National Team Friendly

National Stadium
Spectators: 10300 (Terracing: 7725, Seating: 2369, VIP seats: 206) When Lucio Oquendo fell near the penalty area in the 6th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored U21 Venezuela's protests and gave Lucio Oquendo a yellow card for diving instead. Lucio Oquendo hit a great freekick 6 minutes into the match. In the 12th minute Hrvoje Sansević shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Dorio Laje saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. In the 12th minute of the match, Hrvoje Sansević tried to roll the ball into the goal by the right post, but Dorio Laje saw his intentions and got control of the ball before it passed the line. After 16 played minutes U21 Croatia got a freekick which was hit by Kevin De Bruyne. Dorio Laje made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Hrvoje Sansević in the 20th minute of play. In the 25th minute, Vjeran Bulat hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. Dorio Laje took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Cvjetko Štokić, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. 35 minutes into the match, U21 Croatia's Cvjetko Štokić sent off a blazing shot straight on target, a shot that Dorio Laje narrowly saved just below the crossbar. In the 35th play minute Cvjetko Štokić came free and shot an unsuspected shot which went into goal from the right pole behind a surprised Dorio Laje. 2-0. In the 38th minute of the match Ximun Zaldos sent off a long shot with destination to the right of the goalkeeper, but Tomislav Kardum skillfully saved the ball. The supporters of U21 Croatia booed when U21 Venezuela was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 43 match minutes in a wonderful position. Paskal Baragaño didn't get a good kick on the ball. Mladen Gambiroža hit a great freekick 45 minutes into the match. Lucio Oquendo fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 46th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Tomislav Kardum having to interfere.

The players of the home team were most fresh-looking when they entered the field to play the second half. Hrvoje Sansević was the one to do the kick off. Dorio Laje showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Cvjetko Štokić in the 54th minute of the match. With a couple of smart ball manuevers Hrvoje Sansević in the 56th managed to get into a good position. With a left leg Dorio Laje saved U21 Venezuela from getting behind. An unexpectedly hard shot by Cvjetko Štokić in the 58th minute of play forced U21 Venezuela's goalkeeper Dorio Laje to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. U21 Croatia's Tomislav Kardum played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Ximun Zaldos in the 61st minute of play. With an all-out effort, U21 Venezuela's Tomislav Kardum threw himself towards the right post 61 minutes into the match and grabbed hold of the ball from Renato Nunez-Tesheira, which otherwise would have been placed in the net. In the 64th minute, Cvjetko Štokić left the goalkeeper for dead before tapping the ball into the right side of the net. The U21 Croatia fans were clearly happy with the effort and the scoreboard reflected the new score: 3-0. Paskal Baragaño charged in rather forcefully in the 70th minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed Paskal Baragaño the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. U21 Croatia made a substitution. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia replaced Maksim Delić. After a rather tough play, U21 Venezuela's Paskal Baragaño got a free kick in the 72nd minute. Dorio Laje showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Andrej Palković in the 74th minute of the match. The audience thought a goal was coming when Xandro Zubillaga got free with Tomislav Kardum in the 75th minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. In the 76th match minute, U21 Croatia was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Hrvoje Sansević to maneuver through the defense. Tomislav Kardum took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Renato Nunez-Tesheira, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. In the 84th minute, Xandro Zubillaga got an opportunity to score, but he didn't get a solid hit on the ball and ended up kicking it wide of the goal. Dorio Laje showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Andrej Palković, who was totally free with the ball in the 86th minute. 95 minutes into the game, Andrej Nikolić was given a yellow card after he appeared to trip an opposing player. U21 Croatia's manager was livid on the sidelines, but the referee was unmoved and gave U21 Venezuela the free kick. After 95 played minutes U21 Croatia got a freekick which was hit by Andrej Nikolić. When Šandor Dajčić fell near the penalty area in the 96th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored U21 Croatia's protests and gave Šandor Dajčić a yellow card for diving instead. In the 96th match minute, U21 Croatia was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Šandor Dajčić to maneuver through the defense. For all the effort they put into the match, the U21 Venezuela players left disappointed. They had fought hard, but couldn't break down the home team's defense. The match ended in a win for U21 Croatia.