March 31, 2021 - Croatia will play in the U-21 EURO quarterfinals! 

The Croatia U-21 national team played a key match against England in Group D of the European Championship in Koper on Wednesday. 

With a Portugal win against Switzerland and a Croatia loss by no more than one goal, Croatia would advance to the quarterfinal round. They played 1:2 against England for a spot in the quarters against Spain! 

Lineups

Hrvatska: Kotarski - Bradarić, Franjić, Vušković, Šverko - Bistrović, Babec, Moro - Špikić, Vizinger, Ivanušec

Engleska: Ramsdale - Aarons, Tanganga, Wilmot, Kelly - Gallagher, Skipp, Jones - Eze, Nketiah, McNeil

Recap

90' + 1' GOOOAAAL! Fantastic goal by DOMAGOJ BRADARIĆ! The Croatia defender scored an unreal goal from 20 meters for the quarterfinals!!!

90' Five minutes of injury time

87' Zaper is booked

86' Vizinger and Sverko out for Musa and Divkovic 

82' Croatia has been dangerous in a while...

79' Croatia needs one goal, as losing by only one will put them in the quarters 

76' Majer replaced Bistrovic

74' Goal! England is on the verge of the quarterfinals after Jones scored for 2:0. 

72' Nketiah and Gallagher subbed off for Brewster and Cantwell 

71' Opportunity for Croatia! Ivanušec pulled a counter and playd Moro who shot diagonally from the right side desperately far post

66' Portugal has done a great service to Croatia, who now must not lose by two goals to advance to the quarterfinals

65' Bistrovic shot blocked by the defender

64' Portugal takes the 3:0 lead

64' Colina replaced Spikic, and Zaper entered instead of Babec

63' McNeil hit the post from a free-kick. For the second time, the goal frame saved Croatia

60' Portugal up 2:0 against Switzerland! As the result stands now, Croatia advances to the quarterfinals

54'Great opportunity for England! Babec lost the ball, Eze played Nketiahu perfectly who shot straight at Kotarski from the top of the penalty area

53' Jones shot from 20 meters, the ball was blocked and bounced a little over the goal into the corner

50' Kotarski defended Eze's free-kick

49' An opportunity for England! Kotarski desperately received the ball, bounced off his leg towards Eze, but they somehow managed to clear it

46' The second half began

45'+ 3' End of the first half. Croatia entered the game poorly but recovered after conceding the goal and played better. Špikić and Ivanušec had great opportunities, which unfortunately were not goals. The good news is that with the current results, Croatia and Portugal, who is leading against Switzerland 1:0, are going to the quarterfinals

45'+ 3' Bradarić is booked for a handball and received a yellow card for objecting. There was nothing controversial about it

45' Three minutes of injury time

45' Kelly was booked and must now be careful not to get a second yellow 

38' Great chance for England! Jones faked Šverko and shot the opposite corner, but the ball went past the goal

37' Brilliant chance for Croatia! Ivanušec stole the ball from England, rushed towards Ramsdale, but shot at the England goalkeeper 

35' Ivanušec shot from the top of the penalty area, Ramsdale reacted badly, but caught the ball from the second attempt catches the ball.

32' Great opportunity for Croatia! Moro passed on the left side and sent a sharp ball to the box where Špikić shot high over the goal. It was a great chance, Špikić had to react better

28' The good news is that Portugal is still leading against Switzerland

27' Špikić passed nicely on the right and knocked down the England defender 

25' Finally some better play by Croatia, which recovered after receiving the goal

20' Croatia struggled to clear the ball out, England with 61 percent possession 

16' England completely dominated in the minutes that followed 

12' Goal! England takes the lead as Eze routinely scored the penalty for 1:0

11' England awarded a questionable penalty. Nketiah fell in a duel with Babec 

10' Huge opportunity for England! Nketiah shot but Kotarski saved

9' Eze found Jones hitting on the edge of the penalty area but hit the crossbar

9' A good pass from McNeil to Nketiah, but Vuskovic cleared 

4' Portugal took the lead against Switzerland. If Portugal wins, Croatia can lose to England, but not by more than one goal 

Source: Index.hr

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March 28, 2021 - In the second round of the U-21 Euros, Croatia tops Switzerland 3:2 in Koper, Slovenia. 

The Croatia U-21 side played the second round of the European Championship in Koper against Switzerland on Sunday. 

Recall, Croatia lost to Portugal 1-0 in the first round, while Switzerland beat England with the same result. Igor Bišćan's team needed a good result today to stay in the game for the final phase of the competition. In the event of Croatia's defeat and Portugal's victory or draw against England, Croatia will no longer have a chance to pass.

Igor Bišćan made four changes compared to the last game, and instead of Šemper, Vušković, Majer, and Kulenović, he started Kotarski, Babec, Špikić, and Vizinger.

Lineups

Croatia: Kotarski - Šverko, Erlić, Franjić, Bradarić - Babec, Moro, Bistrović - Špikić, Vizinger, Ivanušec

Switzerland: Racioppi - Lotomba, van der Werff, Zesiger, Sidler - Pušić, Sohm, Domgjoni, Toma - Guillemenot, Zeqiri

Recap

The match started with a great opportunity for Switzerland. Zeqiri crossed to Guillemenot whose shot went just past the goal.

But it was Croatia to get ahead first. 

Slobodan Kadic

Switzerland goalkeeper Racioppi made a weak clearance, Ivanušec capitalized and shot a volley from about 20 meters. Racioppi could not get to the goal line quick enough, and Croatia led 1:0. 

Switzerland was dangerous in Croatia's penalty area, only slightly missing the goal on a few occasions. In the 24th minute, Erlić was unable to continue the match and Bišćan made his first substitution. Vušković entered the pitch. 

Slobodan Kadic

Guillemenot and Sidler both had chances to equalize for Switzerland, but Kotarski remained solid in goal. Switzerland continued attacking in the final minutes before halftime, but Croatia's defense allowed nothing through. 

The ref added two minutes of injury time, and Croatia led 1:0 at the half. 

The second half started without any changes on either side. 

Moro and Ivanušec had an excellent opportunity to increase Croatia's lead in the 52nd minute, but the Switzerland keeper made two brilliant saves to keep them in the game.

Slobodan Kadic

Moro, Špikić, and Bistrović combined for another chance which resulted in a corner. 

Croatia was awarded a penalty in the 60th minute, which Nikola Moro scored for 2:0! Not even two minutes later, Vizinger made it 3:0!

Bišćan made changes for the first time in the second half in the 76th minute. Franjić, Moro, and Špikić came out for Krizmanić, Žaper, and Čolina. Moro also suffered an injury, hopefully nothing major. 

Slobodan Kadic

Switzerland was awarded a penalty in the 78th minute thanks to a Vizinger handball. Imeri scored for 3:1.

Switzerland reduced the result to 3:2 in the 89th minute. Kulenović knocked the ball into Croatia's net.

The match ended 3:2 for Croatia!

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March 25, 2021 - Croatia's group at the U-21 Euros just became a lot more complicated after Switzerland beat England on Thursday. 

Switzerland surprisingly celebrated against England 1:0 in the first match of Group D at the Under-21 European Championship, which is being played in Slovenia and Hungary.

England was a big favorite ahead of this match and a favorite to win the group, but Dan Ndoye's goal in the 77th minute was enough for a shocker in Koper.

Slobodan Kadic

The England side includes footballers like Emile Smith Rowe from Arsenal and Callum Hudson-Odoi from Chelsea, but that didn't help them much.

Slobodan Kadic

Slobodan Kadic

Before the championship, there was speculation that England would win the group, and Switzerland and Croatia would look for a way to surprise Portugal and go further. This result surely complicates everything.

Slobodan Kadic

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March 9, 2021 - The U-21 Croatia player list has been released by coach Igor Bišćan ahead of the European Championship in Hungary and Slovenia later this month. 

The young Croatia national football team will play at the European Championship after a turbulent qualifying campaign and will soon compete in the group stage against Portugal (March 25), Switzerland (March 28), and England (March 31). A spot in the quarterfinals will be won by the two best national teams from each group.

The list of players for the European Championship includes 23 names, including three goalkeepers.

Goalkeepers: Adrian Šemper (Chievo), Dominik Kotarski (Ajax), Ivan Nevistić (Rijeka)

Defenders: Borna Sosa (Stuttgart), Domagoj Bradarić (Lille), Marin Šverko (Saarbrücken), Joško Gvardiol (Dinamo), Martin Erlić (Spezia), Krešimir Krizmanić (Gorica), Mario Vušković (Hajduk)

Midfielders: Nikola Moro (Dinamo Moskva), Lovro Majer (Dinamo), Kristijan Bistrović (Kasimpasa), Darko Nejašmić (Hajduk), Mihael Žaper (Osijek), Bartol Franjić (Dinamo), Luka Sučić (RB Salzburg)

Attackers: Luka Ivanušec (Dinamo), Sandro Kulenović (Rijeka), Petar Musa (Union Berlin), Dario Špikić (Gorica), Dario Vizinger (Wolfsberger), Marko Divković (Dunajska Streda)

Croatia will face three demanding exams at this year's European Championship. Coach Igor Bišćan believes that his players have something to say in the competition against Portugal, Switzerland, and England.

"England is a category unto themselves, extremely strong and one of the favorites of the whole competition. They all play at a high level, not only relying on physical strength but also adding tactical awareness and technique, and imagination. Their value is close to the world's largest A-selections. Portugal is a copy of their senior team, they cultivate the same combinatorial style, and they are challenging and experienced enough in competitive football. They will take advantage of any carelessness and punish it. They have several individuals from the world’s biggest clubs; they are where our players would one day want to be. They may not have adequate minutes, but their quality is indisputable. England and Portugal should go further. Switzerland is tough, solid, organized, and a couple of players from our region give them a dose of unpredictability. However, we are also good; it will be a demanding group, a real test to see where we are concerning the best and those close to us," he said.

In the first two group games, Croatia will not count on the suspended Borna Sosa, but in cooperation with Zlatko Dalić, they have yielded a solution.

"Sosa is too important, good and high quality not to count on him, and it is to be assumed that the last game in the group will be important. If the last game does not decide on something, he will join the A-selection, which speaks volumes about his form. I am glad that Dalić gave us Bradarić, we are cooperating very well, and he showed a correct attitude. We have a great situation with high-level players," Bišćan explained.

Some players also bring experience from the last European Championship, but this will be somewhat different due to the format change.

"That experience can help, but unfortunately, we don't have Boško Šutal due to a foot injury, and it really hit us, as we are the thinnest on the right defender. A tournament like this is a nice experience for every young footballer's career and an opportunity to present his talent on a phenomenal stage. This competition is specific; there is no time to play. We gather on Monday and Tuesday, and the match is already on Thursday - it should be more suitable for individually stronger teams. At the same time, it does not allow others to cancel that advantage. He who is ready from the first second to switch from the club rhythm without stumbling will do well. I'm sorry that there are no fans, Koper is close, but it's best to get out of the group, so maybe something will change for the quarterfinals," concluded Bišćan.

Source: HNS

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January 15, 2021 -  The U-21 Croatia football team will play their group stage matches of the European Under-21 Championship in Koper. 

HNS reports that the European Football Federation (UEFA) has announced the final schedule of the European Under-21 Championship, which will also feature the young Croatia national team.

The U-21 Euros will be played in two parts. The first part, the group competition, is scheduled from March 24 to 31, and the knockout phase will be played from May 31 to June 6.

The young Croatia side will play all matches in Group D in Koper. In the first match on March 25 at 9 pm, they will face Portugal, followed by matches against Switzerland on March 28 (6 pm) and England on March 31 (6 pm).

The two first-placed teams from the group will advance to the knockout phase of the competition. The quarterfinal matches will be played on May 31 in Budapest, Szekesfehervar, Maribor, and Ljubljana, the semifinal on June 3 in Szekesfehervar and Maribor, and the final on June 6 in Ljubljana.

Euro, U-21, Group D match schedule:

March 25:
Koper: CROATIA - PORTUGAL
Koper: ENGLAND - SWITZERLAND

March 28:
Koper: CROATIA - SWITZERLAND
Ljubljana: PORTUGAL - ENGLAND

March 31:
Koper: CROATIA - ENGLAND
Ljubljana: SWITZERLAND - PORTUGAL

Recall, after a turbulent but successful journey through the qualifications, the Croatia U-21 side secured a spot at the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

After a huge victory against Lithuania in Pula (7:0) and Greece’s victory against Scotland (1:0) back in November, the young Vatreni won second place in the qualifying Group 4 for the European Championship, and the results in other groups allowed them to place among the five the best runners-up.

Before the final round, Croatia was in a difficult, almost hopeless situation. After they played 2:2 in Scotland and the Czech Republic defeated Greece, it was clear that Croatia lost their chances for first place.

The only hope for qualifying for the Euros was to get through among the top five runners-up. However, coach Igor Bišćan's side did not depend only on themselves, but on other matches' outcome.

In the end, it all came together.

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