Before the historic match with Armenia: Croatia are already talking about the semifinals

Armenia’s opponent in the UEFA Futsal EURO 2026 quarterfinal — Croatia — approach the game with great respect for the tournament debutants, but also with clearly stated ambitions. Inside the Croatian camp, they say it openly: the goal is the semifinals.

The Armenia vs Croatia match will take place on January 31 in Kaunas, and for the Armenian team this is already a historic achievement — their first European Championship ever and an immediate playoff qualification after finishing first in Group B. Croatia finished second in Group A and bring serious experience, including a EURO 2012 semifinal.

Hero of the Latvia match: “Now we are thinking only about Armenia”

Croatia reached the quarterfinal after a confident 4–1 win over Latvia. One of the key goals was scored by Josip Đurlina, who struck at a decisive moment of the match.

After the game, he immediately shifted the focus to the upcoming opponent — Armenia:

“We are incredibly happy! Reaching the quarterfinals was our first goal at this tournament. But we don’t plan to stop here — the next goal is the semifinals, and I believe we have the quality to get there.
We are playing against Armenia, there is almost no time to celebrate — we are already starting preparations for this match. I believe we can win and take another step forward.”

According to Đurlina, the team understands that the playoffs mean a completely different level of pressure and responsibility.

Croatia coach: “Armenia are a serious team”

Croatia head coach Marinko Mavrović also spoke separately about the upcoming opponent, and his words sounded like a warning against underestimating them.

“This is a team where many players compete in the strong Russian league. It’s a serious national side. If before the tournament we had been offered a quarterfinal spot, we would of course have agreed. But it is very important that we treat Armenia with maximum seriousness.”

The coach also stressed that his team relies on squad depth and physical readiness — which, in his words, helped them turn the game around against Latvia in the second half.

So, ahead of the match with Armenia, the Croatian camp is full of positivity and confidence, but without arrogance. Armenia’s opponent openly speaks about the goal of reaching the semifinals, yet admits: underestimating the tournament debutants could be costly.

For Armenia, this is a chance to continue an already historic run — and to disrupt the plans of a more experienced opponent.