January 17, 2020 - Sinj and the Cetina region have long attracted attention to their unique and interesting events, but the carnival festivities are certainly in their own category. 

This year, the Carnival will be held for the sixth time, on February 15th. 

Numerous Carnival (or ‘Mačkare) groups will have the opportunity to present themselves to the public in the same place - resulting in a lively, cheerful and noisy procession that speaks to a long and colorful tradition according to carefully and strictly established rules.

Zeljko Zrncic

The carnival groups the best bearers and guardians of the customs in the Inland Dalmatian region, and the fact that they are on the list of protected immaterial cultural goods of the Republic of Croatia is also testimony to their grandeur. 

In the villages of Gljev, Han, Obrovac Sinjski, Bajagić and Gala, the Carnival groups have a unique and original way of displaying ancient customs, complete with the sounds of bells and other accompanying rituals. In the municipality of Otok, each hamlet has its own Carnival group (Jelašce, Priblaće, Živinice, Gala, Ruda, Udovičići, and occasionally groups from Glavičica-Priblaće, Ovrlje and Koritā), while in the municipality of Trilj, you can find Carnival groups from the villages of Grab, Jabuka, Košute, Vedrine, Vrpolje, Čačvina and Velić. 

Milan Sabic

The layout of the Carnival parade is based on traditional rules, irrespective of any changes, with only men allowed to participate. 

The most attractive and impressive part of the procession is the ‘didi’ (old men), who carry the fleece of sheep on their heads, standing tall at the height of up to 1.5 meters, with bells around their waist. They are dressed in old clothes with colorful fringes sewn on. The 'didi' symbolizes the ritual battle of good spirits in winter and chase them away by making noise and jumping.

Zeljko Zrncic

Carnival customs similar to these exist in other parts of Croatia and Europe, and embody the ritualistic struggle of good spirits with the winter, driven by noise and jumping.

This festival seeks to popularize this rich tradition of carnival customs that is unique in Europe. The Dida tradition was preserved and every year, in January and February, the carnival groups perform in the Cetina settlements.

Nikola Belancic

In addition to the traditional carnival groups, many other groups participate, which, with their comical, humorous stage performances, complete and enrich the whole procession.

To read more about Inland Dalmatia, follow TCN'as dedicated page.

ZAGREB, January 17, 2020 - German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, who on Thursday arrived in Berlin for a two-day visit, expressed hope that the EU-Western Balkan summit meeting in Zagreb would bring about progress in opening accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania.

The two officials discussed the coordination of activities pertaining to the presidency of the Council of the European Union considering the fact that Croatia is the current country-in-chair and Germany will be the next one in the second half of 2020.

Merkel and Plenković reiterated their commitment to finding solutions for the issues such as the exit of Great Britain from the European Union, the EU's Multiannual Financial Framework and a stalemate in the enlargement of the EU bloc.

After the meeting, Merkel said that the EU-Western Balkan summit meeting, set for May in Zagreb, "is a very important thing considering the problems in the opening accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania."

In late 2019, France, Denmark and the Netherlands vetoed the opening of the membership talks with those two candidates.

Plenković shared Merkel's optimism about progress to be made at the Zagreb summit meeting on 5-6 May.

The summit meeting will provide a realistic perspective on the relations between the EU and the countries in the neighbourhood so as to define a pace of the accession of the aspirants, said the Croatian premier.

Plenković emphasised the fact that his country and Germany have been fostering excellent relations for thirty years.

"Germany has been the most important partner in the political and economic fields for 30 years," he added.

In 2019, three million German holiday-makers visited Croatia and made over 21 million overnight stays.

He recalled that last year the two countries signed an action plan for boosting the bilateral relations. As a result, new economic projects are being implemented and one of them refers to the selection of Croatia as this year's partner country of the Green Week in Berlin, the world's biggest fair for food, agriculture and horticulture. The fair is taking place at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds from 17 to 24 January.

More news about relations between Croatia and Germany can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 17, 2020 - Croatia is this year's partner country of the International Green Week in Berlin, the world's biggest fair for food, agriculture and horticulture, and the event, which is taking place at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds until 24 January, was formally opened on Thursday.

On that occasion Prime Minister Andrej Plenković promised to see to it that farmers could be better treated in the new multiannual budget of the European Union. He recalled that the negotiations on the Multiannual Financial Framework are under way.

Earlier on Thursday, Plenković and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the coordination of activities pertaining to the presidency of the Council of the European Union considering the fact that Croatia is the current country-in-chair and Germany will be the next one in the second half of 2020.

Plenković said that farmers and producers of agricultural products deserved a special attention during the Croatian presidency of the EU.

We are going to place an emphasis on family-run small farms, he added.

The ceremony of the opening of Green Week will be held on Friday morning with the German and Croatian farm ministers, Julia Kloeckner and Marija Vučković attending it.

A record high 1,800 exhibitors from 72 countries are taking part in the show.

More agriculture news can be found in the Business section.

ZAGREB, January 17, 2020 - Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlić Radman met with the Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Angel Gurria, in Paris on Thursday, for talks on Croatia's accession to that organisation, the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry said.

Croatia's accession is being blocked by Slovenia because Zagreb is refusing to implement an international arbitration ruling on the two countries' border.

Until recently, the country's accession was blocked by Hungary which claimed that Zagreb was not honouring a decision by an international arbitral tribunal in the INA-MOL case. Budapest has in the meantime lifted its blockade.

Also, members have still not agreed on further enlargement, and decisions on further enlargement are made by consensus.

Gurria commended Croatia's commitment to drawing closer to OECD membership by intensifying its participation in various working bodies and accessing OECD instruments.

"Croatia has been working with commitment to meeting the criteria for membership, which is very useful for development and reform implementation, and that is one of our most important national priorities," said Grlić Radman.

After the meeting with Gurria, Grlić Radman also took part in a forum on migrations and integration challenges.

The OECD is an international economic organisation that brings together 36 more developed countries.

More news about Croatia and the OECD can be found in the Politics section.

January 17, 2020 - The 'TCN Down Under' series comes to a close as Daniela Rogulj interviews Matilda's soccer coach Ante Milicic in Sydney.

It was a sunny Wednesday afternoon in the coastal suburb of Coogee. Ante Milicic greeted me at Gusto coffee shop with a hug and a 'Di Si!' which made me feel right at home. We spoke over piccolo lattes and giggled to tears. I couldn't imagine a better way to end this TCN interview series. 

Ante was cheerful as we began, with a smile that stretched from ear to ear. He was eager to share his Croatian heritage. 

“I was born in Sydney. My father is from Hvar, from Brusje, which they all tell me was a thriving metropolis in the ’50s and ‘60s, haha. They’ve also said that many ‘pametni ljudi” (smart people) come from there. My mother, who passed away in 1991, was from a place called Sisak, which is not far from Zagreb. I used to visit there a lot more when I was younger. Even though I was born in Sydney, my parents always had this fascination with Croatia, so I had a strong Croatian upbringing here. And particularly in Sydney where, in the ‘70s and ‘80s, there were very active Croatian communities. We had the Croatian church, club, and I played in the Croatian soccer team. I used to spend many of my summer holidays in Hvar, Jelsa, and this was still in the days of the former state. I always had a love for Croatia. My father is the oldest of 10, so I’ve got a lot of cousins there and uncles and aunties and I’m the godfather to a few of the kids there. On my mum’s side, there are three sisters as well. 

Through my footballing career, I always wanted to play in Croatia and I was fortunate enough to play for Rijeka for two years. I absolutely loved it."

Ante was thus exposed to a lot of Croatian culture growing up in Australia. 

“You know, school for me would be Monday to Friday, but the excitement was Tuesday and Thursday night training with my Croatian soccer team, Sunday watching the soccer, going to Croatian weddings… I guess it was pretty standard with what everyone else was doing, but that’s all we knew and that’s what we loved. It was a very exciting time because it was also a very close-knit community, and it was strong. I loved my upbringing."

Ante started his soccer career at Sydney United, formerly known as Sydney Croatia, in the early 1990s. 

“There was always a lot of talk about the Homeland War then, a lot of fundraising events, protests. I remember going to one in Canberra. We’d get 20-30,000 people to come from around Australia. I remember being young and not understanding it fully, but we'd all be there at our Sydney Croatia training in our tracksuits holding Croatian flags and it was just normal. They were great days. 

Back then, the club was known as Sydney Croatia. Just as we would refer to the other clubs, like the Melbourne Croatia and Canberra Croatia. It was great. As a young kid, I remember that whenever I would go to Melbourne, Perth, or Adelaide, I’d always go to their Croatian clubs. If we would play a team from Victoria, for example, I’d always swap my tracksuit with a Croatian player on their team. It was a strong bond back in those days.”

The majority of Ante’s soccer career was played in Australia. He spoke a bit about his experience.

“Football in Australia isn’t what it is in Europe, but I enjoyed playing here. This is where I grew up. I had the opportunity to play two years in Croatia, two years in Holland, and two years in Malaysia, so I got to travel through my football, which was exciting.

My highlight from my Australian career is probably playing for the Australia national team. You always had that goal to play for your national team and I was fortunate enough to do that. And again, we can go back to the Croatian heritage… We had Popovic playing for the national team, Jason Colina, and Ljubo Milicevic, who now makes the best coffees down here in Bondi. A lot of us guys who played junior football then went on to the national team - and it’s a different feeling when you’re in camp, when you’re traveling, in hotels, at airports, it was really good."

Ante went on to coaching after he retired as a player. The first club he coached was Sydney Croatia. 

“That’s why the Croatian community is so good because when my career as a player came to an end, I was 33 or 34, because of my history with the club, they gave me an opportunity there. And it works both ways - not only does it give me a chance as a coach to start my career, but they know that they’re getting a former player that has a stronger feeling for the club, who will give more, will protect it more, and it was a great year that I spent coach. It really gave me a good platform and I’ve been fortunate from there that my coaching career has gone in the right way."

From there, he moved into being the assistant coach of the Australia men’s national team. 

“I was fortunate - I went to two World Cups. I went to Brazil in 2014. We had played Croatia in a friendly game and I ended up getting a Brozovic shirt for one of my cousins who works in Hvar. In 2018, I went to Russia for the World Cup as well. To go to two World Cups was truly amazing. As you know, Australia didn’t get out of their group in Russia, so I was in Hvar for the remainder of the World Cup. Every night, as in all around Croatia, it was buzzing. What was really good was that when Croatia got to the semis, the Australian federation rang me and said, ‘listen, because we are a competing country in the World Cup we’ve got two tickets for you if you want to go to the final in Russia.’ This was before Croatia played England, but I said I’d take them. I couldn’t get any flights out of Zagreb, so I booked two tickets out of Hungary to go. I am in Hvar, and as you know, you have to first get to Split, then Zagreb, then drive to Hungary. But when Croatia went down against England, and I had already paid for the hotel and flights to go to the final, I thought I just couldn’t go and be bothered to watch an England v. France final. Lucky Croatia ended up winning, and it turned out to be an unbelievable trip. But, knowing me, and no disrespect, but if Croatia didn’t win that semi-final, I’d rather have stayed on Hvar haha.

I was disappointed with the final result, but I can say that I was there.”

Not long after his run in Russia, Ante was appointed as the coach of the Australia women’s soccer team in February 2019. He would lead the Matilda’s to their World Cup in France that summer. 

“Yes, well, that was a bit of a long story, but the Australian Federation made a change of coach, and I was off doing my own thingl, and I got a call that they felt that I would be the right person to take control of that team and I did. I was the coach for the women at the World Cup in France, and I am still in that role now, although that will be finishing soon. Next month I go to China, where we have qualifiers for the Olympics in Japan. A lot is coming up and that has been an interesting job, but a very exciting challenge.”

The Matilda’s were knocked out of the round of 16 at the World Cup.

“Look, the women’s game has improved a lot, particularly in Europe. We weren’t too far off, but at the same time, we weren’t at the level of the top four teams. It was disappointing to lose in a penalty shootout, which is always tough, but in saying that, you have to be realistic and say, hey, we never got to the level that we would have liked, but as a team, I believe that we needed to go through that. As I said, a lot was going around at the time. Hopefully, now we have learned from that, we’ve improved, and we look forward to what’s next.”

What are Ante’s expectations leading the Matilda’s through the Olympic qualifiers?

“First and foremost, we need to qualify. It is very difficult to go to places like China with the opposition, the fields, with the referees, and mentally for our girls. I have a training camp starting on January 20th here in Sydney, so there will be a lot of preparation going into that.”

The Matilda’s have incredible support in Australia, from the fans to the soccer programs. We compared the current state of Australian women’s football to that in Croatia.

“I went to a women’s football conference in Milan and met the Croatia women’s coach Mate Prskalo. I had a chat with him, and obviously, I can understand his frustrations because he’s got a small pool to work with. He’s very passionate about it and we had a good chat but at the same time, it also depends on how much you invest in it and how serious you are, and I don’t feel that Croatia has bought into that yet. They have one or two players playing abroad. I think that Croatia has the potential. Croatia is very passionate, patriotic, and Croatians have very good genetics. So, in a sporting sense, if they were to take it seriously, they could do something because with my experiences in Europe, the Italians have invested now, the French have really done a lot, the Dutch have, England, Germany, etc. We played against Chile in Sydney last November, and we got 20,000 people. Australia has bought into it. Croatia, unfortunately, hasn’t, but I think that they could do a lot if they did.”

Ante and I switched gears to the Croatian Championship. I had to know which club he supports.

“Look, I was always Hajduk, but I played for Rijeka and I was fortunate enough to go back to Rijeka in November to visit the club and caught up with a few people that are still there from when I was there 20 years ago. So, I love, love, Rijeka. As a kid, I supported Hajduk. There is an Australian working at Lokomotiva Zagreb, whom I’ve built a good relationship with, so I’ve watched them a bit. They’re a good, honest club that knows its place in the Croatian league.”

Ante and I discussed the upcoming men's European Championship this summer. Croatia is in a group with England and the Czech Republic. 

“Wait, the Euros are this summer?” Ante said in disbelief. “I gotta work out how I can come over. Work out a scouting trip or something,” he joked. 

“One thing I’ve learned over the years following Croatia is that it is completely up to them. I’ve seen them play against Spain at Maksimir, I’ve seen them at the World Cup, I’ve seen them as a coach. If they want to, on their day, they can do it. As long as they don’t get complacent, I think it’s fair to say they’ll go into their group with not much fear of the opposition. I really like the job Dalic has done, especially under the circumstances when he came in. As always, I look forward to following them over the European summer.”

So, what’s next for Ante Milicic?

“I’ve signed a contract to be the head coach of a new expansion team in the Australian league, and that’s in Sydney. At the moment, I am combining that with the Matilda’s job. The new coaching gig starts in October, but because it is an expansion, there is a lot of work that goes into it, like the training grounds, staff, and players. But that is the next challenge for me.”

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

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Sasa Paparella writes on the 16th of January, 2020, just a few months after graduation, young Ivan Milkovic decided to transfer the theoretical knowledge he acquired at the Faculty of Economics to doing business in Zagreb, and opened Milky pancakes in Dubrava back in 2014.

He used an easy-to-remember derivative of his surname and went into business with 12,000 euros in family savings. In the first five years of its establishment, its brand has expanded not only in Croatia, but also in the surrounding countries - Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania.

In all these countries, he designed a pancake chain that employs more than 200 people. Three Milky's have been opened in Zagreb so far, two in Split, Belgrade (Serbia) and Sarajevo (BiH), and one in Banja Luka (BiH), Mostar (BiH), Nis (Serbia), Novi Sad (Serbia), Novi Pazar (Serbia), Podgorica (Montenegro), Bar (Montenegro), Tirana (Albania), Skopje (Macedonia) and Kragujevac (Serbia). Milky pancakes are planned in Istanbul (Turkey), Vienna (Austria), Ljubljana (Slovenia), and Zurich (Switzerland), and a couple of inquiries have arrived from Germany. Although there are about fifteen different pancake shops in Zagreb today, only Milky pancakes has made it abroad.

After the Milky pancakes brand managed to establish itself regionally, most of these pancake shops now operate as franchises. The money invested brings given know-how and marketing, and the biggest expense for any potential investor is the pancake room. Milkovic retained a 50 percent stake in the shops in Belgrade, Banja Luka, Bar, and the one set to open in Istanbul.

"Belgrade is doing great, we employ 40 people there, it's amazing how much Serbs spend on going out! The prices of our pancakes are very similar to those in Croatia, and although salaries are much lower in Serbia, turnover is very good.

The situation is similar in Banja Luka, where we have a space of 300 square metres and seventeen employees. I'm satisfied with the business in our neighbouring countries, and I've left Croatia to others. I no longer had the nerve to pay unreasonable tax penalties. I definitely gave up when the VAT on catering was increased, it killed us,'' Milkovic said, explaining why it's easier for him to do business in other countries.

He decided to use the expansion in the region to promote Croatian products. "I withdrew Podravka's chocolate spreads in BiH, Serbia and Albania. I told them I was promoting their products, I expected some reaction, maybe for them to co-finance that promotion on the markets that are important to them, but no, there was none of that," says Milkovic, who then began making his own brand of spreads.

When starting a business, the biggest problem was convincing people that it made sense to give 30 kuna for pancakes. "The comment was always the same - ''For that money I can make tonnes of pancakes at home!''

Over time, guests began to realise that pancakes from Milky pancakes look much better than their home-made ones, they're more imaginative, and going to Milky pancakes is also a reason to go out.

He came up with many combinations, and admits that he didn't have to type them all into a computer, he just listed various items and left the guests to arrange their own pancakes.

"You start with an empty pancake, which costs 13 kuna, and then add what you want, from the type of spreads to, if you like it, whipped cream or ground almonds on top. The guests themselves combine whether they want Nutella, Kinder bueno, ice cream, strawberries, mousse, coconut, Oreo biscuits, fruits of the forest... I still come up with some novelties, for example, I introduced protein pancakes. Part of the competition is stealing ideas from us, but it doesn't matter, we're constantly coming up with something new. Of course, the raw material is also important, for example, we use premium Callebaut chocolate,'' reveals Milkovic.

The pancake mix for all Milky pancakes is made in the same factory in Zagreb.

He got the idea of ​​a pancake house about ten years ago, but only after graduation did he do anything about it.

"When I graduated from university, I first went to the employment service, they offered me a job as an intern for 1600 kuna, which I refused. Then they offered me self-employment assistance, they asked me for project documentation. The condition was that I should not open a company until they they give an opinion on my project and their response time is 90 days,'' explained Milkovic, detailing the draconian Croatian business attitude and why he steered away from going the normal route, using his own cash instead.

The first Milky pancakes opened back in 2014 in Dubrava, Zagreb. He found a 28 square metre store in a busy location, "there were a lot of young people there who could be attracted by our products. The shop used to be a used goods store, then a gold buy-back shop... so it was hard at first and it was difficult for people to accept that something could be eaten there now. I was doing everything to attract attention, I was even hanging balloons in the surrounding trees," Milkovic recalled.

He used pallets and brick walls in the shop's landscaping, but the ''competent'' inspectors from the responsible authority didn't like the industrial style, so he was denied a permit to continue, with the justification that the ''space was unfinished''.

"The inspection refused me because they weren't used to spaces made of pallets and brick walls. Only after proving with certificates that the paint on the wall was washable and easily maintained did I get a permit to work,"s added Milkovic.

Then, one year later in 2015, he opened a shop in Spansko, also in Zagreb. He decorated it with car headlights and car seats. As business went well, competition appeared in Dubrava and Milkovic moved to a larger neighbourhood. His competition failed after just one year. The third Milky pancakes opened back in 2016 in Sredisce, Novi Zagreb. In the meantime, he abandoned minimalism in landscaping and invested as much as 100,000 euros in the renovation of 100 square metres of the space.

"If I knew how much it would end up costing me, I'd never have embarked on an adaptation! Although banks seem to be offering increasingly affordable solutions, in Croatia, young people have a hard time getting a loan," Milkovic says. For now, he is not considering expanding to downtown Zagreb: "the rent is too high there. We work with a solid margin, but the price and quantity of the pancakes sold is not enough to cover that cost."

He covers that part of Zagreb with the help of the popular Glovo delivery service, with whom he started working to fill in the gaps in the morning, and now his revenue from deliveries has reached 50 percent of total traffic. Having conquered the region with Milky pancakes, he can now devote himself to other ideas - his own line of chocolate spreads, as well as frozen pancakes for cafes, restaurants and shops.

Make sure to follow our dedicated Made in Croatia and business pages for much more.

The demographic crisis in Croatia isn't shifting, and nor are its extremely concerning effects. As we reported recently, half a million workers have now left Croatia's borders and are making their money, and indeed spending their money - elsewhere. Is total quota abolition the only measure left?

The Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK), which many criticise heavily for being part of this enormous demographic problem, has claimed that without foreign workers, Croatia will struggle enormously in the forthcoming period. While EEA nationals (with the current exception of Austrian citizens) and all foreign citizens who hold permanent residence status in Croatia are free to work on the same basis as Croatian nationals and do not require any sort of work permit, the barriers are high and the red tape usually endless for third country nationals.

Back in 2019, the Croatian Government issued a decision on quota abolition for foreign (third country) nationals, marking a truly monumental step forward in addressing the huge issues facing Croatia's economy and the ability of Croatian employers to actually find qualified staff. While many deem quota abolition to have been a bad move, in the sense that more effort should have been put into retaining a domestic labour force by raising wages, lowering taxes and removing senseless, draconian rules for would-be entrepreneurs, it now seems apparent that the Croatian Government at the very least realises the velocity of the issue at hand.

Consideration is now being given to complete and utter quota abolition, which is good news for third country nationals seeking work in Croatia, or is it? With MUP being typically painfully slow and often totally incompetent when it comes to dealing with residence and work procedures for all foreign nationals, including those from the EEA who have every right to live and work in Croatia, many Croatian employers are finding foreign labour too late, with MUP only approving all of their papers after the tourist season has passed and the majority are no longer even required.

Croatia's demographic issues therefore go far beyond the rather simple idea of raising wages and lowering taxes, they are deeply embedded in the Croatian psyche because the state's outdated systems simply don't work and are actually on nobody's side. In such a toxic, stagnant situation, it's hardly surprising that rainy Ireland and the UK look so appealing.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes on the 16th of January, 2020, an increasing shortage of workers in Croatia is now becoming visible on a daily basis, and an official analysis of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) has been published recently, revealing that over the past ten years, Croatia has lost half a million workers - it is now time to abolish all quotas and drop the barriers according to some.

In an urgent parliamentary procedure, the government has proposed amendments to the Student Affairs Act, which changes the definition of "student", ie, it makes it possible for student jobs in Croatia to be performed by students who are foreign nationals and who are not nationals of European Union member states, as well as students who are under international protection, and even exchange students undertaking their studies at colleges in Croatia.

Make sure to follow our dedicated politics page for much more on quota abolition.

January 16, 2020 - The Croatia water polo team met Montenegro in the second leg of the European Championship in Budapest on Thursday. 

In the first match, the ‘Barakudas’ defeated Germany 17:9. The match against Montenegro was decisive to win the first place in the group, which secures a spot in the quarterfinals. 

“We have really positive results against them lately. We easily won in the quarter-final of the Kazan World Championship, in the semi-final of the Olympic Games, the quarter-final of the European Championship, some big matches where we had them as an opponent and we managed to win,” said national team coach Ivica Tucak just before the start of the match.

Montenegro opened the game with a goal by Brguljan three minutes in. Croatia’s first goal of the match didn’t come until Andro Buslje scored for 1:1 with less than two minutes to go in the first quarter. 

Luka Bukic scored during an extra-man play for 1:2 Croatia, which was the final score of the first quarter. 

Bukic opened the second quarter with his second goal for 1:3. Maro Jokovic nailed the net for 2:4. Xavi Garcia increased Croatia’s lead to 2:5, while Josip Vrlic was brilliant in front of the goal for 2:6. The second quarter ended at 3:6 for Croatia.

Croatia’s brilliant defense prevented Montenegro from reducing the result in the third quarter, and goalkeeper Marko Bijac was unstoppable in goal. Croatia scored the first goal of the third quarter with four minutes to go - Luka Loncar increased the lead to 3:7.

Hrvoje Benic hit a rocket for 3:8, while Bukic recorded his third goal with just over two minutes to go in the third quarter. The game was 4:9 for Croatia. 

With less than two minutes to go, Vrlic scored his second goal of the game for 5:10, which was the final score of the third quarter. 

Montenegro reduced the deficit to 8:10 four minutes into the last quarter. And it was 9:10 with three minutes to go. Croatia had yet to score in the fourth quarter. 

Montenegro made an incredible comeback to equalize with just over two minutes to go. It was a completely different game for Croatia, and Tucak was not happy.

Xavi Garcia scored a crucial goal with just over a minute to go to put Croatia back in the lead for 10:11, but they weren’t out of the woods yet. 

Bijac, however, made an incredible save to crush Montenegro’s hopes. The game ended at 10:11 for Croatia. 

Croatia will play its final game of Group A against Slovakia on Saturday at 4 pm.

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