Croatia’s attacking midfielder Nikola Vlasic has been ruled out of the rest of Euro 2024 with a muscle injury, the Croatian FA announced on Tuesday. Vlasic, who was already sidelined for the opening 3-0 defeat to Spain on Saturday, will now depart the national team camp ahead of their crucial second group game against Albania on Wednesday.
“I’m extremely sorry that this new injury will prevent me from helping the team. I’ve done everything possible to be ready, and I’d like to thank the head coach and the coaching staff for the opportunity. I believe in this team and I’m sure they will succeed – I’ll be their biggest fan!” Vlasic said in a statement released by the Croatian FA on X.
The injury is a significant setback for Croatia, whose hopes of advancing from a difficult Group B were already hampered by the loss to Spain. With Italy still to come in their final group match, anything less than a victory against Albania will leave Zlatko Dalic’s side, who reached the World Cup final in 2018 and the semi-finals in Qatar two years ago, facing an early exit from the tournament.
Croatia’s coach, Zlatko Dalic, expressed his disappointment at the loss of Vlasic. “Nikola invested a lot of effort to help the team at the EURO 2024, and he is an integral part of the squad. Unfortunately, this second injury happened, and I can only thank him for everything he’s done here,” Dalic said.
