Saturday, 24 October 2020

After World Rally Championship, NASCAR is Coming to Croatia!

October 24, 2020 -  After Croatia was named the host of the 2021 World Rally Championship less than a month ago, more great news follows from the world of auto racing... NASCAR is coming to Croatia! 

Index.hr reports that Croatia and Automotodrom Grobnik will host one of the most prestigious automotive competitions in Europe, NASCAR GP, on November 14 and 15, 2020.

Namely, due to the epidemiological situation and restrictions caused by COVID-19, Croatia will replace the third race of the NWES championship, which was to be held on the same date in the Czech Republic.

"In such a challenging and uncertain situation, we must be responsible and give priority to security. It is sad to postpone the Czech Republic for 2021, but at the moment, this is the best decision for everyone. We are happy to develop a new event in Croatia with very motivated partners from Automotodrom Grobnik," said NWES President Jerome Galpin after visiting the Grobnik runway.

"The Croatian coast is beautiful at this time of year. Rijeka is a perfect location, and the Grobnik runway is fast, technically demanding, and fascinating! We are enthusiastic that we can offer NWES drivers and teams a new challenge and look forward to the first Croatian NASCAR GP Croatia."

"Automotodrom Grobnik can't imagine a better end to the season. This is certainly the first step towards more attractive and numerous racing competitions for the audience. This is proof that NWES President Jerome Galpin has recognized all the improvements we have made on the track and the entire facility in recent years. One of our goals is to support the Croatian Automobile and Karting Association (HAKS) and its president Davorin Štetner, believing that collaboration is inevitable for the future of motorsport and drivers so that they can compete in higher-ranking competitions. All this makes us happy despite this challenging year and gives us the right to believe that next year will bring some new sports challenges," said the member of the Management Board of Automotodrom Grobnik Robert Žiković.

"We closely monitored the situation with COVID-19 and, at a crucial moment, managed to ensure the arrival of the spectacular NASCAR for the first time in Croatia! I thank Automotodrom Grobnik and Robert Žiković for the excellent cooperation, and I look forward to strengthening auto racing competitions in Croatia!" said HAKS President Davorin Štetner.

The first NASCAR Croatia will be broadcast live on EuroNESCAR social networks and Motosport.tv and Kreator TV on November 14 and 15, 2020. 

Jacques Villeneuve, a Canadian sports car driver, winner of the 500 miles of Indianapolis, and the 1995 Cart-Champcar Championship, will also drive on the Grobnik runway. He was also a Formula 1 world champion with Williams Renault (1997).

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

Friday, 23 October 2020

Europa League Group Stage: Rijeka Falls to Real Sociedad, Dinamo Draws in First Round

October 23, 2020 - In the first round of the Europa League group stage on Thursday, Rijeka falls to Real Sociedad and Dinamo draws to Feyenoord.

Rijeka opened their performance in Group F of the Europa League with a last-minute defeat at Rujevica stadium against Real Sociedad (0:1). In the second match of this group, Dutch club AZ Alkmaar beat Napoli away with an identical result.

Against the currently leading team of the Spanish Championship, Rijeka played an excellent first half during which they had more chances to score. Still, in the continuation of the second half, they were forced to defend time after time - though they almost managed to hold on. 

In the final minutes of the match, Rijeka could no longer keep possession, and the great pressure from Real Sociedad eventually brought a goal. Veteran David Silva played Merin on the left-wing, who found the middle of the penalty area where Bautista managed to beat Nevistić for 0:1.

In the second match of this group, AZ Alkmaar surprised Napoli away by defeating them 1:0 with a goal by Karlsson (57). Thus, after the first round, Real Sociedad and AZ Alkmaar have three points each, while Rijeka and Napoli are without points.

In the second round, Rijeka will play against AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands in a week, while Real Sociedad will host Napoli.

In the second match of the day, Dinamo Zagreb played 0:0 against Feyenoord in the first round of Group K at Maksimir. However, they had a numerical advantage in the last 20 minutes. In the second match of this group, Wolfsberg and CSKA Moscow played 1:1.

The Croatian champion played a solid game against the Dutch club in which Feyenoord was better in the first half and Dinamo in the second half.

Feyenoord was much more dangerous at the beginning of the match. In the seventh minute, Jakić reacted catastrophically and brought down Diemers in the box, awarding a penalty to Feyenoord. Fortunately, the great Dominik Livaković defended the strike of captain Berghuis to keep the game 0:0. 

Dinamo received an unexpected gift about 20 minutes before the end of the match, playing with an extra player on the pitch. Namely, the second yellow was given to Senesi for fouling Dinamo captain Ademi. Unfortunately, Dinamo was still unable to score, and the match ended 0:0.

In Group K's second match, CSKA took the lead against Wolfsberg in Klagenfurt in the fifth minute with a goal by Gaich on a pass from Nikola Vlašić, and Liendl equalized for 1:1 from a penalty in the 42nd minute.

Thus, after the first round, all four teams in this group have one point. In a week, Dinamo will play against CSKA Moscow in the second round, while Feyenoord will host Wolfsberg.

You can see all of the results HERE.

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

 

Wednesday, 21 October 2020

81st Skal International World Congress to be Held in Opatija and Rijeka

October 21, 2020 - The 81st Skal International World Congress will be held in Opatija and Rijeka in 2022, bringing around 1,000 tourism professionals to the Kvarner region.

At the online session of the General Assembly of the Skål International Association, the Skål Club Kvarner unanimously confirmed they would host the World Skål Congress, which will be held from October 13 to 18, 2022.

HRTurizam reports that, unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Skål Congress, which was to be held in Opatija and Rijeka this year, was canceled under the motto “SKÅL CONGRESS IN THE EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE 2020”. However, tourism workers from Kvarner did not give up on the unique opportunity to present their region to the representatives of the world's largest association of tourism professionals. They will still have their chance in a few years. 

The repeated demanding candidacy of Kvarner, Opatija, and Rijeka was presented at today's session of the General Assembly by Irena Peršić Živadinov (president of Skål Club Kvarner for two terms and director of the Kvarner Tourist Board). Kvarner was unanimously, and with the great support of colleagues from around the world, entrusted with hosting this event, which is of immeasurable importance for tourism destinations and the whole of Croatia.

Skål Club Kvarner is celebrating 10 years of work this year and was founded thanks to Katica Hauptfeld, owner of the famous travel agency Katarina line, which gathered some of the most influential tourist workers in Kvarner. Together, projects and ideas quickly became noticed in Skål International circles internationally.  Thus, both this candidacy and the congressional hosting in 2020 and again in 2022 is largely to her credit.

It is expected that during this prestigious international event in 2022, about 1,000 participants will visit Kvarner, including many owners of influential travel agencies and tour operators who will have the opportunity to show the tourism potential of the region and who will even more successfully offer Croatian tourist facilities to its clients.

SKÅL International is an international organization of tourism managers with about 14,000 members in over 340 clubs in more than 100 countries around the world and is the largest in the tourism sector. Members of SKÅL Club Kvarner are professionals in Kvarner tourism (hoteliers, agencies, tourist boards, representatives of the academic community, and others). Skål clubs Zagreb, Dubrovnik, and Split still operate in Croatia.

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Monday, 19 October 2020

HNL Round 8 Recap: Shocking Hajduk Loss to Sibenik, Osijek-Lokomotiva Postponed

October 19, 2020 - The 8th round of the Croatian First League was held from October 16 to 18, 2020. This round featured a shocking Hajduk loss to Sibenik, while Osijek and Lokomotiva has been postponed due to coronavirus cases in the Zagreb club. 

Slaven Belupo v. Istra 1961 (5:1)

Belupo and Istra opened the 8th round on Friday, October 16, 2020, in Koprivnica in front of 308 spectators. 

Belupo's scoring spree started in the first half with two goals by Bozic in the 31st and 45+2 minutes for 2:0 at the half. 

Krstanovic (penalty) and Glavic increased Belupo's lead in the 50th and 61st minutes for 4:0. Boakye made it 5:0 in the 79th minute, though Istra's Vuk was able to come back to score one goal in the 85th minute for the final score of 5:1. 

Belupo is currently in 6th place with 7 points, while Istra is in the last place with 5. 

Dinamo v. Gorica (3:2)

Dinamo and Gorica met on Saturday, October 17, 2020, at Maksimir Stadium in front of 815 spectators. 

Gavranovic scored two goals for Dinamo in the 32nd and 36th minutes for 2:0 at the half. Gorica opened the second half with two goals to equalize - Mudrinski scored in the 46th and Hamad in the 50th for 2:2. 

Gavranovic secured a hattrick with a goal in the 66th minute for 3:2, which was the final score of the game. 

Dinamo is currently in first place with 19 points, while Gorica is in 2nd with 16. 

Rijeka v. Varazdin (2:1)

Rijeka and Varazdin met on Saturday, October 17, 2020, at Rujevica Stadium in front of 2,072 spectators. 

While Varazdin's Obregon was the first to score in the 17th minute for 0:1, an own goal by Stolnik made it 1:1 three minutes later. Kulenovic then increased Rijeka's lead to 2:1 at the half. 

With no goals in the second half, the game ended at 2:1 for Rijeka. 

Rijeka is currently in 4th place with 12 points, while Varazdin is in 8th place with 7. 

Hajduk v. Sibenik (0:1)

Hajduk and Sibenik met at Poljud Stadium on Sunday, October 18, 2020, in front of 4,517 spectators. 

Sahiti scored the only goal of the game in the 34th minute, which gave Sibenik the victory. 

Hajduk is currently in 5th place with 10 points, while Sibenik is in 7th with 7. 

Osijek v. Lokomotiva (POSTPONED)

Two players of NK Lokomotiva are positive for coronavirus, the Zagreb club announced on Sunday.

"Two NK Lokomotiva players were tested for COVID-19 on Sunday, October 18, and are positive. According to the Personal Data Protection Act (GDPR), we are not able to disclose the identity of the infected persons," the statement said on the club's website. The club also announced that "the competent epidemiological service was immediately notified, which imposed a measure of strict self-isolation on the two players, all following the recommendations of the Croatian Civil Protection Headquarters and the HNS working group."

Lokomotiva was supposed to play against Osijek Sunday at 5:05 pm, but the match was postponed.

"To avoid further possible spread of the infection to all other participants in the Osijek - Lokomotiva match, it is necessary to postpone it until the competent epidemiologist decides on further action and until additional testing of the entire team and determine the actual situation. According to the provisions of the Ordinance on football competitions and the Proposition of the competition, postponed matches must be played in the first possible free term, which will be decided later," said the commissioner of HT Prva Liga, Josip Brezni.

You can see the full HNL table here

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

Wednesday, 7 October 2020

Museum: Red Star Removed without Media due to Workers' Wish for Anonymity

ZAGREB, Oct 7, 2020 - The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Arts in Rijeka (MMSU) said on Wednesday that an installation artwork with a red star, erected on the top of a high-rise building in Rijeka on 20 September, was removed on 4 October, and workers hired for the erection and removal of the installation requested anonymity.

The museum emphasized that the artwork installation by author Nemanja Cvijanovic had been put on display only temporarily and that the removal was conducted without the presence of the media, as requested by workers hired to erect and put down the installation.

This statement ensued as the museum's response to an article in the Rijeka-based newspaper "Novi List"  that claimed that the red star installation had been removed in secrecy.

The museum recalls that the artwork had been installed without the presence of the media and that upon the completion of the installation, a lengthy press release had been sent to media outlets about the event as well as about the symbols which the installation wanted to show and about the author of the installation.

The press release also included official photographs of the event, the museum said.

The museum also notes that a Novi List photo-journalist had appeared at the top of the building when the installation was being removed, and he was explicitly requested to erase the photos he had taken and that those photos should not be published.

However, the daily newspaper ignored the request and it also published "fake news" that the installation had been erected and removed in secrecy, the museum says.

The institution also accuses the newspaper of violating the rights to privacy of persons who explicitly insisted on their privacy and whose role in this installation is of no interest to the general public.

Novi List explains that its photo-journalist had heard from a citizen in Rijeka that the red star installation was being removed and he then went there to cover the event. After he took photos of Nemanja Cvijanovic and workers, they demanded that he erased those photos, he however declined their request. They have been published by the daily, with the faces of the workers concerned being blurred.

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Monday, 5 October 2020

Another Freedom Festival To Be Held In Rijeka On Saturday, October 10

October 5, 2020 - After the first Zagreb Freedom Festival held on September 5, 2020, at Ban Josip Jelačić Square, Rijeka continues to open a public space questioning the precedent measures of restricting human rights and freedoms.

According to the organizers, the impact of epidemiological measures on society and the disproportionate reaction to the real danger of the SARS-CoV-2 virus will be pointed out in a peaceful and dignified manner on the Adriatic Square in Rijeka on Saturday, September 5, 2020, starting at 3 pm.

Organizers also emphasize the fact that "without a proper basis, people are prevented from being human, and children from being children, as well as the severe consequences that result from such measures."

 

'Encourage people to recognize the truth'

"Democratic society does not know the disappearance of human rights and freedoms, the disappearance of freedom of opinion and speech, and the ubiquitous censorship. Decisions made based on transcription, panic, and propaganda, and which often come from outside the Republic of Croatia, and are applied in the Republic of Croatia and to its citizens, must be seriously reviewed.

Propagating fear, constant sterilization of the environment, and epidermal microflora, restricting breathing and human contact, and everything natural in and around humans, is not and cannot be acceptable," stands in the statement.

As the organizers themselves say, the intention is not to offer a solution to the problem, but to encourage people to recognize the truth, because "the moment in which the truth is recognized is the solution in itself."

 Priopcenje-inicijativa.jpg

The first festival gathered a large number of people

Current topics at the Festival will be discussed by dr.sc. Danijel Grgičin, Ph.D. Ivan Lovrinović and Suzana Peša Vucković from the "Rights and Freedoms" initiative. Croatian singer Alen Vitasović will perform at the Festival, and DJ Ivan Mastermix will play music throughout the event.

To arrive at the Festival, bus transport will also be organized from Zagreb, Dubrovnik, Split, Makarska, Šibenik, Zadar, Varaždin, Čakovec, and from Istria and Slavonia.

It should be reminded that the first such festival held in Zagreb a month ago gathered hundreds of like-minded people, while The Croatian Medical Law Association (HUZMP) did not approve the festival, and numerous events that marked the festival, such as the one with an ambulance, were discussed in the media for a long time.

 

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Monday, 5 October 2020

HNL Round 7 Recap: Gorica Topped Hajduk, Osijek Moved into 3rd

October 5, 2020 - The 7th round of the Croatian First League was held from October 2 to 4, 2020. In this round, Gorica topped Hajduk, while Osijek's win against Sibenik pushed them into 3rd place.

Lokomotiva v. Istra 1961 (0:0)

Lokomotiva and Istra opened the 7th round in Zagreb on Friday, October 2, 2020. 

While the game went without goals, it did see four yellow cards for Lokomotiva. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 8th place with 5 points, while Istra is in 7th with 5 points. 

Sibenik v. Osijek (0:2)

Sibenik and Osijek played their 7th round match in Sibenik on Saturday, October 3, 2020, in front of 1,173 spectators. 

While the first half went without goals, Mierez scored for the Osijek lead in the 67th minute. A penalty awarded to Osijek less than 10 minutes later saw Mierez score again for the final score of 0:2.

Sibenik is currently in the last place with 4 points, while Osijek is in 3rd with 13. 

Gorica v. Hajduk (2:1)

Gorica and Hajduk met in Velika Gorica on Saturday, October 3, 2020, in front of 1,523 spectators. 

A penalty for Hajduk in the 45th minute saw Caktas score for 0:1 at the half. Lovric equalized for Gorica in the 62nd minute, after which Colina received a double-yellow for Hajduk, forcing them to play with a man down from the 70th minute. 

Hamad scored for the Gorica lead eight minutes later, while Jairo missed the chance to equalize from a penalty in the 10th minute of added time. The match ended at 2:1.

Gorica is currently in 2nd place with 16 points, while Hajduk is in 4th place with 10. 

Varazdin v. Dinamo (1:2)

Varazdin and Dinamo met on Sunday, October 4, 2020, at NK Varteks Stadium. 

Varazdin's Drozdek scored a penalty in the 8th minute to put the home team in the lead. However, Orsic scored just before the half to make it 1:1.

Another goal for Orsic in the 54th minute gave Dinamo the lead, and a goal taken back by VAR kept the score at 1:2.

Varazdin is currently in 6th place with 7 points, while Dinamo is in first with 16. 

Rijeka v. Slaven Belupo (2:0)

Rijeka and Slaven Belupo closed out the 7th round on Sunday, October 4, 2020, at Rujevica Stadium.

While the first half went without goals, Andrijasevic scored in the 69th minute for 1:0 Rijeka. Kulenovic scored a penalty in the second minute of added time for the final result of 2:0.

Rijeka is currently in 5th place with 9 points, while Belupo is in 9th place with 4. 

You can see the full HNL table HERE.

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Sunday, 4 October 2020

European Short Story Festival to be Held in Rijeka

October 4, 2020 - The European Short Story Festival will be held in Rijeka from October 4 to 9, 2020.

The world’s most renowned writers will meet their audience for public readings, book presentations, discussions, lectures, and literary workshops. Writers from all over the world will be there not only to present their works of art, but also to show off their football skills.  

The festival itself is being organised in collaboration with the British Hay Festival, a literary festival of great significance and value. The topic of this year’s festival is Luka različitosti. The word “luka” in Croatian means a town or city with a harbour where ships load or unload and “različitost” means diversity. The syntagma was metaphorically and symbolically used in the festival’s name to indicate that the harbour Rijeka, as the chosen location, represents a place of encounters, exchanges, meetings and dialogues. Diversity represents wealth, possibility and freedom. 

Besides the literary events, the Festival includes some programmes like a football match between writers and artists from the region. The programme Vozim ti priču connects artists and taxi drivers from Rijeka and the programme Irska u Rijeci represents the literary and artistic scene of Ireland. The Irish city Galway won the title of the “European Capital of Culture” together with Rijeka. The festival will devote special attention to the youth with the programme Pisci i klinci, where high school students will be given the opportunity to spend some quality time with writers. 

On top of everything, there is a special programme from October 6 to 9, devoted to the worldwide famous festival, the Hay Festival. The Hay Festival was founded in 1987 and since then it has been held in more than thirty countries on five continents. The Hay Festival is represented in Rijeka through the anthology “Hay Festival Europa28: Vizije budućnosti”.  The anthology “Vizije budućnosti” gathers 28 female authors, writers, artists and scientists. Each represents a member country of the European Union. On this occasion the Danish writer Janne Teller will arrive in Rijeka among many other artists like the Bulgarian travel writer Kapka Kassabova, the Croatian poet Asja Bakić, the Irish actress Lisa Dwan and the Slovene sociologist Renata Salecl. 

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Saturday, 3 October 2020

Continental Croatia Trains: Inland Opens Up With Green Travel

October 3, 2020 - With charter airlines in a state of flux and Croatia Railways beginning a renewal of their fleet in Slavonia, are continental Croatia trains the eco-friendly and best way to unlock the inland's amazing potential?

Everything changes. Nothing stays the same. Even before 2020 arrived, lifestyles and trends were headed in new directions. Eco-tourism and agro-tourism were two of the fastest-growing areas within the travel sector, this behaviour change a response to concerns about the environment. And nowhere in the country stands better poised to take advantage of this interest than continental Croatia.

ivo-biocinaCNTB.jpgImpossibly pretty Zagorje - the region lies just north of Zagreb and is accessible by continental Croatia trains © Ivo Biocina / Croatia National Tourist Board

From the impossibly pretty hills of Zagorje, the peaceful rivers of Karlovac county and the hidden vineyards that surround the capital Zagreb to the vast Pannonian flatlands that stretch to Slavonia, Baranya, Vukovar-Srijem and beyond, the varied topography of continental Croatia is wild, exciting and - by many - wholly undiscovered.

This is land where agriculture and nature thrive side by side, where the stresses of modern-day existence ebb away as you readjust to a way of life that would look mostly familiar to the people who lived here centuries ago. These are places where you can truly be at one with yourself and with your surroundings. In continental Croatia, you often find yourself in an environment that is both timeless and traditional, yet wholly contemporary in regards to its ecological aspirations. And you're never far away from an exciting city environment that you can dip into on a whim – not just Zagreb, but Osijek, Slavonski Brod, Karlovac, Sisak and Varaždin too.

kalendar04.jpgTo those who really know and love Croatia, Osijek is simply unmissable. It is both the capital of and the doorway to Slavonia and Baranya and should be more accessible by continental Croatia trains. Sadly, international transportation links to the city by air are also quite poor. Improvements in accessibility to Slavonia and Baranya by rail and road are imminent © Romulić & Stojčić

Unlocking the incredible potential of continental Croatia relies on getting the message out there and facilitating travel to these regions

In recent TCN features we have detailed that motorways within Croatia are among the best in Europe - once you're inside Croatia, travelling by car (or bus) between the regions couldn't be easier. We have also seen evidence of the huge interest in travelling here by rail and using continental Croatia trains.

Of all the modern methods of long-distance travel, rail is by far the most eco-friendly. What better way to begin an environmentally friendly holiday than by arriving on continental Croatia trains? When the country wisely decided to prioritise its internal motorway system, a modern and fast inter-regional rail network was put on the back burner. Nowhere suffers greater from this decision than continental Croatia.

Croatian Official Document uploaded to Wikipedia by Epepe.gifThe Croatian rail network © Croatian Official Document uploaded to Wikipedia by Epepe

The only high-speed line that currently exists in Croatia links Rijeka to Budapest, via Zagreb and Koprivnica. Planned improvements hope to cut journey times between Zagreb and its nearest coastal city to an hour. Same as it ever was - Rijeka was the first Croatian city to be connected internationally by rail. That line also ran into the heart of Austro-Hungary and facilitated upper-class travel to places like Opatija. But does it best benefit the country to invest in more links to the coast or in continental Croatia trains? Well, the inland is not being ignored. Upgrades are being made to continental Croatia trains.

IMG_8990.jpgThis impressive beast actually services the country's coast. But would more investment in the continental Croatia trains network better service more people and help unlock the inland to tourists? Around 70% of the country's inhabitants live in continental Croatia © HŽPP

The rail link between Zagreb and Slavonski Brod is so historic that it was once part of the four routes of the Orient Express. It has been maintained to a standard where you can make a relatively quick journey from the capital to Vinkovci via Slavonski Brod. The same cannot be said for rail travel to Osijek, the access point to Baranya and much more. So slow is the connection between Osijek and Zagreb that it has been possible over recent times to reach the Slavonian capital quicker by taking the train to Vinkovci, then the bus to Osijek, rather than travelling direct by rail.

Slavonija_Osijek0191.jpgOsijek train station. A renovation to the building is planned for the near future © Romulić & Stojčić

However, in February this year, Croatian Railways introduced four direct daily lines between Slavonski Brod and Osijek. And there will be a new tilting train line that will run between Zagreb to Osijek on Friday afternoon and from Osijek to Zagreb on Sunday afternoon, facilitating student travel. On October 15, the first low-floor train will run between Osijek and Vinkovci as an additional part of the renewal of their continental Croatia trains fleet in Slavonia. The welcome return of Croatia's second-oldest international rail line - linking Osijek to Pécs in Hungary, via Beli Manastir and Baranya - was introduced in late 2018.

23e1f08a601e02be10403fbc28ced968_XL.jpgA motorway stretch between Metković and Dubrovnik, integrating the Pelješac bridge and the Croatian segment of the European corridor are the final big remaining projects in a three-decade-long undertaking to give Croatia one of the best motorway networks in Europe. Should Croatia's rail network be next? © Hrvatske Autoceste

Access to Slavonia and Baranya will also be massively facilitated upon completion of the European corridor, which will connect North Europe to the Adriatic. Starting in Budapest, it necessitates the building of a bridge near Beli Manastir. Thereafter the motorway will pass by Osijek, connect to the Zagreb-Slavonia motorway near Lipovac, then pass through Bosnia and its capital Sarajevo and on to Ploče.

The removal of budget airline flights to the airport in Osijek remains a hindrance to attracting many international visitors to Slavonia and Baranya. However, with charter airlines facing the greatest uncertainty of all modes of transport at the current time, though their return is a must, it is perhaps now an ambition that should remain more long term. For the immediate future, improvements to rail travel look to be a brilliant way of opening up not only Slavonia, Baranya and Vukovar-Srijem, but also an eco-friendly access point capable of serving the whole of untapped continental Croatia.

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Friday, 2 October 2020

Europa League Draw: Dinamo and Rijeka Learn Group Stage Opponents

October 2, 2020 - In the Europa League draw held in Nyon on Friday, Dinamo and Rijeka learned their group stage opponents. 

Dinamo and Rijeka have qualified for the group stage of the Europa League after defeating Flora and Copenhagen on Thursday night in the final qualifying round. Thus, for the first time since 2017, Croatia will have two representatives in the group stage of European competitions. Their opponents were learned at a draw in Nyon on Friday afternoon.

Dinamo will play against Nikola Vlasic's CSKA Moscow, Feyenoord and Wolsberg, and Rijeka against Napoli, Real Sociedad and AZ Alkmaar.

Dinamo earned 2.6 million euro to enter the Europa League group, and can still earn quite a bit of money in the group stage. A draw in the Europa League group brings 190 thousand euro, and a win 570 thousand euro.

Furthermore, first place in the group is worth another million euro, and second place half a million euro. Passing the group stage brings you to the first knockout round, which is another half a million euro. Placement in the second elimination round is worth 1.1 million euro, and the quarterfinal 1.5 million.

The semifinal brings another 2.4 million euro, a defeat in the final 4.5 million euro, and winning the Europa League 8.5 million euro.

All matches between Dinamo and Rijeka in the Europa League will be broadcast by Arenasport, and the first round will be played in three weeks. Matches will be played at 7 pm or 9:05 pm.

Europa League match schedule:

Round 1 - October 22

Round 2 - October 29

Round 3 - November 5

Round 4 - November 26

Round 5 - December 3

Round 6 - December 10

Recall, Dinamo secured a spot in the Europa League after beating Estonian club Flora 3:1 in the final qualifying round at Maksimir Stadium. Ademi scored twice for Dinamo in the 26th and 87th minutes, and the first goal of the match was scored by Gavranovic in the 11th. Sinavskij scored for Flora in the 65th. 

In the second match on Thursday, Rijeka also secured a spot in the Europa League group stage thanks to a 1:0 (1-0) away win against Copenhagen. Rijeka reached the victory thanks to an own goal by Ankersen in the 20th minute.

Source: Index.hr

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