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    • FOOTBALL

    FOUR-GOAL CROATIA STORM TO THE TOP AGAINST MINTENEGRO

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    CROATIA – MONTENEGRO 4:0 (1:0)

    Croatia: Livaković, Stanišić, Ćaleta-Car, Šutalo, Jakić, Sučić (70′ Majer), Modrić (82′ Moro), Mario Pašalić (61′ Fruk), Perišić, Kramarić (70′ Baturina), Ivanović (61′ Budimir). Coach: Z. Dalić.
    Montenegro: Petković, Šipčić, Savić, Vujačić (7′ Rubežić), Camaj (60′ Vukčević), Brnović (74′ Kuč), Bulatović, Roganović, Vukotić (46′ Bakić), Jovetić (60′ Lončar), Krstović. Coach: R. Prosinečki.

    The Croatia national football team extended their winning run in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers with a convincing victory over Montenegro at Maksimir. In front of packed stands in Zagreb, Zlatko Dalić’s side produced one of their most impressive performances of the campaign and, with a 4–0 triumph, moved to the top of qualifying Group L.

    From the very beginning it was clear that the game would be played mostly in the visitors’ half. Croatia quickly took control of the match, kept the ball at their feet and patiently looked for gaps in the Montenegrin defence. The first real reward for such dominance came in the 35th minute, when Kristijan Jakić beat goalkeeper Petković with a powerful and precise shot from the edge of the penalty area to give the Vatreni the lead. That goal further lifted the atmosphere in the stands and gave the home side composure in the closing stages of the first half.

    Montenegro then made their own situation even more complicated before the break. Just before half-time, Bulatović had to leave for the dressing room early after receiving a second yellow card, so the visitors played the entire second half with a man down. With a deficit on the scoreboard and a numerical disadvantage, it became clear they would struggle to get back into the match against a lively Croatian side.

    Croatia opened the second half perfectly. In the 51st minute, after a well-worked move and neat combination play in the final third, Andrej Kramarić found himself in the right place at the right time and finished routinely for 2–0. It was further reward for his excellent displays throughout the qualifying campaign, and the goal gave Croatia the much-needed cushion on the scoreboard and allowed for a calmer continuation of the match.

    With a man more and a two-goal lead, Dalić’s team continued to dominate the middle of the park. Luka Modrić pulled the strings, switched play and dictated the tempo of the attacks, while Perišić, Kramarić and Ivanović constantly created overloads on the flanks. In those moments, the visitors mostly defended in a low block and tried at least to reduce the margin of defeat, but Croatia did not let up.

    The third goal came in the closing stages of the match and further broke Montenegro’s resistance. In the 85th minute, a sharp cross from the left caused chaos in the visitors’ box, and the unfortunate Edvin Kuč diverted the ball into his own net for 3–0. Although it went down as an own goal, the moment was really a reflection of the constant pressure Croatia’s attacking line had been putting on the Montenegrin defence.

    The icing on the cake of a brilliant Croatian night came in stoppage time. In the 90+2 minute, Ivan Perišić got on the scoresheet and with a stylish finish made it 4–0, to the delight of the Maksimir crowd. It was the perfect conclusion to a match in which the team’s experienced leaders once again showed how much they mean in important qualifying clashes.

    With this emphatic victory, Croatia reached the maximum 12 points from four matches and climbed to the top of Group L, ahead of Czechia, who have the same number of points but one game more. Once again, the depth of the squad, the excellent form of key players, and the fact that the Vatreni are not only winning in these qualifiers but doing so in very convincing fashion were all confirmed. The match against Montenegro thus goes down as another important step on the road to the 2026 World Cup in Canada, the USA and Mexico.

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