Croatian Footballers Around Europe: TCN’s Weekly Review

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The coach of the Croatian national team, Zlatko Dalić, released today the list of Croatian footballers who will face Malta and Russia in the last two group matches, to define the qualification for the Qatar World Cup in 2022. With less than three weeks to go, we review the performance of Croatian footballers in their respective clubs this week which, overall, has been very good. The vast majority played matches in European tournaments and, over the weekend, in their respective domestic leagues. So, how did Croatian footballers perform this week with their clubs?

IN CROATIA

Dinamo Zagreb – Three Croatian footballers called up by Dalić played in Sunday’s draw between Dinamo Zagreb and NK Istra. Dominik Livaković, the national team’s starting goalkeeper, and Mislav Oršić were part of the starting line-up, while Luka Ivanušec entered for Marko Bulat in the 60th minute. Istra found the first goal of the match in the 79th minute, after a great team effort that was well defined by Croatian striker Dion Drena Beljo in a 1v1 game against Livaković. Soon after, however, Dinamo tied the game in the 84th minute. Luka Ivanušec’s free-kick found Dino Perić’s head and the defender beat the Istra goalkeeper to equalize. The final result was 1-1. Dinamo are in third place in the table in the Croatian First League, three points behind Rijeka and Osijek, but the team from the capital have two games less. On Thursday, Dinamo Zagreb faced Rapid Wien in Austria. The three players called up by Dalić were part of the starting eleven. The hosts took the lead with a goal from Gruell in the 9th minute, but Oršić scored the equalizer in the 24th minute with an assist from Ivanušec. Ten minutes later, Livaković would concede a goal again, for Rapid Wien’s 1-2. In the second half the score did not move, and the final result was 1-2 for the home team. Dinamo Zagreb are second in Group H of the Europa League, six behind the leader, Nikola Vlašić’s West Ham, and tied with 3 points with Rapid Wien and Genk.

NK Osijek – On Saturday, Osijek faced NK Hrvatski Dragovoljac at home, and a Croatian player called up by Zlatko Dalić, Mile Škorić, played the match. The 30-year-old defender born in Vinkovci played the entire 90 minutes, and his team prevailed thanks to a goal scored by Croatian midfielder Žaper in the 71st minute, following a corner play. The final result was 1-0 for the home team, and Osijek are in second place in the table, tied on points with the leader, Rijeka.

Hajduk Split & Gorica – In the goalless draw between Hajduk Split and Gorica, played at Poljud, three Croatian footballers called up to be part of the national team played the entire match. For Hajduk, goalkeeper Lovre Kalinić and forward Marko Livaja, and for Gorica, left-winger Kristijan Lovrić. Neither could take all three points, and they had to settle for a draw. In this way, Hajduk is in fourth place in the table with 21 points in 12 games played, and Gorica with 18.

IN GERMANY

Josip Stanišić – On Wednesday, Stanišić entered in the 77th minute for Thomas Müller and then provided an assist for Sane’s goal that sealed Bayern München’s 4-0 win over Benfica in Group E in the Champions League. He was left on the bench on Saturday in the 4-0 win against Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga. Bayern München are first in their Champions League group and in the Bundesliga table.

Borna Sosa – In Stuttgart’s second consecutive draw in the Bundesliga, this time at home, Borna Sosa played the 90 minutes against Union Berlin on Sunday. The left-back could not reverse the 1-1 result, where Borna’s team managed to save a valuable point in the 93rd minute, with an agonizing goal from Faghir. Stuttgart are 13th in the Bundesliga with 10 points in 9 games played. 

Andrej Kramarić – The Croatian striker and historical top scorer for Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga, who also scored in Croatia’s last draw against Slovakia in Osijek, played the entire game against Bundesliga leaders Bayern München, but could do little to prevent the defeat by 0-4 of his team. Hoffenheim are in the eleventh position on the table.

Joško Gvardiol – The 19-year-old defender started the game on the bench, where RB Leipzig visited Paris Saint-Germain for the third round of Group A of the Champions League on Tuesday. The German team managed to turn the result around, after an early goal from Kylian Mbappé. However, in the second half, two goals from Lionel Messi would put PSG ahead on the scoreboard again. In the 70th minute, after Messi’s first goal and PSG’s second to equalize, Gvardiol came in for Lukas Klostermann. In injury time, with the result favorable for the hosts, the Croatian defender fouled Achraf Hakimi in the Leipzig area, and the referee signaled a penalty. Kylian Mbappé missed it, but even so, the French team took all three points. In the Bundesliga, Gvardiol played the entire match in Leipzig’s home win against Greuther Fuerth, 4-1. Leipzig are last in their Champions League group with zero points, and in the Bundesliga, they are in the sixth position in the table, three points from the Champions League zone.

Kristijan Jakić – The midfielder who plays for Frankfurt played the entire game against Greek team Olympiacos on Thursday, for the third round of Group D of the UEFA Europa League, where his team took a 3-1 victory at home. On Sunday, however, he couldn’t do much to prevent his team’s defeat against Bochum 0-2. The Croatian was part of the starting eleven but was changed at halftime when his team was losing 0-1. Eintracht Frankfurt are first in their group in the Europa League after a valuable victory over Olympiacos, who are behind by one point. In the Bundesliga, things are not going very well, since they are fifteenth in the table and only three points from relegation. Interestingly, the only game they have won this season was against Bayern München at the Allianz Arena, on October 3.

Marin Pongračić – The Croatian defender was part of Borussia Dortmund’s starting eleven that played away against Arminia Bielefeld. The 24-year-old German-born defender played the entire match, as Dortmund prevailed 3 goals to 1. A mistake by Pongračić almost gave the hosts the lead, but his team reacted quickly on defense. The goals were scored by Emre Can in the 31st minute from the penalty spot, Mats Hummels made it 0-2 in the 45th minute with a spectacular volley, and England’s Jude Bellingham scored an unforgettable goal to seal it 0-3 in the 72nd minute. At the end of the game, in the 87th minute, the home team would find the discount through a penalty converted by Klos, after a foul by Hummels. Borussia Dortmund, with this result, is in second place in the Bundesliga, just one point behind the powerful Bayern München.

IN FRANCE

Ivo Grbić – The 25-year-old Split-born goalkeeper played both games for his team, Lille, this week. On Wednesday, for the UEFA Champions League, his team hosted Sevilla of Spain. The Croatian goalkeeper did not concede goals, but his team was unable to score against Sevilla. The final result was 0-0. Croatian left-back Domagoj Bradarić was not on the list to face the Spanish. On Saturday, Grbić’s team again drew back, but this time against Brest for France’s Ligue 1, and with a 1-1 result. The Croatian defended his goal for 90 minutes, and despite the fact that Lille gained the advantage in the 19th minute thanks to a goal from David, Brest managed to get the equalizer in the 32nd minute, where Faivre beat the Croatian goalkeeper. Bradarić did not play the match and stayed on the bench. Lille are third in Group G of the Champions League, five points behind leaders FC Salzburg and one point behind second, Sevilla. In Ligue 1, they are in tenth place, four points behind the zone to qualify for the Champions League.

Duje Ćaleta-Car – The Croatian center-back was another of the Croatian footballers who played both games for his club this week, both in European competition and in his respective league. On Thursday, for the third round of Group E of the UEFA Europa League, his team, Olympique Marseille, faced Lazio in Rome. And on Sunday, Marseille hosted Paris Saint-Germain at the Stade Vélodrome. Ćaleta-Car helped his team in both games to keep a clean sheet, but the Marseille forwards were unable to score against both Lazio and PSG. Thus, the Croatian central defender had to settle for two goalless draws this week. In the UEFA Europa League, Marseille are third in their group, one point behind Lazio and four behind the leaders, Galatasaray. In France’s Ligue 1, the Ćaleta-Car team are fourth in the table with 18 points, one point behind Nice and three behind Lens. PSG leads the French tournament with 28 points.

Lovro Majer – Despite not being called by Dalić for the upcoming games against Malta and Russia, the Croatian footballer is making sure to be noticed for the World Cup. The former Dinamo Zagreb midfielder did not start in either of his team’s two games this week. However, he knew how to take advantage of the minutes they gave him in both games. On Thursday, Rennes faced NŠ Mura in Slovenia for the third round of Group G of the UEFA Conference League. The French team took all three points after winning 1-2. Lovro Majer came in in the 63rd minute to replace Flavien Tait. The French team leads their group with 7 points, followed by Vitesse from the Netherlands with 6 points, and Tottenham from England with 4 points. His rivals this week are last with zero points. For France’s Ligue 1, Rennes hosted Strasbourg on Sunday. In a match that seemed to find no winner, it was Rennes defender Aguerd who broke the tie in the 82nd minute with a great assist from Croatian footballer Lovro Majer, who had entered just four minutes earlier. Now his team is in fifth place in the table, tied on points with Marseille, but with one more game.

IN ITALY

Marcelo Brozović & Ivan Perišić – On Tuesday, for the Champions League, the two Croatian footballers from Internazionale were chosen in the starting eleven, where they played the third match of Group D against the leaders, Sheriff FC. The team from Milan took all three points, after winning 3-1. In the 85th minute, with the result already sentenced, Simone Inzaghi gave rest to the two Croats. Brozović came out for Sensi, and Perišić for Kolarov. On Sunday, the “neroazurri” would face one of their greatest rivals, Juventus. Once again, Brozović and Perišić would be part of the starting eleven to face the “bianconeri” at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium. Inter took the lead in ’17 with a goal from Edin Džeko. In the 72nd minute, shortly after receiving a yellow card, Perišić was replaced by Denzel Dumfries, who in the 86th minute caused a penalty after a foul on Alex Sandro. Paulo Dybala scored from twelve steps in ’89 and saved a point for Juventus. Brozović played the entire match. Inter are third in their group in the Champions League with 4 points, and third in the Italian Serie A, with 18 points.

Mario Pašalić – Despite not winning his matches, both for the Champions League and Serie A, the Croatian midfielder did not have a bad week with Atalanta. In the third match of Group F in the Champions League, the Italian team faced Manchester United at Old Trafford. Surprisingly, the Bergamo team took the lead in the first half with a goal from Pašalić in the 15th minute. Demiral added another in the 29th minute to put Atalanta 0-2. Rashford put the discount on for the Red Devils shortly after starting the second half. In 57 ‘, Pašalić received a yellow card and was replaced in 68’. Shortly after, Maguire would score the equalizer and in the final minutes, Cristiano Ronaldo sealed the comeback. For Serie A, on Sunday, Atalanta hosted Udinese at the Gewiss Stadium. The end result was a 1-1 draw. The local team began winning in the 56th minute, with a goal from Malinovsky after an assist from Croatian Mario Pašalić, who was replaced again, this time in the 74th minute. Interestingly, Udinese’s goal to tie the game would come almost to the end of the match, with the Croatian on the bench.

Josip Brekalo – Torino FC, coached by Croatian Ivan Jurić, faced Genoa on Sunday at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino. Croatian midfielder Josip Brekalo played the entire match and performed well. His team led comfortably 2-0 after halftime, but a Mattia Destro goal put Genoa in search of an equalizer in the 70th minute. Seven minutes later, Brekalo scored the third for Torino to give the home side some tranquility. Despite Genoa scoring another goal in the 81st minute through Caicedo, it was not enough to equalize. Brekalo’s team took all three points and is in 12th place in the table with 11 points.

IN ENGLAND

Mateo Kovačić – On Wednesday, the reigning Champions League winners faced Sweden’s Malmo in their third Group H match. In the London side’s landslide 4-0 win, the Croatian midfielder had to watch the match from the bench. However, in Chelsea’s game against Norwich City on Saturday, German coach Thomas Tuchel let Mateo play all 90 minutes of the game, and the Croatian did not disappoint. Chelsea swept Norwich in a bulky 7-0 victory. Kovačić was the owner of the midfield, in a great display of his level, assisting two of the seven goals. The Croatian has five assists and one goal in nine games played so far. Despite having a lot of competition in the midfield with players like Jorginho, Kanté or Saúl, the Croatian magician has all the confidence of his coach. Chelsea are second in their Champions League group, with 6 points, 3 behind Juventus. In the Premier League, they are the leaders with 22 points, followed by Liverpool and Manchester City, with 21 and 20 points respectively.

Nikola Vlašić – Vlašić played 83 minutes in West Ham’s 3-0 win over Genk for the third round of Group H in the Europa League, played in London. However, the Croatian midfielder did not play a minute in the ”Hammers” win against Tottenham on Sunday. Moyes’s team took all three points after beating their rivals in the city 1-0, with a goal from Michail Antonio in the 72nd minute. It has not been a good start for Nikola after joining the English team in the summer from CSKA Moscow, playing just 3 Premier League games, and so far he has been unable to score a goal or provide an assist. His team has won all their matches so far and ranks first in their group in the Europa League, and in the Premier League they are in the Champions League zone, in fourth place.

Simon Sluga – The 28-year-old Poreč-born goalkeeper played the entire game in the victory of his team, Luton Town, against Hull City for the Championship, the second division of English football. The goalkeeper did not concede a goal, and Luton Town won 1-0 at his stadium, Kenilworth Road. Sluga’s team is in 5th place in the table, in the play-off zone, and 8 points away from the direct classification to the Premier League.

IN SPAIN

Luka Modrić – The captain of the Croatian team played both games this week for Real Madrid, both in the Champions League against Shakhtar, and in the long-awaited El Clásico on Sunday against his eternal rivals, Barcelona. By the third round of Group D, the ”whites” crushed the Ukrainians in Kyiv, with a score of 0-5. Modrić was part of the starting eleven, and in the 51st minute, he assisted Vinicius Jr. for Real Madrid’s 0-2. In the 78th minute, he was replaced by Eduardo Camavinga. On Sunday at the Camp Nou in Barcelona, the undisputed starter at Real Madrid for several seasons started in midfield alongside Toni Kroos and Casemiro. Real Madrid took the lead in the 32nd minute with a great shot from David Alaba at Ter Stegen’s far post. In a match where both teams had their chances, both Real Madrid to extend their advantage and Barcelona to tie, it was the visitors who found the 0-2 thanks to a counterattack in which Lucas Vásquez calmly defined. Later, Sergio Agüero would find the discount for the Blaugranas, but there was no more time to save a point for the home team. Luka played the entire game and now his team is second in their Champions League group, tied with six points with the leaders, and second in La Liga, just one point behind the leaders, Real Sociedad, and with one less match.

IN SCOTLAND

Borna Barišić – The Glasgow Rangers left-back played both games for his team this week in the Europa League on Thursday, and for the Scottish Premiership on Sunday. Both matches resulted in victory for the Scottish team led by the legendary Steven Gerrard. Barišić played all 90 minutes in Rangers’ 2-0 win against Danish team Brøndby. On Sunday they faced St. Mirren, and Barišić again played the entire match. Despite the fact that Rangers began losing very early with a goal 4 minutes into the game, the Croatian team needed only two minutes to turn the scoreboard. At the end of the first half, Roofe scored a penalty in 42 ‘and Morelos scored in 43’. There were no more goals, but it was enough to take all three points at the end of the match. In the Europa League, Rangers are in third place in Group A with 3 points, six points behind Lyon and one point behind Sparta Prague. In the Scottish Premiership, they are the leaders with 23 points.

Josip Juranović – Like Barišić, the former Dinamo Zagreb defender also enjoyed victories for his team in the Europa League and the Scottish Premiership, but with Borna’s rival team Celtic. On Tuesday 19 they faced Ferencvaros, and despite the fact that Josip Juranović was not on the squad list, Celtic managed to take all three points with a comfortable 2-0 victory. On Saturday, however, Juranović played the entire game as a left-back, scoring his team’s second and last goal from the penalty spot, against St. Johnstone. Celtic have 3 points in Group G of the Europa League, 4 points behind Leverkusen and Betis. In the Scottish Premiership, they are in fourth place but behind their eternal rivals, Rangers, 4 points apart.

IN SWEDEN

Antonio-Mirko Čolak – Croatian forward Antonio-Mirko Čolak did play all 90 minutes for Malmö FF on this week’s UEFA Champions League match but was unable to change the outcome of the match, in which his team was crushed 0-4 by Chelsea of England. On Sunday, for the Allsvenskan, his team visited Varbergs and managed to salvage a point in a 1-1 draw. Čolak played from the start until the 82nd minute, but couldn’t put his name on the scoreboard. His team is last in their group in the Champions League, with zero points. In the Swedish league, Malmö is third, just one point behind the leader, Djurgaarden.

IN RUSSIA

Dejan Lovren – The Croatian defender played all 90 minutes for his team, Zenit St. Petersburg, both in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday against Juventus and against Spartak Moscow in the Russian Premier League on Sunday. Against the Italian giants, Lovren’s team could not avoid a goal in the 86th minute scored by Dejan Kulusevski, and they were defeated 0-1 in Russia. That leaves them in third place in Group H, with 3 points, 6 behind Juventus and 3 behind Kovačić’s Chelsea. But Lovren and his teammates turned the page of the Champions League, seeking revenge against Spartak Moscow, and crushed their rivals with a resounding 7-1 result. Lovren played the entire match, but could not contain the Quincy Promes discount for the visitors in the 53rd minute. The result places Zenit at the top of the Russian Premier League, with 26 points from 12 games played. They are followed by the other two teams from the Russian capital: Dinamo Moscow and CSKA Moscow, both with 3 points less.

Filip Uremović – The defender and captain of Rubin Kazan played the entire match between his team and FC Ufa, the hosts. The end result was a 1-1 draw. In the first half, defender Abildgaard fouled Golubev inside Rubin Kazan’s box, and the referee signaled a penalty later scored by Ufa striker Golubev. But Uremović’s team would find the equalizer in the second half, through an own goal scored by Zhuravlev, after a dangerous cross from Rubin Kazan midfielder Kvaratskhelia. With this tie, the Croatian defender’s team is in ninth place in the table with 16 points from 12 games and 10 behind the leader, Dejan Lovren’s Zenit.

Nikola Moro – The Dinamo Moscow midfielder scored in his team’s 4-1 win over Khimki. Croatian footballer Nikola Moro opened the scoring in the 12th minute with a header, after a corner play in which he beat two defenders in the jump. His teammate Grulev scored twice (26 ‘and 60’), and Tyukavin scored the other in the 52nd minute. The game was played in the capital, and the locals were close to taking the three points with a great result and a clean sheet, but in the last minutes, the visitors scored the discount goal through their striker, Ademi. With this result, Dinamo Moscow stalks the leader, Zenit, with 23 points in 12 games played. They are separated by 3 points.

IN TURKEY

Domagoj Vida – The Croatian defender and Besiktas captain played the entire match against Sporting Lisbon at Vodafone Park in Turkey for the third round of Group C of the UEFA Champions League. Vida couldn’t avoid a painful 1-4 loss. The visiting team’s center-back, Coates, scored the first goal of the game in the 15th minute on a corner play. Larin leveled things for Besiktas in the 24th minute also on a corner play, and it looked like the home side could regain hope of scoring their first Champions League points. However, the weight of the Portuguese team was felt and they scored two more goals in the first half, once again with a goal from their captain Coates in the 27th minute, very similar to the first, and after a hand from the Croatian in the area of ​​the Besiktas defending a corner, Sarabia converted the 1-3 from the penalty spot. For that play, the Croatian defender received a yellow card. Shortly after, Besiktas found the 2-3 through Teixeira with a magnificent volley at the end of the first half, but it would be annulled by VAR, who found it offside. Besiktas could not find a way to get closer on the scoreboard and even with Sporting, and in the 89th minute, the Portuguese scored the fourth and final goal. The Turkish team is last in their group with zero points in 3 games, losing all against Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, and on Tuesday against Sporting. Today he will play against Galatasaray in an intense duel for the Turkish SüperLig, where they are sixth with 17 points, 7 behind the leader Trabzonspor but with one game less (which they will play today).

The Croatian national team will face their Maltese counterparts in Ta ‘Qali on November 11 at 8:45 p.m. And on November 14, at 3:00 p.m., Croatia will host the Russian national team at the Poljud to define the winner of Group H.

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

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