The Croatia U19 national team has qualified for the European Under-19 Championship semi-finals after a dramatic last day. In the final group stage match in Wales, the young Vatreni beat Serbia by 3 unanswered goals. However, the win alone wasn’t enough, as the boys needed Ukraine to beat Italy, which is exactly what Ukraine did. The Ukrainian side secured top spot in the group with a narrow 1-0 win over the Italians. This allowed Croatia to finish second on goal difference, as they had more goals scored than Italy. They will face Spain in the semi-final, who won their group with ease. Three wins out of three, 14 goals scored, and zero conceded. It will be a very hard task for the young Croatians, but pulling off a major upset has always been in Croatian DNA.
Story of the win over Serbia
Croatia’s young prospects started the match aggressively, knowing they likely needed a significant win against their neighbours. In the 7th minute, Serbia’s goalkeeper, Draškić, made a good save but was unable to stop Lovro Chelfi’s strike from just outside the box two minutes later. It was an impressive attack as Anđelo Šutalo and Tino Kusanović combined, eventually leaving the ball for Barcelona’s Lovro Chelfi, who curled it brilliantly into the far side netting. Just minutes later, Hajduk’s Šutalo found himself one-on-one with Draškić but lost possession after attempting to go around the keeper. Shortly after, news came that Ukraine had taken the lead, giving Croatia a real chance to reach the U19 semi-final.
Photo: uefamensyouth/Instagram
The remainder of the first half was not as entertaining as the exciting opening 20 minutes. However, the second half began with Serbia on the attack, as Jovan Milosavljević received a cross right in front of the goal and attempted a left-footed shot. Maroje Kostopeč, however, made an excellent save; his only one of the entire match. Following that, Croatia regained control of the game. They began to apply pressure, and eventually, in the 70th minute, Draškić made a critical error by misplacing a pass. This allowed Dino Godec to score an easy goal after rounding the Serbian goalkeeper.
The 2-0 lead wasn’t enough; Croatia needed one more goal. They began to apply heavy pressure again, and in the 83rd minute, Kusanović struck the crossbar. The crucial third goal came in the 87th minute when Ljubo Puljić was brought down in the box, prompting the referee to award a penalty. Werder Bremen’s Patrice Čović stepped up and calmly converted the penalty kick. This goal secured the result Croatia needed to advance to the semi-finals. After the match ended, the players gathered near the stands as they awaited the final whistle of the Ukraine-Italy game. When the news came through, joyous scenes erupted as the Croatia U19s celebrated their third-ever appearance in the EURO semi-finals.
Amazing performances
Lovro Chelfi had an outstanding game, proving to be a significant challenge for Serbia’s left side. His goal was simply exquisite. Tino Kusanović also performed well, and though he didn’t score, he was still one of the best players on the pitch. The standout player, however, was Lokomotiva midfielder Matija Subotić. The 18-year-old achieved a 100% pass completion rate, perfectly controlling the tempo of the game and moving the ball to his teammate, Patrice Čović, who was the primary creative attacking outlet. The entire defensive line performed exceptionally well, effectively topping Serbia’s attacks nearly every time they attempted to advance. After the initial 3-1 loss to Ukraine, Ljubo Puljić and Marko Zebić stepped up significantly, playing crucial roles in the matches against Italy and Serbia as Croatia held onto clean sheets on both occasions.
U20 World Cup qualification
With this result and 2nd place in the group, Croatia has qualified for the 2027 FIFA U20 World Cup, which will be held in Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. This is the first time Croatia will feature in the tournament since 2013. A massive achievement for this brilliant crop of players.
Chelfi reminds in stature and movement on the field and the fact that he’s at Barca as Halilovic v 2.0
Hopefully – he proves Anonymous wrong
I heard this Lovro Chelfi kid is really good. He’s 19 and signed with the Barcelona academy.
Mikic kid on D is a leg breaker. I think he’ll be above average D coming up if he continues to progress. He stood out in many clearance plays when the Serbs pressed a bit.