ZAGREB, Croatia – Croatia maintained their perfect record in World Cup qualifying with a commanding 4-0 victory over 10-man Montenegro on Tuesday, extending their unbeaten home run in qualifying matches to 14 games dating back to 2016.
The match turned decisively in Croatia’s favor when Kristijan Jakić opened the scoring in the 35th minute with a spectacular individual effort, cutting inside two defenders before curling a finish into the far corner for his first international goal. Montenegro’s task grew considerably more difficult just before halftime when Andrija Bulatović received his second yellow card for a foul on Luka Modrić.
Croatia capitalized on their numerical advantage immediately after the break, with Josip Stanišić setting up Andrej Kramarić for a simple tap-in in the 51st minute. The hosts added two late goals through an Edvin Kuč own goal and Ivan Perišić’s clinical finish in stoppage time to complete the comprehensive victory.
The result moves Croatia to the top of Group L with maximum points from five matches, holding a game in hand over second-place Czech Republic. For Montenegro, who have now lost four of their last five away qualifiers, the defeat leaves them six points adrift of the playoff spots and facing increasingly long odds of reaching their first major tournament since independence.
