Croatia easily defeated North Macedonia 3-0 in a friendly match in Rijeka as part of their preparations for the upcoming EURO 2024.

Croatia, one of Europe’s top teams, made an impressive start to their EURO 2024 campaign by convincingly defeating North Macedonia 3-0 in a friendly match.

Before the match, Coach Dalić announced his plan to utilize up to 17 players, a decision reflecting his intention to provide opportunities for many players, especially those who had participated in the first training session.

Three key pillars of Croatia were absent from this match. Legendary captain Luka Modrić, who was expected to join the team on Wednesday, along with Mario Pašalić and Marcelo Brozović, two stars who arrived in Rijeka on Tuesday, were all absent. Their absence not only allowed other players to showcase their abilities but also gave them extra rest and preparation time for the upcoming challenges.

As the match began, the atmosphere at the stadium immediately became lively with chants of “Vukovar, Vukovar” echoing from the stands. Vukovar, a city of historical significance and deep emotions for the Croatian people, served as powerful inspiration for the players. This spirit quickly translated into action on the field as Croatia scored the opening goal just 10 minutes into the game.

Lovro Majer, one of Croatia’s brightest young talents, shone brightly in this match. His beautifully executed left-footed free-kick from 25 meters found the bottom corner, opening the scoring for Croatia.

While North Macedonia had a few counterattacks, they posed no significant threat to Croatia’s goal. On the contrary, Croatia continued to control the game with Kovačić and Kramarić both having scoring opportunities. However, it wasn’t until the 45th minute that the striped team doubled their lead.

Once again, Majer was the goal scorer, but this time it was the result of excellent teamwork. Petković, with excellent vision and technique, executed a delicate backheel pass, setting up Majer for his second goal of the match in the first half.

Moving into the second half, Coach Dalić took the opportunity to experiment with and evaluate various players. He made a series of changes, including bringing on Sučić, Ivanušec, Budimir, Pjaca, Marco Pašalić, and Pongracić.

This tactic paid off as Croatia scored their third goal in the 80th minute. Budimir, one of the substitutes, showcased his aerial prowess with a header towards goal. Although North Macedonian goalkeeper Dimitrievski managed to block it, the ball fell to Marco Pašalić, who didn’t miss the chance to seal a 3-0 victory for Croatia.

Following this win, Croatia will continue to prepare for EURO 2024 with their final friendly match against Portugal on June 8th. This match takes place just a few days before EURO 2024 begins and will be their final and most important test. Facing a strong team like Portugal will help Croatia accurately assess their competitive abilities at EURO.

With an impressive performance against North Macedonia and the upcoming challenge against Portugal, Croatia is demonstrating meticulous preparation and high determination for EURO 2024. Under the wise leadership of Coach Dalić and with a combination of experience and young talent, they are certainly among the formidable contenders for the championship.