Only two group stage matches were enough for Croatia U-17 to reach the EURO 2015 quarterfinals stage and a chance to qualify for the World Cup as well. Young Croatians defeated hosts Bulgaria 2:0, and Davor Lovren scored the only goal of the game against Austria (1:0).
"We have played well, the whole team gave their best, and most importantly, we made it to the second round. I am overjoyed to have scored the winning goal, and I thank my team for helping me in that achievement", said the Croatian international.
Croatia will face Spain in the decider for the top of Group A, and prepare for the quarterfinals.
"We want the best possible opponent in the quarterfinals, so it can be an excellent football match. The score against Spain is not the key, but we want to beat them too, in order to gain more self-confidence", said Lovren.
Branimir Kalaica reminds of the missed opportunities against Austria, but also looks to the future.
"The Austria encounter was a good one, with a lot of chances that we did not capitalize. Luckily, Lovren managed to score. In the quarterfinals, we will probably play Germany or Belgium, and we will try everything to win. That is the most important match, it could also bring us a trip to the World Cup", said Kalaica.
Adrian Zenko will replace injured Martin Erlić in Croatian U-17 team. We wish a speedy recovery to Martin! #U17EURO pic.twitter.com/zf72noEG4b
— HNS | CFF (@HNS_CFF) May 11, 2015
Due to the shoulder injury in the first half of the match with Austria, Martin Erlić had to leave the national team to recover. Head coach Dario Bašić decided to call-up Dinamo Zagreb's Adrian Zenko instead.
