Croatia

Full time: France full back 2 goals to level the tie on aggregate. Croatia could not withstand the pressure for an entire match. Dalić really took off Modrić and Kova for Jakić and Moro with 10 minutes left??? Talk about mailing it in. Halftime: 0-0 in Paris. A near perfect defensive half from the Croatians. We knew France would be on the front foot and it showed with their … [Read more...] about France Level With 2 Goals In 2nd Half, Defeat Croatia In 7th Round Of Penalty Kick Shootout

Dalić put together a perfect starting XI vs. France in Split. I couldn't have done it better myself. Neither could our very own Markus. :) With that said, Dalić should run back the exact same lineup this Sunday in Paris. -4 in the back is here to stay. With Gvardiol at LB and a healthy Stanišić at RB, Croatia is in good shape defensively while having the ability to push … [Read more...] about PSA To Dalić: No Changes Needed For 2nd Leg In Paris

FINAL: 2-0 Croatia! Perišić MOTM with a goal and assist. Budimir with a header goal. Kramarić missed a penalty in the opening 5 minutes. Both nations will play again Sunday in Paris. Winner moves on to play Spain/Netherlands in the June semifinal. After a horrendous 2024 for the Vatreni, they are off to a near perfect start in 2025!  85': SUB. Krama comes … [Read more...] about Croatia Too Much For France In 2-0 Nations League Victory At Poljud, Perišić MOTM With G&A

The first leg of the UEFA Nations League Quarter-Finals kicks off in Split as Croatia host France. It's been a while since our beloved Vatreni have seen the pitch, so how does Dalić balance tactics with the players' recent form heading into this tilt? Does he stick to the three at back formation or is the experiment over? Will scorching hot Ante Budimir lead the line or does … [Read more...] about How Dalić Should Start vs. France

1. Which Perišić are we going to get? 2. Will Dalić go back to the 4-4-2? 3. Does Kovačić still have a spot in the Croatia starting XI? … [Read more...] about 3 Pressing Questions For Croatia vs. France Nations League

Biggest move: Franjo Ivanović gets his first senior call-up after a fantastic season for USG in Belgium (10 goals, 5 assists in 22 matches). Will he see the pitch? There's a very good possibility. Budimir is the only other true #9 that Dalić has called up to the squad. With Matanović out, this opens up the door for Ivanović who has been nothing short of stellar in … [Read more...] about Dalić Names Squad To Face France In Nations League Quarterfinals

Merry Christmas — Sretan Božić CroatianSports.com Nation; from our family to yours! It’s been another amazing year with you all sharing content, talking shop, and of course grilling each other in the “Comments” section. 🙂 We love you all and look forward to running it back in 2025! Merry Christmas! CroatianSports Chrismtas “wish list”: -a solid showing against France … [Read more...] about Merry Christmas — Sretan Božić CroatianSports.com Nation!

We won't know Croatia's final path through 2026 World Cup qualifying until March's Nations League quarterfinals have completed, but we do know one of two scenarios they can get grouped into: DEFEAT FRANCE: Croatia will play in a 4-team group consisting of Ukraine, Iceland and Azerbaijan. LOSE TO FRANCE: Croatia will play in a 5-team group consisting of Czechia, … [Read more...] about Croatia’s World Cup Path Revealed — Choose Wisely