out the 17th round on Sunday, November 28, 2021, in Sibenik in front of 831 fans. 

Ivanusec scored in the 19th minute for 0:1 Dinamo at the half. Jakolis equalized for Sibenik in the 75th minute, but a Peric own goal gave Dinamo the 1:2 win. 

Sibenik is currently in 7th place with 18 points, while Dinamo is in 3rd with 31 (and two games less). 

You can see the HNL standings HERE.

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

November 22, 2021 - Mario Mandžukić has been added to the Croatia national team coaching staff ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar! 

After agreeing in principle with coach Zlatko Dalić on joining the Croatia national team coaching staff, Mario Mandžukić today formally agreed to cooperate with the president of the Croatian Football Federation Marijan Kustić and was appointed a coach in Croatia's professional staff, reports HNS.

Mandžukić joins Zlatko Dalic's professional staff after ending an impressive playing career this summer, including 89 appearances and 33 goals for Croatia and a silver medal at the World Cup in Russia. His outstanding club career was especially marked by periods at Bayern and Juventus, with which he won eight big titles each, a total of 23 in his prosperous career. With Bayern, he won the Champions League in 2013, scoring a goal in the final, while in 2017, his spectacular scissor-kick goal was not enough for Juventus in the final.

"Thanks to coach Dalić and President Kustić for the trust - we easily agreed on cooperation, which I am extremely looking forward to. I know how much the national team meant to me as a player, and I want to pass that passion and experience to the new generation. It's great that we have secured a direct spot in Qatar; we now have a year to peacefully prepare well for the World Cup through friendly matches and the Nations League. I enter this job with a lot of responsibility, desire, and ambition, and I will do my best to help the coach, colleagues in the staff, and, of course, the entire national team in the coming period," said Mandžukić.

"I always say that Croatia players should stay close to the national team, and that is why I am thrilled that Mario is with us again. In talking to him, I was convinced of how dedicated, interested, and willing he is to help, and I think his exceptional experience will be beneficial. I think we got a valuable reinforcement in the staff because I know with how much effort and commitment Mario approaches everything in life, and that is why I look forward to working again," said coach Zlatko Dalić.

"Of course, as a federation, we supported the agreement between the coach and Mario, which will certainly make an important contribution to the work of the professional staff. His playing career, both the national team and the club, can be a role model for every young player, and I do not doubt that everyone will learn a lot from him. As a player, he was a symbol of fighting spirit, hard work, winning guard, and unwavering character, and I am glad that he will be able to promote these values as a coach in the A national team," said the president of the Federation Marijan Kustić.

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

November 22, 2021 - The 16th round of the Croatian First League was held from November 19 to 21, 2021. This round saw two of the biggest derbies in Croatian football, as Hajduk topped Rijeka at Rujevica and Dinamo and Osijek drew at Maksimir. Here is our HNL round 16 recap. 

Hr. Dragovoljac v. Slaven Belupo (1:2)

Dragovoljac and Belupo opened the 16th round on Friday, November 19, 2021, in Zagreb. 

Bosec opened the match for an early Belupo lead at 0:1 in the 3rd minute. Krstanovic increased their lead with a penalty in the 10th minute for 0:2. Majstorovic gave Dragovoljac some hope with a goal in the 73rd minute, but after a Lukic red card in the 87th minute, the match ended 1:2 for Belupo. 

Dragovoljac is currently in the last place with 7 points, while Belupo is in 9th with 13. 

Dinamo v. Osijek (1:1)

Dinamo and Osijek met on Saturday, November 20, 2021, at Maksimir Stadium. 

Fiolic put Osijek ahead in the 16th minute for 0:1 at the half. Petkovic equalized in the 80th minute for 1:1, which was the final score. 

Dinamo is currently in 3rd place with 28 points (and two games less), while Osijek is in 1st with 31 (and one game less).

Istra 1961 v. Sibenik (3:4) 

Istra and Sibenik met in Pula on November 20, 2021. 

Jakolis put Sibenik ahead in the 38th minute for 0:1, before Marin scored the equalizer 6 minutes later for 1:1 at the half. Beljo missed a penalty for Istra in the 59th minute, and Sibenik retook the lead thanks to Delic two minutes later (1:2). Delic scored again in the 72nd minute for 1:3, before Beljo redeemed himself and scored for 2:3 in the 82nd. Miskovic equalized 5 minutes later for 3:3, but it was Jakolis to score the winning goal for Sibenik in the 7th minute of stoppage time for the final 3:4. 

Istra is in 8th place with 15 points (and one game less), while Sibenik is in 7th with 18. 

Gorica v. Lokomotiva (2:2)

Gorica and Lokomotiva met in Velika Gorica on Sunday, November 21, 2021. 

Fruk put Gorica ahead in the 2nd minute for 1:0. Prsir increased Gorica's lead to 2:0 in the 24th. Ibrahim gave Lokomotiva hope before halftime, scoring in the 34th minute for 1:2. Pivaric scored the equalizer for Lokomotiva in the 60th minute and the final 2:2. 

Gorica is currently in 6th place with 22 points, while Lokomotiva is in 5th with 22. 

Rijeka v. Hajduk (2:3)

Rijeka and Hajduk closed out the 16th round with the Adriatic Derby at Rujevica on Sunday, November 21, 2021. 

After his first goal was called offside, Livaja scored just before the halftime whistle to put Hajduk ahead 0:1. Drmic equalized in the 53rd minute for 1:1. Rijeka was awarded a penalty in the 79th minute, which Muric scored for 2:1. Hajduk followed suit with a penalty five minutes later. Livaja was solid for 2:2. Hajduk had a corner in the match's final play, which found Mlakar's head for the 2:3 Hajduk win. 

Rijeka is currently in 2nd place with 30 points (and one game less), while Hajduk is in 4th with 27 (and one game less). 

You can see the full HNL table HERE.  

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

November 19, 2021 - Good news today as Croatia has moved up 3 spots in the latest FIFA ranking, and the Vatreni is now the 15th national team in the world. 

The Croatia national football team has advanced by three spots in the updated International Football Association (FIFA) ranking for November and is now the 15th national team in the world!

In the last qualifying round for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Croatia beat Malta (7:1) and Russia (1:0) and earned enough points to overtake Colombia, Uruguay, and Sweden in the ranking. 

Belgium, Brazil, and France remain at the top, while Italy, which is now sixth, dropped two places.

Among the ten top teams in the world, England and Argentina moved up one place each and are now the 4th and 5th national teams in the world, respectively. Spain and Portugal retained their positions, while Denmark and the Netherlands advanced, finishing in the top ten.

Based on the calculation of November's FIFA rankings, Croatia would be placed in the second strongest group in the 2022 World Cup draw. 

Interestingly, Iran, led by Croatian coach Dragan Skočić, jumped to 21st place and is now two places ahead of Serbia. Since taking over the national team of Iran in February 2020, Skočić has remained undefeated. 

FIFA ranking:

1. (1.) Belgium 1828 points

2. (2.) Brazil 1826
3. (3.) France 1786
4. (5.) England 1756
5. (6.) Argentina 1751
6. (4.) Italy 1741
7. (7.) Spain 1705
8. (8.) Portugal 1660
9. (10.) Denmark 1655
10. (11.) The Netherlands 1654
...
15. (18.) CROATIA 1620

Source: Gol.hr and HNS

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

November 16, 2021 - More good news for Croatian football with the Croatia U21s undefeated in the Euro 2023 qualifiers so far, this time beating Austria away 3:1.

The young Croatia national football team continued their Euro 2023 qualifiers against Austria on Monday - and with an away win, Croatia has recorded its sixth victory in the same number of matches in the European Championship qualifiers. Igor Bišćan's team defeated Austria 3:1 (0:2) in a Croatia-fan-dominated Ried. Lukas Kačavenda, Bartol Franjić, and Luka Sučić scored for Croatia, while Romano Schmid scored for Austria. 

Croatia was dangerous already in the 10th minute when Marin found Boško Šutalo with a corner kick on the near post, though the ball was sent over the goal. Austria retaliated two minutes later when Demir fired a free kick from more than 20 meters, but Kotarski was solid in the defense. 

Kačavenda put Croatia in the lead in the 14th minute with an excellent goal. The Lokomotiva striker nailed the upper right corner from 20 meters.

Austria came close to equalizing in the 17th and 21st minutes. 

Croatia crowned a better game in the first half with another goal. In the 41st minute, Sučić sent the ball far post from a free kick. Captain Franjić's shot bounced off the goal and crossed the goal line before Hedl managed to control it.

At the beginning of the second half, Croatia increased its advantage after Marin was knocked down on the edge of the penalty area. Sučić scored for 3:0. 

Austria threatened Croatia often in the last half hour. Austria finally got a goal in the 67th minute when Schmid scored a precise shot from 20 meters, similar to Kačavenda's goal in the first half.

In the second game in this group played on Tuesday, Norway defeated Azerbaijan 2:1 away. Croatia now has 18 points, Norway is second with 15, and Austria third with 12 and a game more.

Croatia thus stays at the top of the group with a three-point advantage over Norway. Their qualifying journey will continue at the end of March next year when they will compete against Austria and Finland at home.

Nine group winners and the best second-placed team will qualify for the European Championships, while the remaining eight runners-up will advance to additional qualifications.

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

November 16, 2021 - Zlatko Dalić hinted at who should replace Luka Modrić as the future Croatia captain - and he happens to be one of the biggest European stars this year. 

A tearful Zlatko Dalić was seen at the final whistle after Croatia secured their spot at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Dalić admitted that this dramatic ending to the World Cup qualifications was moving and he was delighted to lead Croatia to defend the World Cup silver next year. 

In an interview with Nova TV, Dalić was full of emotions. 

"One of my biggest victories; it meant a lot to me. Especially because it was the final, played in front of a full stadium, and it took us to Qatar. I was just emotionally broken. This time I couldn't stand it with so much pressure and stress. We wanted Croatia to qualify; we prevailed, in those moments I couldn't control myself, everything was released."

He announced that Croatia could move to a system with three players in the back.

"We will try a formation with three defenders. We will need to prepare very well for the World Cup. There will not be many terms to play, we have to expect great things from Croatia, but we cannot get a result without these older players."

There has been a lot of talk about returning Ivan Rakitić to the national team.

"I am in contact with him. Ivan did not have the opportunity to be with us because of Covid-19; now was the chance to thank him, and we invited him to Split. He retired, so we will see. If the need arises, we will talk, but one should look at our youth. However, Ivan said that if the need arises, he is there."

Dalić then praised Mato Kovačić.

"I have to point out Mateo Kovačić. He is Modrić's successor; he should become the captain of the national team. He is the biggest winner in 2021; he is the European champion, he plays great for the national team, he goes to the top, he cannot be replaced when he is healthy."

Modrić does not want to rest.

"Modrić wanted to play against Malta, I even wanted to replace him at half-time, and he wanted to play more. Luckily these young players can learn from him. The younger ones will progress much faster with the older ones like Modrić, Lovren, and Brozović."

Ivo Grbić was in goal for Croatia's last two games. 

"We changed the goalkeeper, we estimated that he is in better shape, but Livaković is still number one in the national team, and it is up to him to work and prove himself again. We have no problems with goalkeepers. Grbić deserved to defend, and Livaković must be even better to remain number one.

I have been leading the national team for five years. No money or contract can ruin this for me. Of course, there were difficult moments, but I forgot all that. What I experienced is irreplaceable. The fans are our strength," concluded Dalić.

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

November 15, 2021 - Croatia has qualified for the 2022 World Cup, making Zlatko Dalić the most successful Croatia national team coach we have seen. 

Just over four years ago, Zlatko Dalić took over the Croatia national team at its worst. Led by Ante Čačić at the time, Croatia drew against Finland in Rijeka and needed an away victory against Ukraine to secure additional qualifications for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Čačić was sacked, an unknown Dalić was announced as the coach, and proceeded to defeat Ukraine and Greece in additional World Cup qualifications. We all know what happens next. 

Four years later, Zlatko Dalić became the first Croatia coach to take the national team to three major competitions. In the meantime, he led Croatia to the 2018 World Cup final. Zlatko Dalić is thus the most successful Croatia national team coach, reports Index.hr.

Since participating independently in UEFA and FIFA competitions, Croatia has missed only two major competitions - Euro 2000 and the 2010 World Cup. Miroslav 'Ćiro' Blažević and Slaven Bilić are the only two Croatia coaches comparable to Zlatko Dalić, considering they are the only coaches who have led the national team in more than 50 games. Interestingly, no other coach on the bench has endured more than 25 games, which only testifies to how explosive the Croatia bench is.

Ćiro Blažević was the only coach who could successfully lead the national team in the 90s, and with the bronze medal at the 1998 World Cup, he earned the 'coach of all coaches' nickname. 

On the other hand, Slaven Bilić made the biggest tactical and personnel revolution in the national team's history. And with 42 wins in 65 games, he is by far the most successful coach in terms of win-loss ratios. 

Nevertheless, after defeating Russia, Zlatko Dalić not only qualified for his third major competition in a row, but for the second time, he showed that he does not need additional qualifications for such an achievement. Furthermore, after a weak start, he showed that it was unnecessary to switch coaches to ensure the national team would come out on top in critical qualification moments, putting him ahead of Blažević and Bilić today. 

From the beginning of his term, Zlatko Dalić was nearly doomed to fail, primarily because he was unknown compared to former coaches. He also did not have the full support of HNS and was seen as a temporary solution.

And Dalić's road to success was no walk in the park. Recall, Croatia experienced many painful defeats under Dalić, from losing a record 6:0 to Spain and another blunder against Portugal. Croatia has also played poorly against much weaker opponents, like Slovenia, Hungary, or Azerbaijan. And Dalić has not escaped media criticism.

However, the essential criteria for the success of a coach are qualifying for major competitions and getting good results. Dalić first took Croatia to the World Cup, reached the final for the first time, and then qualified for two major competitions, finishing first in the qualifying group.

No one before him has shown such peaks and continuity, and that is why the verdict is clear: as far as the Croatia national team and its coaches are concerned, Zlatko Dalić sits alone at the top. 

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