• FUTSAL

    CROATIA CLINCH QUATER-FINAL SPOT WITH 4:1 WIN OVER HOSTS LATVIA

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    After back-to-back 2–2 draws against France and Georgia, Croatia got the victory they needed at the UEFA Futsal EURO 2026 — beating the hosts Latvia futsal reprezentacija 4–1 in Riga to secure a place in the quarter-finals.

    Croatia had to come from behind: Latvia scored from their first shot on target, but Croatia responded before the break and then took control early in the second half, turning the match decisively in their favour. A deeper rotation helped Croatia maintain tempo as the hosts tired.

    Head coach Marinko Mavrović said “things finally opened up” for the team, even though they again conceded first. He highlighted the squad’s response and pointed to the impact of fresh legs from the bench—specifically praising Marko Kuraja and Josip Jurlina after their smaller minutes in earlier games, as well as Luka Perić. He also singled out goalkeeper Ante Piplica for an excellent performance.

    Jurlina echoed the ambition going forward: qualifying for the quarter-finals was the first target, but Croatia now want to push on to the semi-finals. He noted there’s little time to celebrate, and stressed immediate focus on the next opponent. He added that his equaliser helped settle the team, and that Croatia limited Latvia’s chances in the second half.

    Croatia finished the group in second place and will face Armenia futsal reprezentacija in the quarter-finals in Kaunas (scheduled for Saturday at 19:00).

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