Croatia's Vlasic out of UEFA Euro 2024 due to muscle injury

HAMBURG, Germany (AP) — Croatia midfielder Nikola Vlasic has withdrawn from the European Championship because of a muscle injury.

The news was announced by the country's soccer federation on Tuesday, a day before Croatia's group B match against Albania.

Vlasic was in doubt for Croatia's squad ahead of the Euros due to an injury while playing for Torino in Serie A. He was included anyway and came on as a substitute in a friendly against Portugal but remained on the bench in Croatia's Euro 2024 opener, a 3-0 loss against Spain.

The federation said he sustained a new injury that ruled him out of playing in the tournament.

“I’m extremely sorry that this new injury will prevent me from helping the team," Vlasic said in the federation's statement on X.

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic confirmed Tuesday that Vlasic had left the team after an MRI. Dalic said all other players were fit for Tuesday's match in Hamburg.

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AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024