Marked for Marcelo Modric
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad28 Sep 2026
Robert Ivanovic damages knee ligaments — 52 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 52 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Squad28 Sep 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zadar this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings28 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Words at Zadar training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Dmitriy Tsvetkov is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Match26 Sep 2026
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Ivan Težački gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad21 Sep 2026
Robert Ivanovic damages knee ligaments — 59 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 59 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Tempers go at Zadar
Marcelo Modric was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad21 Sep 2026
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad14 Sep 2026
Robert Ivanovic damages knee ligaments — 66 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 66 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Match12 Sep 2026
Zadar win it in stoppage time
The board had gone up, the arguing had started, and then the ball was in the net in the 94th minute. Cibalia will replay every second of the added time for a week.
Market14 Sep 2026
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Zadar, and it is not being withdrawn.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market14 Sep 2026
The fee was agreed and the flight was looked at — and then the phone stopped ringing. Hrvatski Dragovoljac moved on, Zvonimir Bogdan reports back to Zadar, and everybody pretends Monday is just Monday.
Squad14 Sep 2026
Words at Zadar training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Dmitriy Tsvetkov is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The terraces14 Sep 2026
Zadar supporters have found a favourite in Dejan Pasalic
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 17-year-old it feels ownership of. Dejan Pasalic has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
Squad14 Sep 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match12 Sep 2026
Zadar get the job done against Cibalia
A 1‑0 win over Cibalia, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad31 Aug 2026
Robert Ivanovic damages knee ligaments — 80 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 80 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 36. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market31 Aug 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad31 Aug 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zadar this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The terraces31 Aug 2026
Zadar supporters have found a favourite in Marko Zebić
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 19-year-old it feels ownership of. Marko Zebić has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
Squad31 Aug 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings24 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 48. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Robert Ivanovic damages knee ligaments — 87 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 87 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Match19 Aug 2026
Zadar out of the cup
Imotski ended it 1‑2. The season narrows to the league now, and everyone in the ground knew it before the final whistle.
Match22 Aug 2026
The 88th minute, half the ground already edging towards the exits, and Marcelo Modric decided nobody was going anywhere. Hrvatski Dragovoljac had no time left to answer.
Market24 Aug 2026
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Zadar, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Goran Colak in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zadar this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Dmitriy Tsvetkov falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The terraces24 Aug 2026
Zadar supporters have found a favourite in Dmytro Zudin
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 18-year-old it feels ownership of. Dmytro Zudin has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 92. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market10 Aug 2026
Ufa come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Zadar did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Market10 Aug 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
Dmitriy Tsvetkov, 33, rolls back the years — 7.91
There is an age at which every good afternoon gets described as a throwback, which is unfair and also accurate. 7.91 at 33, and nobody on the pitch was better.
Squad10 Aug 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Sime Sucic and Zadar agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad10 Aug 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zadar this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad10 Aug 2026
Words at Zadar training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Dmitriy Tsvetkov is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Match8 Aug 2026
Segesta made Zadar work for it, but the scoreboard read 1‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Loan watch10 Aug 2026
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Zadar, and 0 appearances in 0 say he has earned the hearing.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market3 Aug 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Player ratings3 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 24. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Tempers go at Zadar
Marcelo Modric was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Dmitriy Tsvetkov falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Squad3 Aug 2026
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Fran Kasalo and Zadar agree another 2 years.
Squad3 Aug 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Matej Barisic, and the manager let it.
Player ratings3 Aug 2026
Marked 7.95 on an afternoon he ran from the first whistle to the last. Whatever else went wrong, Zadar had the best player on the pitch.
Match1 Aug 2026
Zadar share the spoils with Lucko
A 1‑1 draw with Lucko leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Market3 Aug 2026
Ante Lovren told to find a new club
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Ante Lovren has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Zadar.
In brief
-
Market
Experience through the door at Zadar
-
Market
Zadar bring in an old head