Croatia closed their qualifying campaign with a 1-0 victory over Lithuania in Druskininkai, Ivan Canjuga scoring the only goal from the penalty spot in the 27th minute.
The result completed a highly successful campaign in which Olić’s team finished first in Group H with 19 points from eight matches, recording six wins, one draw and one defeat. Croatia scored 15 goals and conceded only three, finishing six points ahead of second-placed Türkiye.
More importantly, qualification had already been secured before the final round.
A convincing 3-1 victory over Hungary in Varaždin, inspired by an Adriano Jagušić hat-trick, effectively completed Croatia’s main task. Türkiye’s subsequent draw with Ukraine confirmed Croatia’s place at the European Championship, allowing Olić to use the remaining matches with one eye already on next summer.
From Qualification to Ambition
For Olić, however, simply reaching another major tournament is not enough.
Croatia’s youth teams naturally exist partly to develop players capable of eventually stepping into the senior national side, but this generation is also expected to compete for results in its own right.
That distinction is important.
There is a growing belief around the team that Croatia should travel to the 2027 tournament looking to challenge the continent’s strongest sides rather than simply being satisfied with qualification.
The European Championship will be staged in Albania and Serbia from June 16 to July 3, 2027, bringing together 16 of Europe’s leading U21 national teams. Croatia have qualified for the tournament for the fourth time in the last five editions.
After the qualifying campaign, Olić made it clear that attention would now move towards preparing the team for that challenge.
The November international window is expected to provide Croatia with a friendly against another Euro participant, giving the coaching staff an opportunity to measure the squad against the level it will face at the final tournament.
Olić Has Built a Team, Not Just a Collection of Talents
One of the most encouraging features of Croatia’s campaign was the team’s ability to cope with absences and changes in personnel.
Several important players were unavailable at different stages, whether because of injury, limited club football or promotion into the senior national-team picture. Yet Croatia continued producing results.
The 3-1 victory over Hungary was a strong example. Croatia were without several players considered important to the generation, yet still delivered one of their most convincing performances of the campaign.
That ability to replace missing players without losing the team’s identity may become particularly important at a tournament, where squad depth can determine how far a nation progresses.
Olić has also placed considerable trust in players whose situations at club level have not always been ideal. Instead of judging them exclusively on club minutes, the coaching staff have tried to create an environment in which players arrive at the national team with confidence.
The result has been a side that increasingly looks comfortable with the ball, plays proactively and appears willing to take responsibility rather than simply react to opponents.
A Generation With Senior Potential
The success of any U21 generation in Croatia will ultimately also be judged by how many players make the transition to senior international football.
There are already several candidates.
Adriano Jagušić was one of the standout figures of the qualifying campaign, with his hat-trick against Hungary providing perhaps the defining individual performance of Croatia’s road to the tournament.
Luka Vrbančić continues to develop as a versatile central midfielder capable of operating in both deeper and more advanced roles, while Marin Šotiček offers pace, directness and one-on-one ability in wide areas.
Dominik Prpić, Šimun Hrgović and Adriano Segečić are among the other players who have attracted attention around the senior setup.
Olić has avoided publicly identifying exactly who he expects to make the next step, stressing instead that development depends on much more than talent alone. Club environment, playing time, injuries, tactical systems and individual development can all influence when — or whether — a young player reaches senior international level.
What appears clear, however, is that this generation contains several players with the technical and physical potential to eventually compete at that level.
One Defeat Does Not Change the Bigger Picture
Croatia did suffer one setback late in qualifying, losing 1-0 to Ukraine in Miskolc.
The defeat ended a 14-match unbeaten run across the team’s recent fixtures, but it arrived only after Croatia had already secured first place in the group. Four days later, Olić’s side responded by defeating Lithuania and finishing the campaign on a positive note.
The Lithuania match itself could have produced a more convincing scoreline. Croatia created enough opportunities to win by a larger margin, but Canjuga’s first-half penalty ultimately proved sufficient.
For a team already guaranteed a place at the European Championship, the result mattered less than completing the campaign professionally and maintaining momentum heading into the next phase of preparations.
Croatia Can Aim Higher
The next challenge is considerably greater.
Qualifying successfully is one thing. Competing against Europe’s elite youth teams over the course of a major tournament is another.
But Croatia have reasons for optimism.
They have defensive stability, technical quality in midfield, attacking players capable of deciding matches and, perhaps most importantly, a coach who does not appear interested in treating the tournament merely as a developmental exercise.
Olić inherited Croatia’s previous U21 campaign late and narrowly missed qualification after a penalty shootout defeat against Georgia. With the current generation, he has had the opportunity to shape the team from the beginning, establish clearer principles and build a stronger collective identity.
That work has now produced qualification.
The next objective is considerably more ambitious.
Croatia have never won the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, and expectations should remain realistic in a tournament filled with Europe’s strongest young players. But this team has shown enough quality to believe that simply reaching the finals does not have to represent the limit of its ambitions.
There is also another incentive. The leading European U21 teams can put themselves in contention for the Olympic pathway, adding another layer of significance to a deep run at the tournament.
For now, Olić and his staff have time to refine the squad, monitor the development of key players and prepare for opponents of a higher level.
Qualification has been secured.
Now Croatia’s U21 generation has the opportunity to prove that it belongs among Europe’s best.
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