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It’s been eight years, and Ivan Njegovan can still hear the sirens.
Njegovan was with his family in his hometown of Otocac, Croatia, during the summer of 2018, huddled around the television watching Croatia battle France in the World Cup final. Croatia fell 4-2, but only a few minutes passed before the noise picked up.
“We were so sad, but after 5-10 minutes, you hear all the sirens of, like, fire trucks,” Njegovan said. “There was a whole parade around the town. It was crazy.”
For a country fiercely proud of its soccer team, the run to the final had been exhilarating even if the final result wasn’t what Njegovan’s countrymen had hoped for.
Now he’s getting to enjoy the experience of World Cup soccer in person. Alongside Ohio State teammate and fellow Croatian center Andrija Jelavic, he was in the stands to see his home country take down Ghana in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup, solidifying its spot in the knockout round.
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After taking in that 2-1 win against Ghana in Philadelphia on June 27, Jelavic and Njegovan headed to Toronto for the July 2 elimination game between Croatia and Portugal, furthering the bond between two new teammates who share a love for their home country and the beautiful game.
“Seeing Croatia win against Ghana, it was a big win,” Jelavic said. “The crowd was more than half a Croatian crowd. I just wanted to be a part of that.”
Both players grew up playing soccer, and each will politely remind you that they call it football back home. Njegovan said he exclusively played informal games with friends while Jelavic spent six years playing competitively before switching full-time to basketball. On the hardwood, the two centers would cross paths throughout their youth, and they played for Croatia’s national teams, occasionally bunking up as roommates on trips.
Once they united at Ohio State – Njegovan is entering his third year, while Jelavic transferred from Kentucky after one season – the two started making World Cup plans.
Ohio State Buckeyes: Ohio State's Jake Diebler leaning into Thad Matta era as coach returns
“There are some things that we grew up doing that maybe some other kids here didn’t do,” Njegovan said. “For example, soccer is the No. 1 sport in Croatia and in Europe in general, and here nobody really cares about soccer. It’s definitely nice to have somebody to watch soccer games with.”
When Croatia faced England in a June 17 group stage game, the two ordered food and organized a watch party inside the men’s basketball locker room that was attended by nearly the entire team. As the tournament has progressed, Njegovan said freshmen Alex Smith and Anthony Thompson have shown increased interest in the sport while cheering for the United States.
In Toronto, Jelavic said he’s looking forward to seeing Croatian veteran Luka Modric playing against Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, while both Buckeyes are fans of 23-year-old Martin Baturina.
“Game-wise, it’s going to be the best knockout game so far because it’s Portugal against Croatia, Modric against Christiano Ronaldo, both of them, it’s their last World Cup,” Jelavic said. “Canada has a large population of Portuguese and Croatian people there, so I think it’s going to be wild. The stadium in Toronto is much smaller than the one in Philadelphia and it can [seat roughly 45,000] people so I think it’s going to be man-on-man crowded. It will be a great atmosphere and a big win.”
The two are hardly inconspicuous. Njegovan is listed at 7-foot-2, 260 pounds. Jelavic checks in at 6-11, 240. While watching the Ghana game, Jelavic said the two tended to stay seated, making sure they didn’t block the view of any fans unlucky enough to have purchased seats directly behind them. But they couldn't help but get a little excited at times.
“I definitely wouldn’t like to sit behind us, but it is what it is,” Njegovan said with a smile. “We can’t really change it.”
As the two big men walked around the concourse in Philadelphia, Jelavic said they were peppered with questions from fans who wondered if they were somehow affiliated with the team.
“We’ve been asked several times if we are Croatian football team players, yes,” Jelavic said. “We just have the finesse and the aura and the drip of the football player.”
Ohio State men's basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at [email protected], on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State's Ivan Njegovan, Andrija Jelavic cheer on Croatia in World Cup
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Njegovan was with his family in his hometown of Otocac, Croatia, during the summer of 2018, huddled around the television watching Croatia battle France in the World Cup final. Croatia fell 4-2, but only a few minutes passed before the noise picked up.
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“We were so sad, but after 5-10 minutes, you hear all the sirens of, like, fire trucks,” Njegovan said. “There was a whole parade around the town. It was crazy.”
For a country fiercely proud of its soccer team, the run to the final had been exhilarating even if the final result wasn’t what Njegovan’s countrymen had hoped for.
Now he’s getting to enjoy the experience of World Cup soccer in person. Alongside Ohio State teammate and fellow Croatian center Andrija Jelavic, he was in the stands to see his home country take down Ghana in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup, solidifying its spot in the knockout round.
FOR BETTER SEARCHES: Prefer The Dispatch on Google
After taking in that 2-1 win against Ghana in Philadelphia on June 27, Jelavic and Njegovan headed to Toronto for the July 2 elimination game between Croatia and Portugal, furthering the bond between two new teammates who share a love for their home country and the beautiful game.
“Seeing Croatia win against Ghana, it was a big win,” Jelavic said. “The crowd was more than half a Croatian crowd. I just wanted to be a part of that.”
Both players grew up playing soccer, and each will politely remind you that they call it football back home. Njegovan said he exclusively played informal games with friends while Jelavic spent six years playing competitively before switching full-time to basketball. On the hardwood, the two centers would cross paths throughout their youth, and they played for Croatia’s national teams, occasionally bunking up as roommates on trips.
Once they united at Ohio State – Njegovan is entering his third year, while Jelavic transferred from Kentucky after one season – the two started making World Cup plans.
Ohio State Buckeyes: Ohio State's Jake Diebler leaning into Thad Matta era as coach returns
“There are some things that we grew up doing that maybe some other kids here didn’t do,” Njegovan said. “For example, soccer is the No. 1 sport in Croatia and in Europe in general, and here nobody really cares about soccer. It’s definitely nice to have somebody to watch soccer games with.”
When Croatia faced England in a June 17 group stage game, the two ordered food and organized a watch party inside the men’s basketball locker room that was attended by nearly the entire team. As the tournament has progressed, Njegovan said freshmen Alex Smith and Anthony Thompson have shown increased interest in the sport while cheering for the United States.
In Toronto, Jelavic said he’s looking forward to seeing Croatian veteran Luka Modric playing against Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, while both Buckeyes are fans of 23-year-old Martin Baturina.
You must be registered for see images attach
“Game-wise, it’s going to be the best knockout game so far because it’s Portugal against Croatia, Modric against Christiano Ronaldo, both of them, it’s their last World Cup,” Jelavic said. “Canada has a large population of Portuguese and Croatian people there, so I think it’s going to be wild. The stadium in Toronto is much smaller than the one in Philadelphia and it can [seat roughly 45,000] people so I think it’s going to be man-on-man crowded. It will be a great atmosphere and a big win.”
The two are hardly inconspicuous. Njegovan is listed at 7-foot-2, 260 pounds. Jelavic checks in at 6-11, 240. While watching the Ghana game, Jelavic said the two tended to stay seated, making sure they didn’t block the view of any fans unlucky enough to have purchased seats directly behind them. But they couldn't help but get a little excited at times.
“I definitely wouldn’t like to sit behind us, but it is what it is,” Njegovan said with a smile. “We can’t really change it.”
As the two big men walked around the concourse in Philadelphia, Jelavic said they were peppered with questions from fans who wondered if they were somehow affiliated with the team.
“We’ve been asked several times if we are Croatian football team players, yes,” Jelavic said. “We just have the finesse and the aura and the drip of the football player.”
Ohio State men's basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at [email protected], on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State's Ivan Njegovan, Andrija Jelavic cheer on Croatia in World Cup
Continue reading...
