Croatia v Kosovo World Cup Qualifier Abandoned After 25 Minutes

Croatia v Kosovo called off (Photo: HNS)

Torrential rain has caused Croatia’s 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying UEFA Group I match against Kosovo to be abandoned after just 25 minutes of play.

Heavy rain fell all day in the Croatian capital, leaving the Maksimir Stadium pitch waterlogged.

With just over half an hour before the expected kick-time the officials inspected the pitch and determined it was OK to start the match but they would see if there was any point once the game started.

It was apparent early in the match that a match would not be possible and the ball struggled to bounce and got stuck in puddles of water on the pitch. The players were taken off the pitch after around 25 minutes for a 10-minute break as officials made a final decision.

Rainy night in Zagreb. ?️☂️
Football postponed. ⚽️ ????#CROKOS #WCQ @EuroQualifiers pic.twitter.com/sxNLVWFuhO

— HNS | CFF (@HNS_CFF) September 2, 2017

The officials and the two captains returned to test the pitch again but the match was officially abandoned at 9:30 pm. A decision on when the match will be replayed will be made after a meeting on Sunday morning.

?️Captain @lm19official: “We wanted at least to try and play, for all the fans that came to the stadium”.#CROKOS #WCQ #Vatreni #Croatia pic.twitter.com/hZ1DkyhqcA

— HNS | CFF (@HNS_CFF) September 2, 2017

Croatia v Kosovo called off (Photo: HNS)

?️Ante Čačić: “It was a logical move to abandon the match, the pitch condition was really unsuitable”.#CROKOS #WCQ @EuroQualifiers #Croatia pic.twitter.com/qYSXgvzL5t

— HNS | CFF (@HNS_CFF) September 2, 2017

Croatia plays Turkey in their next qualifier on Tuesday.