Tottenham Hotspur loanee Luka Vuskovic was in the thick of the action for Croatia as they secured a 2-1 victory against Colombia in a friendly ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The young defender has emerged as one of the breakout stars of the 2025-26 campaign and has taken the Bundesliga by storm with his displays for Hamburg.
Aside from his defensive excellence, Vuskovic has been among the goals this season for the German side, which was also the case for his national team yesterday.
He broke the deadlock with a deflected effort and, in doing so, became the second youngest goalscorer in Croatia’s decorated history.
Vuskovic capped off a fine performance with a goal and a creditable Sofascore rating of 7.7. And the Croatian media heaped praise on his performance as he looks set to return to Tottenham in the summer.
Vuskovic continues to impress
Starting on the left side of a back three, the 18-year-old, making just his third appearance for his country, enjoyed a fine outing in Orlando.
Vuskovic did well to deal with the threat posed by Jhon Arias and Daniel Munoz, whom he came up against on the night.
The defender didn’t take too much time to make his presence felt on the night as he drove forward with the ball and took a shot on goal, which found its way into the back of the net via a deflection.
As the game went on, Vuskovic impressed with his passing while standing his ground defensively against an experienced Colombian outfit.
Croatiansports.com rated his performance 7.8/10, claiming that he deserved to be named Player of the Match.
They wrote, “Played a great game, solid defensively beside Erlić and Pongračić and stepped up with the goal. Deservedly, Sofascore Player of the Match.”
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Former Tottenham man Ivan Perisic was also in action for Croatia as he captained his side to a creditable victory.
Vuskovic’s stats vs Colombia
Vuskovic was given a Sofascore rating of 7.7 and was the second-highest rated player on the pitch after Mario Pasalic. His underlying numbers make for impressive reading.
- Accurate passes 45/47 (96%)
- Accurate passes in the opposition half 7/8 (88%)
- Accurate passes in own half 38/39 (97%)
- Accurate long balls 2/2 (100%)
- 10 clearances
- Three recoveries
- Two blocked shots
- 1/1 aerial duels won (100%)
He is building on his fine performances and proved with his showing against Colombia that he is more than capable of delivering for the national team as well, which is no mean feat for a 19-year-old with just three senior caps to his name.
Vuskovic has been linked with a departure from Tottenham as some of the biggest clubs in the world continue to keep tabs on him.
However, the North London outfit shouldn’t entertain any talks of selling him as he is clearly the next big thing in the making. See you in the summer, Luka!
