National Teams

Goalscorer diversity, one red card

Five goals, three
points: Croatia
breaks Norway
resistance

28.03.2015.
Five goals, three points: Croatia breaks Norway resistance
photo by: Drago Sopta/HNS
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Four wins in five European qualifiers for Croatia national football team: on Saturday, Niko Kovač's men finished the match with a convincing 5:1 and ten men.

CROATIA - NORWAY 5:1 (1:0)
European Qualifiers, Group H.
Zagreb, Maksimir Stadium.

Referee: C. Vellasco Carballo (Spain)

Goalscorers: 1:0 - Brozović (30'), 2:0 - Perišić (54'), 3:0 - Olić (66'), 3:1 - Tettey (81'), 4:1 - Schildenfeld (87'), 5:1 - Pranjić (90+3')

Yellow cards: Linnes (32'), Nordtveit (36'), Elyounoussi (36'), Ćorluka (68', 74'), Samuelsen (82')

Red card: Ćorluka (74')

Croatia: Subašić, Srna, Vida, Ćorluka, Pranjić, Brozović, Modrić, Perišić, Rakitić (76' Schildenfeld), Olić (70' Kramarić), Mandžukić (88' Badelj). Head coach: N. Kovač.

Norway: Nyland, Linnes, Nordtveit, Forren, Hogli, Skjelbred (19' Samuelsen), Tettey, Johansen, Daehli (61' Nielsen), Odegaard, Elyounoussi (80' Abdellaoue). Head coach: P.M. Hogmo.

 

foto: Gordan Laušić

In front of 25,000 crowd at Maksimir, Croatia reached its goal and sealed another victory in search of EURO 2016 berth.

Norwegian resistance was not easy to break. From the very first minute, the guest were extremely disciplined and agile, always ready to disrupt Croatian ideas. Marcelo Brozović was the only one to try a shot in the first 20 minutes.

Hogmo's men had several excursions towards Danijel Subašić, only to meet Domagoj Vida's excellent interventions. Brozović finally found the target after half an hour. Ivica Olić assisted just outside of the box, with the Inter midfielder successfully aiming low past Orjan Nyland. Croatia took that lead to the second half.

foto: Drago Sopta/HNS

Ten minutes after the restart, Ivan Perišić managed to put a similar strike past Nyland after combining with Ivan Rakitić, with a resourceful Ivica Olić to celebrate his rewards for 100 caps by scoring Croatia's third goal in 66th minute.

However, Norway was soon given a chance from the penalty spot, but Tarik Elyounoussi hit the post, and Subašić and Srna blocked Samuelsen's follow-up. Croatia's biggest defensive issue was the expulsion of Vedran Ćorluka in 74th minute, after his second bookable offense. He is to miss the all-important match against Italy in June.

Norway took advantage, forced a couple of brilliant interventions from Croatia goalie Subašić, but Gordon Schildenfeld and Danijel Pranjić scored their first international goals in the closing minutes to put the match out of the guests' reach.

foto: Drago Sopta/HNS

Azerbaijan beat Malta 2:0, while Bulgaria drew 2:2 with Italy.

Group H:
1. Croatia 13
2. Italy 11
3. Norway 9
4. Bulgaria 5
5. Azerbaijan 3
6. Malta 1

28.03.2015., Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb. Spectators: 23920
Referees: Carlos Velasco Carballo (ESP), Roberto Alonso Fernandez (ESP), Juan Carlos Yuste Jimenez (ESP)
Fourth referee: Pau Cebrian Devis (ESP)
Croatia
5
Norway
1
23Danijel Subašić12Orjan Haskjold Hyland
66'
18Ivica Olić
65'
70'
2Tom Hogli
3Danijel Pranjić
90'+4'
5Alaxander Banor Tettey
80'
7Ivan Rakitić
75'
6Havard Hordtveit
35'
10Luka Modrić8Stefan Marius Johansen
5Vedran Ćorluka
68'
74'
10Tarik Elyounoussi
35'
79'
4Ivan Perišić
53'
11Martin Odegaard
17Mario Mandžukić
87'
15Per Ciljan Skjelbred
19'
11Darijo Srna17Martin Linnes
31'
21Domagoj Vida20Mats Moller Daehli
61'
14Marcelo Brozović
30'
21Vegard Forren
Bench
12Lovre Kalinić1Andre Hansen
1Ivan Vargić23Sten Grytebust
9Andrej Kramarić
70'
9Mohammed Abdellaoue
79'
8Alen Halilović13Jone Samuelsen
81'
19'
2Šime Vrsaljko18Havard Kallevik Nielsen
61'
19Milan Badelj
87'
3Even Hovland
16Anas Sharbini4Lunan Ruben Gabrielsen
6Gordon Schildenfeld
87'
75'
7Markus Henriksen
13Marko Pjaca16Eggen Vegar Hedenstad
15Ante Rebić19Harmeet Singh
20Matej Mitrović22Anders Agnes Konradsen
22Marin Leovac
Coaches
Niko KovačPer-Mathias Hogmo
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foto: Drago Sopta/HNS
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