August 20, 2021 - The 7th round of the Croatian First League was held from August 27 to 29, 2021. This round featured Croatia's biggest derbies - Osijek v Dinamo, and Hajduk v Rijeka. Here's our HNL round 7 recap 

Slaven Belupo v. Hr Dragovoljac (0:1)

Belupo and Dragovoljac opened the 7th round on Friday, August 27, 2021, in Koprivnica.

While the first half went without goals, Belupo's s Glavcic received his second yellow in the 76th minute and Mioc scored in the 86th minute for 0:1 and Dragovoljac's first win this season!

Belupo is currently in 9th place with 5 points, while Dragovoljac is in last with 3.  

Lokomotiva v. Gorica (0:1)

Lokomotiva and Gorica met on Saturday, August 28, 2021, in Zagreb. 

After another scoreless first half, Lovric scored 0:1 in the 74th minute, which was the final score of the match. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 6th place with 10 points, while Gorica is in 5th place with 12 points. 

Sibenik v. Istra 1961 (3:1)

Sibenik and Istra met on Saturday, August 28, 2021, in Sibenik. 

Sibenik scored all three of its goals in the first half - Delic in the 17th, and Jakolis in the 22nd and 32nd. Drena Beljo scored one for Istra in the 74th for the final score of 3:1. 

Sibenik is currently in 7th place with 7 points, while Istra is in 8th with 6. 

Osijek v. Dinamo (0:2)

Osijek and Dinamo met in the first big derby of the weekend on Sunday, August 29, 2021, at City Garden Stadium. 3,175 spectators were in attendance.

Jakic scored for the Dinamo lead before the half for 0:1 in the 33rd minute. Pilj missed a penalty for Osijek in the 58th minute and an own goal by Loncar increased Dinamo's lead to 0:2 in the 65th minute. 

Osijek is currently in 4th place with 13 points, while Dinamo is in 1st with 13 and one game less. 

Hajduk v. Rijeka (1:2)

Hajduk and Rijeka closed out of the 7th round with the Adriatic Derby at Poljud on Sunday, August 29, 2021. 15,967 spectators were in attendance.

Tomecak scored for 0:1 Rijeka in the 21st minute, which Drmic increased to 0:2 before the half (43'). Hajduk's Elez came back with a goal for 1:2, and after numerous attempts, was unable to equalize. 

Hajduk is currently in 3rd place with 13 points, while Rijeka is in 2nd with 13 and one game less. 

You can see the full HNL table HERE.

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August 25, 2021 - Ticket prices for the 2022 World Cup qualifying match between Croatia and Slovenia have been announced by HNS. However, the National Civil Protection Headquarters still needs to determine if spectators will be allowed, with a decision set for September 1. Croatia and Slovenia are due to meet on September 7 at Poljud Stadium in Split. 

The 2nd session of the Croatian Football Federation Executive Board was held in Zabok in the Gjalski Castle, hosted by the Krapina-Zagorje County Football Federation, announced HNS on Wednesday.

The HNS Executive Board has determined the ticket prices for the 2022 World Cup qualifying match between Croatia and Slovenia (September 7 at 20:45), which will be held in the presence of spectators if permitted by measures to be announced by the National Civil Protection Headquarters on September 1.

The following prices have been determined:
West middle: 200 kn presale / 250 kn on the day of the match
West: 150 kn presale / 200 kn on the day of the match
East center: 120 kn presale / 150 kn on the day of the match
East: 100 kn presale / 120 kn on the day of the match
North: 80 kn presale / 100 kn on the day of the match
South: 80 kn presale / 100 kn on the day of the match

Information on ticket sales will be published after the Headquarters decide if the match will be played in front of an audience.

The Executive Board also adopted all the materials needed to hold the women's football competition - calendar, leadership, and competition propositions for the 1st HNLŽ, 2nd HNLŽ, 1st HNL pioneers, HNKŽ, and women's youth at the center level, as well as the list of refs for these competitions. 

The IO appointed the presidents of the HNS commissions and adopted the list of delegates for the 3rd HNL.

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August 24, 2021 - Three Croatian diaspora footballers will join Igor Bišćan's U21 Croatia squad for the new qualification cycle. 

U21 Croatia coach Igor Bišćan has selected players for the new qualification cycle, which includes three footballers born and raised abroad - Luka Sučić, Josip Stanišić, and Marco Pašalić, announced HNS.

Red Bull Salzburg's offensive midfielder, Luka Sučić, already has 17 appearances for the young Croatia national team and was among the candidates for the U21 national team before the European Championship final, which he missed due to injury. Sučić played for the U15 Croatia national team for the first time in a friendly match against Austria, where he was born and raised.

"It is a special feeling to wear a jersey with red and white checks, and I am looking forward to continuing to represent Croatia," said Sučić, who is currently on the call-up list for the A national team coach with coach Zlatko Dalić.

Defender Josip Stanišić was born on April 2, 2000, in Munich, where he played for the first team of the Bavarian giants Bayern this season. He played for the German U19 national team in two friendly matches but chose to play for his parents' country:

"I am pleased to be invited to the U21 Croatia national team. I am honored to be able to wear the Croatia jersey," Stanišić said.

Borussia Dortmund striker Marco Pašalić also attracted the attention of the Croatian public this summer. Pašalić was born on September 14, 2000, in Karlsruhe, and so far, he has played in two friendly matches for the U17 Croatia national team.

"I can't describe how proud I am to play for the Croatia national team because I was raised from a young age that Croatia is my homeland. I am looking forward to the first gathering with the young national team, and it is up to all of us to prove ourselves with good games and dedicated work, first for coach Bišćan, and then potentially for coach Dalić," said Pašalić.

⬇️ Popis Hrvatske U-21 za rujanske utakmice ⬇️ #MladiVatreni pic.twitter.com/GmFRY7gGKi

— HNS (@HNS_CFF) August 23, 2021

The talented trio from the diaspora confirms the quality work of the Croatian Football Federation, said the president of the HNS, Marijan Kustić:

"We are aware that there is great potential in the diaspora, and young men like Sučić, Stanišić, and Pašalić show with their decisions to play for Croatia how strong the commitment of our families abroad is to the Croatia national team. Furthermore, by bringing Stipe Pletikosa as the technical director of the A and U21 national teams, we wanted to strengthen this segment of operations further because we are a small country, and we must successfully find every talent in Croatia or abroad."

The newly appointed technical director of the A and U21 national team, Stipe Pletikosa, has already held talks with Sučić and Stanišić, and this week he will also meet with Pašalić:

"I am extremely pleased that Sučić, Stanišić, and Pašalić have chosen to represent Croatia. We have a responsibility to develop our scout network further and nurture quality communication with guys who are potential for Croatia national teams, and organize as many activities as we can see them up close, such as the Memorial of Croatian Veterans in Vukovar. "

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August 16, 2021 - There are some surprises in Zlatko Dalić's Croatia player list for the September 2022 World Cup qualifiers, as Ante Rebić, Šime Vrsaljko, Bruno Petković, and Josip Brekalo were left off the list this time around. 

The Croatia national team's first gathering after Euro 2020 is scheduled for Monday, August 30, after which the 2018 World Cup finalists will again have a busy schedule with three games in a week in September. Croatia will play against Russia in Moscow on September 1. Three days later, they will compete against Slovakia in Bratislava. Finally, the September campaign will end against Slovenia on September 7 in Split, reports HNS.

Coach Zlatko Dalić invited 25 players for these games, with 4 call ups. 

"I believe that we all recharged our batteries well after the Euros and we want to do the autumn part of the qualifications with new energy and strong ambition. We have seven games ahead of us, 21 points on the table, and we will need another 14-15 points to win first place. But, of course, our wish is to get closer to that goal in September and take as many points as possible," said coach Dalić.

"This is, objectively, the hardest part of our schedule, and the start of the season is never an ideal time for the national team because players from different leagues are at different levels of competitiveness. But the circumstances are similar for everyone. Therefore, it is up to us to show quality, commitment, and togetherness worthy of first place in the group - only in this way can we achieve our goal, which is placement in Qatar. Therefore, with my coaching staff, I estimated that at this moment, this is a list of players who can best meet the demands ahead of us, and as always - the national team's doors are not closed to anyone who deserves it," concludes the coach.

Croatia player list for September: 

Goalkeepers: Dominik Livaković (Dinamo Zagreb), Simon Sluga (Luton Town), Ivica Ivušić (Osijek).

Defenders: Domagoj Vida (Bešiktaš), Dejan Lovren (Zenit), Borna Barišić (Glasgow Rangers), Duje Ćaleta-Car (Olimpique de Marseille), Josip Juranović (Legia), Filip Uremović (Rubin Kazan), Joško Gvardiol (RB Leipzig), Mile Škorić (Osijek), Borna Sosa (Stuttgart).

Midfielders: Luka Modrić (Real Madrid), Mateo Kovačić (Chelsea), Marcelo Brozović (Inter), Mario Pašalić (Atalanta), Nikola Vlašić (CSKA Moskva), Luka Ivanušec (Dinamo Zagreb), Nikola Moro (Dinamo Moskva).

Strikers: Ivan Perišić (Inter), Andrej Kramarić (Hoffenheim), Mislav Oršić (Dinamo Zagreb), Ante Budimir (Osasuna), Marko Livaja (Hajduk), Antonio Mirko Čolak (Malmö).

Callups: Toma Bašić (Bordeaux), Kristijan Lovrić (Gorica), Lovro Majer (Dinamo Zagreb), Luka Sučić (RB Salzburg).

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August 5, 2021 - Sanja Rođak-Karšić is the highest-ranking referee in Croatia (1.HNL) in the category 'assistant referees - 1st group'. These are her second Olympic Games after she previously refereed in Rio 2016.

The Olympic women's football final in Tokyo between Sweden and Canada is scheduled for Friday (August 6) at 4 am Croatia time, and there will be a Croatian touch, reports 24 Sata. 

Namely, the 3rd referee of the match will be Podravske Sesvete native, Sanja Rođak-Karšić (38). The main referee will be Russian Anastasia Pustovidova, while the 2nd referee will be her compatriot Ekaterina Kurochkina.

Rođak-Karšić is the highest-ranking referee in Croatia (1.HNL) in the category 'assistant referees- 1st group', and these are her second Olympic Games after she previously judged in Rio 2016.

In 2020, the Croatian refereed the Champions League final at Anoeta in San Sebastian between Wolfsburg and Lyon, and she refereed the same teams in the final two years earlier in Kyiv.

Rođak-Karšić has already refereed at both the World and European Championships, including the final of the 2017 Euros in the Netherlands. Sanja made waves in Croatia when she became the first woman to referee the Croatian Football Cup final. She first entered the Croatian football scene as the first assistant referee at the HAŠK and Osijek Cup match. A few days later, she was part of the refereeing team in the Croatian First League match between Lokomotiva and Osijek, where she assisted the main referee of the match, Bruno Marić.

The Olympic final will feature Sweden, who celebrated 1:0 against Australia in the semifinal, while Canada shocked the favored U.S.A team with the same result.

FIFA released a list of 99 referees from 51 countries to feature in the Olympic football tournaments, including 29 match officials, 50 assistants, 20 VAR referees, and four additional referees. 

Although Croatia does not have a representative in football at the Olympic Games this year, the country, and especially Podravina, will still be represented on the largest sports platform in the world. 

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August 4, 2021 - The newly elected HNS president Marijan Kustić held a meeting with the head coach of the national team, Zlatko Dalić, and the new technical director to discuss the upcoming September 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign. 

A working meeting of the newly elected HNS president Marijan Kustić with the Croatia national team coach, Zlatko Dalić, technical director of the A and U-21 national team, Stipe Pletikosa, Dalić's assistants Vedran Ćorluka and Ivica Olić, and team manager Iva Olivari was held at the Croatian Football Federation, reports HNS.

After the official meeting with technical director Stipe Pletikosa, the main topics of conversation were the upcoming September activities of the A national team, which is expected to continue the qualifying cycle for the World Cup in Qatar with important matches against Russia, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

"Once again, I congratulate Stipe on his new position; he has our full support, just like the national team before the important September matches. The Croatian Football Federation will, as always, provide the national team with maximum conditions, and I am convinced that the team will also provide the maximum on the field and do everything to be even one step closer to Qatar," said the new president of HNS, Marijan Kustić.

"It is a great honor and pleasure to be part of the Croatian A national team again. I thank the leaders of HNS led by Marijan Kustić for their trust; I will try to help the team maintain high standards with my knowledge and experience. I am looking forward to new challenges, cooperation with coaches Zlatko Dalić and Igor Bišćan; I believe that together we will achieve the set goals," said Stipe Pletikosa.

The Croatia national team continues its qualifications for the 2022 World Cup by visiting Russia on September 1. Croatia will visit Slovakia three days later, and the September mini-cycle will end on September 7 in Split against Slovenia.

After three rounds, Croatia leads in Group H with six points, as does Russia. Slovakia has five, Cyprus four, Slovenia three, and Malta one point.

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July 29, 2021 - After nine years, the Croatian Football Federation Assembly unanimously removed President Davor Šuker. The new Croatian Football Federation president is Marijan Kustić.

The election of a new president, who was elected publicly and unanimously, was a formality because the former first HNS operative Kustić received support from all county unions and the City of Zagreb before the election session of the HNS Assembly and was the only candidate. It became clear that Šuker had no prospects for a new term when the Zagreb Football Association prevented him from doing so.

"This is a big and emotional thing for me. Thank you for your support, I will do my best to justify the trust. For me, it is a great encouragement to be the president who for the first time received the unanimous support of all county unions. We are all football and we are moving forward," said Kustić after the election, who also introduced his closest associates.

In his farewell speech, Šuker said he must thank those who brought him and worked with him, but did not mention Mamić, Kustić or any other member of the HNS government.

"I gave my character and work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to Croatian football. With my knowledge, I wanted to make HNS the most successful sports organization and a successful brand and I think I succeeded. I didn't do it myself and I thank everyone with I am proud of the silver medal in Russia, the greatest success in history. I am glad that as a player and president I was part of the greatest success in the history of Croatian football, and the national team under my leadership qualified for all four major competitions. The young national team achieved the greatest success, we built new pitches and improved the status of futsal and women's football. We helped Croatia after the earthquake, we overcame the pandemic. I contributed as a member of Uefa that many of our people enter the structures of the umbrella organization and I will continue to do so. I will work always in the interest of Croatian football. I have been and will remain loyal to Croatian football with all my being. See you in September in Moscow at the match against Russia," said Šuker.

The first vice president will be Ante Vučemilović Šimunović, and the other vice presidents are Mario Smodlaka, Damir Mišković, Nenad Črnko and Slavko Prišćan.

The new executive director of the football organization is Tomislav Svetina, and Stipe Pletikosa is the technical director of the A and U21 national teams.

After the session, former President Šuker invited members of the Assembly to a joint lunch, and members of the new Executive Board remained in the hall with Kustić.

Source: HRT

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July 19, 2021 - The 2021/22 Croatian First League (HNL) season opened last weekend with the first round of games played from July 16 to 18, 2021. A look at our HNL round 1 recap. 

Dinamo v. Slaven Belupo (0:2)

Dinamo and Slaven Belupo opened the new season at Maksimir Stadium on Friday, July 16, 2021. 

While the first half went without goals, the reigning Croatian champions were shocked thanks to goals by Krstanovicc and Bogojevic in the 50th and 84th minutes for 0:2. 

This victory was only Belupo's second in its 37 visits to Maksimir. The last time they won was a little less than 17 years ago. 

Dinamo is currently in 8th place with 0 points, while Belupo is in 4th with 3. 

Osijek v. Šibenik (3:0)

Osijek and Šibenik met at City Garden Stadium on Friday, July 16, 2021. 

The first half went without goals, which Mierez made up for with Osijek's first goal in the 63rd minute. Bohar scored in the 90th and 95th for 3:0 Osijek.  

Osijek is currently in first place with 3 points, while Šibenik is in 10th with 0. 

Lokomotiva v. Hajduk (2:2)

Lokomotiva and Hajduk met in Zagreb on Saturday, July 17, 2021. 

Hajduk took the lead in the 30th minute thanks to Mlakar, though Soldo equalized for Lokomotiva for 1:1 3 minutes before the half. Dabro opened the second half with a goal for the 2:1 Lokomotiva lead in the 47th minute, but Mlakar equalized for 2:2 less than 10 minutes later.

Lokomotiva is currently in 6th place with 1 point, while Hajduk is in 5th place with 1 point. 

Rijeka v. Gorica (2:0)

Rijeka and Gorica met at Rujevica on Saturday, July 17, 2021. 

Muric put Rijeka in the lead in the 20th minute for 1:0 at the half. Lepinijca increased Rijeka's lead to 2:0 in the 55th minute, which was the final score of the match.

Rijeka is currently in 3rd place with 3 points, while Gorica is in 9th with 0. 

Istra 1961 v. Hr. Dragovoljac (3:1)

Istra and Dragovoljac closed out the first round on Sunday, July 18, 2021. 

Bande scored two goals for Istra in the first half for 2:0 (10', 17'). Matic made it 3:0 at the half. Veljaca scored for Dragovoljac for 3:1, which was the final score of the match. 

Istra is currently in 2nd place with 3 points, while Dragovoljac is in 7th with 0. 

You can see the full HNL table