Croatia played its fifth of eight qualifying matches for the World Cup on Thursday night at the Fortuna Arena in Prague. The Czech Republic is Croatia’s only competitor for first place in the group, confirming a key match. Going into tonight, Croatia had a perfect performance and was locked into first place halfway through the qualifiers.
Croatia was on track to be a convincing group winner and a top seed at the World Cup, however a win tonight would have nearly secured their fate. Only the group winners from Europe qualify directly for the World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada, while the second-placed teams go to the playoffs.
Lineups
Czech Republic: Kovar – Coufal, Vitik, Krejči, Zeleny – Červ, Souček – Provod, Šulc, Kušej – Chory
Croatia: Livaković – Jakić, Šutalo, Ćaleta-Car, Gvardiol – Modrić, P. Sučić – Mario Pasalić, Kramarić, Perišić – Budimir
Match report
The match began under the supervision of French referee François Letexier, who immediately found himself busy in the opening stages.
The Czechs threatened early through Tomáš Souček, who struck powerfully from the edge of the area in the opening minute, forcing a sharp save from Dominik Livaković. Czech defender Ladislav Krejčí made his presence known immediately after, committing several strong tackles in the first 20 minutes, each drawing the referee’s whistle as Croatia tried to build rhythm.
The match began to open up around the 25th minute. Lukas Provod tested Livaković from a long-range free kick aimed at the bottom left corner, but Livi was well positioned. Moments later, Pavel Šulc found space inside the box and fired toward the top corner, only for Livaković to deny him again with another confident stop.
Croatia’s back line endured a few shaky moments under Czech pressure. In the 29th minute, Gvardiol miscontrolled a clean pass, allowing the Czechs to steal possession deep in Croatian territory. Vasil Kusej’s corner delivery was blocked and cleared by the Croatian defense.
As the half-hour mark approached, Croatia finally carved out a clear chance of their own. Luka Modrić played a quick short corner to keep possession alive, and the ball eventually fell to Ivan Perišić inside the penalty area. Perišić, however, skied his effort well over the crossbar. Perišić again found himself in space in the 38th minute, only to blast another shot over the bar. Livaković was called into action once more, punching clear Vasil Kusej’s dangerous corner delivery.
The closing minutes brought a mix of frustration and near-misses for both sides. Tomas Chory was caught offside after drifting behind Croatia’s line. At the other end, Perišić nearly broke through before a last-ditch clearance denied him.
Croatia came out sharper after halftime, dictating possession and tempo. Luka Modrić’s clever passes began pulling the Czech backline apart, and Andrej Kramarić delivered several teasing crosses, though none found a decisive finish. The Czechs, meanwhile, remained dangerous on the counter.
In the 52nd minute, Lukas Provod swung a dangerous cross into the box, leading to a corner. Tomáš Chory rose highest but sent his header narrowly wide of the right post. Another Czech corner was punched clear by Livaković.
Croatia responded through Ante Budimir, who chased down a long ball but couldn’t quite reach it before it ran out of play. Dalić soon made his move, bringing on Franjo Ivanović for Mario Pašalić and Marco Pašalić to replace Budimir in the 62nd minute. The changes injected fresh energy into Croatia’s attack. The Czechs made their own substitution, with Matej Vydra entering for Vasil Kusej.
Both teams exchanged half-chances as the match opened up. Pavel Šulc squandered a golden opportunity in the 57th minute. Lukas Provod then tried his luck from long range, sending the ball just past the post.
Moments later, Šulc wasted a golden opportunity after a fortunate deflection, sending the ball well wide of the target. Lukas Provod then tried his luck from distance, while Croatia responded with their own spell of dominance, with Marco Pašalić’s fierce strike blocked bravely by the Czech defense.
Tensions grew. Petar Sučić and Andrej Kramarić were both shown yellow cards for aggressive challenges, while Zlatko Dalić brought on Toni Fruk for Ivan Perišić in the 78th minute to keep Croatia’s attack sharp.
The game opened up dramatically in the final fifteen minutes. Before coming off, Perišić forced a brilliant save from Matej Kovář with a well-placed header. Petar Sučić tested the Czech goalkeeper again with a driven effort toward the left post. Tomáš Chory missed a sitter in the 82nd minute, heading weakly from just outside the box.
Modrić led wave after wave of late pressure, delivering a string of corner kicks between the 74th and 89th minutes. Franjo Ivanović missed a clear chance in the 87th. Another Modrić corner was cleared by the Czech defense as Croatia camped deep in their opponent’s half.
Despite several late chances, the breakthrough never came. The final whistle confirmed a 0–0 draw, and both Croatia and the Czech Republic have 13 points (however Croatia has a game in hand). Next up, Croatia and Gibraltar meet in Varazdin on Sunday at 20:45. By beating Gibraltar and the Faroe Islands, Croatia confirms their spot at the 2026 World Cup.
