Croatia have gained an early qualification to the 2026 world cup by defeating the Faroe Islands by a calm and tactical 3-1 at the HNK Rijeka stadium. Croatia is assured of a spot in the final stages of football because the match they have left on their schedule guarantees their continued participation in world events.
A melodramatic beginning was made as the Faroe Islands capitalised on a transitional play as Geza David Turi struck forward and confidently. His shot was sent back to the net and gave a surprising hit to Croatia and the atmosphere in the stadium got tensed. Although the visitors went into the match as heavy underdogs, their initiation demonstrates ambition and discipline.
However, Croatia responded with self-confidence. The burly defensive stalwart Josko Gvardiol, who has come to be one of Europe’s best defenders, exchanged his defensive attribute and curled a smooth low shot into the low corner to bring the game even. His objective also changed the momentum immediately, making nerves calm down and restoring Croatian dominance in the middle of the field and on the flanks.
Much talk in the second half was about the returning striker, Petar Musa who scored a calm close range goal, a moment he will remember in his international career. The Croatian camp kept on dictating the tempo of the match and subsequently, topped their performance with the goal of Nikola Vlasic who finished off a final strike by precise cross by Ivan Perisic.
After the match, Gvardiol was happy about the success and repeated that the emphasis should be on preparation as the last match with Montenegro is not going to be taken lightly.
