Dinamo Zagreb is only 90 minutes away from entering the most prestigious sports tournament in the world.
A last minute goal put Dinamo over Albanian side Skenderbeu Korce with a score of 2-1 in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League playoff round.
Josip Pivarić was the hero for Dinamo with his goal in the third minute of second half stoppage time.
Ante Čorić, who entered the game in the 61st minute, was the playmaker behind Pivarić’s goal.
Čorić fed the ball to Pivarić who used his chest to bring it down and let off a stunning shot from 18 yards into the corner of the goal to take the final 2-1 lead after first being down 1-0.
Dinamo tied the match at one goal a piece at the 66th minute with a goal from El Arbi Hillel Soudani after being down 1-0 for nearly 30 minutes. Some clever play led to Soudani’s goal and gave the Modri the momentum and will needed to keep them alive.
Though, it was a rough first half for the Modri who at first seemed to play with the lackluster desire they have been playing with all throughout this tournament.
Despite owning the bulk of the possession as well as the scoring chances, Dinamo’s finishing leaves something to be desired.
Dinamo’s defense at times also looked lost, and a surprising starting lineup was without Angelo Henriquez who was replaced by Armin Hodzić.
Inconsistency by coach Zoran Mamić may be to blame for Dinamo’s discordance in the previous matches.
Mamić has used four different lineups for the five Champions League matches Dinamo has played this season. All matches with the exception of today’s featured Henriquez in the starting line up.
Furhter more, Mamić has used six different line ups in the six league matches so far this season, further adding possible confusion to players.
Several chances were created by Dinamo in the first half including Soudani’s prime chance from in front of the goal, but goalkeeper Orges Shehi was there to make the strong save.
In fact, 12 chances were seen by the 70th minute, with only Soudani’s effort in the 66th minute making its way on the scoresheet until the end of the match.
“We played well and we have many reasons to be pleased. Maybe the only regret we can have is we had so many opportunities but were unable to score more goals, but we achieved what we came for, and it’s a victory,” Soudani said in an interview after the match.
Skenderbeu took advantage of the scoring chances they had early on by scoring in the 33rd minute with a stunning free kick by Bledi Shkembi.
Paulo Machado pulled Shkembi down just on top of the box and was issued a yellow card.
The ensuing free kick was an impressive one and dipped over the wall into the side netting, leaving Eduardo stunned and angry at his defensive wall.
Pivarić was the defender at the far side of the wall where the ball sailed over uncontested. It seems that Pivarić could have saved the goal by following his fellow defenders lead and jumping, but was tied up with an opponent.
But it was Pivarić who redeemed himself, and it was Pivarić who was crowned hero in Albania.
Dinamo will take the 2-1 aggregate lead back to Zagreb and wait for the Albanians to join for the next match on Tuesday, Aug. 25.
“I expect an even better game in Zagreb and this game will be very serious,” coach Zoran Mamić was quoted after the match. “Skenderbeu is a solid and well crafted team that can be extremely dangerous. We have to be even stronger in Maksimir because it is a game worthy of the Champions League.”
I eat it regularly. Peter North loves Pussy.
HA!
Now that should go on the Tuesday Night Funnies!
Tripice and grah were 2 foods I could not stand growing up!
Pussy on the other hand is quite delicious…
Hahaha….
You know who has????? STD Corluka.
ever go down on a girl and it smelled like tripice that’s been sitting out in the sun for a day?
Maybe we can go on an episode of Jerry Springer?
To end the week off: I agree with the last comment. Have a fun weekend everyone! Hope you enjoy next weeks debate.
The bottom line in all this hate-filled discussion is this. Nobody should go to a game with the intention to cause havoc, harm, vandalize, destroy or hurt the public…
…unless of course we have Partizan or Zvezda fans destroying our stadiums and causing fights…then all bets are off!
It’s difficult to distinguish, I know many BBB are stand up people and helped Tudjman and Croatia…but that’s a far cry from those, the criminals I’m talking about! If a portion of BBB are criminals, that group represents them…those are who I am talking about!
The guys that interrupted Mamic’s press conference, I tip my hat to them…they look like respectable guys and not criminals…
Also, I know Mamic has his criminals too…paid thugs, just as bad as the fuckere I was referring to within the BBB!
Your sentence is structured to where you refer the entire BBB as one sect of anti soccer supporters. Now, if you’re not saying that then I agree with you. However you know that many times you refer to all of of them as criminals which is false and irresponsible. Divide et impera.
Talk about putting words in a persons mouth!some have organized sects and some of those are like the BBB who have become anti-soccer and negatively affect the team and nation.
You said: “You never know if they do it out of political reasons or if they’re criminals so let’s go ahead and use your technique and group them all as criminals”…why should we group them all as criminals when I clearly stated above that there are sects:
…some have organized sects and some of those are like the BBB who have become anti-soccer and negatively afect the team and nation”
Who’s putting words in who’s mouth Ante?
Don’t confuse fans and hooligans….Hajduk has amazing fans and they also have idiots that destroy people’s cars and public property, they fight and injure people…
Those aren’t fans dummy!
Well at least we agree on one thing…you shouldn’t really comment about it. You never know if they do it out of political reasons or if they’re criminals so let’s go ahead and use your technique and group them all as criminals. That sounds very responsible. You say they’re anti soccer. What you should ask yourself is why it came to that. Then again you’d forget in a nanosecond because for some reason you are not capable of holding down a thought that holds water. Did the fans of both teams negatively affect what was on the field during the derby? What about Hajduks game yesterday? What about next week when the stadium is full. To me it seems you pander too much to convenience when making a point even when it’s wrong and teetering on irresponsible. And I actually will apologize to you: I was justifying a criminal. That criminal happened to be in the svecana loza, not in the stands where you think they are.
All fan bases have fans…some have organized sects and some of those are like the BBB who have become anti-soccer and negatively affect the team and nation.
Hajduk’s president is pissed off at what those clowns did yesterday and more often, we are seeing these hooligans create problems!
You never know if they’ll act out for a political reason…or just because they’re criminals!
I won’t comment on BBB’s shitty actions just because you think they had reason, it means nothing to me that anyone is anyone else’s kum…that’s your justification, not mine!
Wikipedia this term and sorry that I only know it in Latin “divide et impera.” You are guilty of this. The BBB, as well as Torcida, Armada, Kohorta i sl. are not all criminals either but you’re throwing them all in the same basket. I’m not justifying criminals at all. That’s the perverted stance you have somehow taken it to. Maybe a personal conversation in your head where you think I’m doing that? Again, another post and no answers. You’re going to have to hurry this up. I’m almost done for the weekend.
You’re trying to justify criminals , no player or fans respects hooligans!
Figures. Not one answer to any question. Jebes internet, odi na tekme. You were wrong in your assumption and again put words into pther mouths sprinkled with personal attacks. I’m fine with that. Then again you’re the professional player screaming loser on a website. Mark that under lifetime achievement.
“don’t let those who have never felt the tribine …”
I played in front of full tribine ( while you were “around”, snacking on chips and donuts)…and you’re gonna tell me the difference between a fan and a hooligan?
LOSER!
you’re a pure idiot, nothing short of that!
its retarded to blame a groups criminal actions on any one person.
you are immoral, your so-called association with Catholicism is a farce, you are equal to that “red-headed step child” who was always neglected and starving to be a somebody by affiliation…in this case BBB!
I will never allow myself to be baffled that you blame Mamic for any BBB incidents, going back to 1945…
fuck Ante…you are one confused individual…so in need of attention and wanting to be liked…LOSER!
high school must have been a difficult time for you…poor bastard!
Don’t let those who have never felt the tribine tell you that all of these fans are evil thugs and criminals. People like that just follow the jugo tactic of blaming them for everything that we currently see in the media. Again, hard Internet research at its best.
Hasn’t Mamic with Dinamo for over 40 years? Wasn’t it Mamic who got Dinamo (then Croatia) kicked out of Europe? Isn’t Mamic Blazevic’s kum? Were you at the actual game or is this media article the summation of all of your hard INTERNET research.
“You don’t have to attend a game to see a criminal.”
Never change Uncle Rico, never change. Sramota
whether a professional team is practicing or playing a game…there are usually fans of the team watching, cheering, observing…chanting, singing…they enjoy and are fascinated by the team, the players and their colors. these fans can usually tell you the latest news on certain events, know updates on injuries and fringe players…they also talk amongst themselves about the team and the games…new signings, form of the team and certain individuals.
you then have hooligans that usually are separated positioned in their own zone…these so-called affiliates are usually affiliated to the team by wearing their colors and chanting their songs…but they are also motivated by politics and find a way to integrate politics, religion (something Croatian teams don’t have to deal with), current events…
these hooligans often commit crimes and sometimes heinous crimes which include stabbings, shooting, using rocks, bats, bricks and all sorts of home-made weapons. they injure or kill police officers and spectators every year…they believe they are the ultimate fans…and yet, many of them do more bad than they do good for team and country!
few professional soccer players respect these guys and although they won’t often publicly admit it (cause some are crazy and dangerous), they try to avoid hooligans at all cost.
ever since I can remember, soccer has had hooligans but up until recently, it never really phased me at just how criminal and anti-soccer they really are. many, if not most of us like to attend soccer games when we can…imagine not taking your girlfriend, wife, kids or parents because you fear for their safety?
here’s a snippet from an event that happened in 2002:
Onaj tko to nije vidio ne može vjerovati što se događalo. Klupe su letjele na sve strane, mirni Austrijanci počeli su bježati, djeca su plakala, Dinamovi igrači nisu znali što učiniti. U jednom trenutku navijači su krenuli i prema Miroslavu Blaževiću, nismo znali što će se dogoditi, ali srećom on nije nastradao. Sram nas je, Hrvati koji tu žive i rade kažu da ne znaju kako će izaći na ulicu i pozdraviti svoje sumještane”, to su nam rekli članovi Dinamova vodstva nekoliko dana nakon najvećeg nasilništva koje su njihovi navijači, Bad Blue Boysi, iskazali prošle nedjelje u austrijskom Faaker Seeu, pored Villacha, na prijateljskoj utakmici Dinama i Slovana iz Libereca, prvaka Češke”
To those of you that don’t read Croatian…this was chaos at a friendly match in Austria, close to Villach…BBB not only disrupted the entire town but they also put fear in locals…people were terrified, kids crying and even Ciro Blazevic was pissed beyond belief!
these hooligans have been terrorizing long before Mamic and Suker showed up….I suggest you read a little more of this:
“Ovaj događaj je dokaz da se nastavljaju huliganski ispadi BBB-ovaca, što nekažnjeno traju već više od deset godina i za što se uvijek nalazilo opravdavanje, a pojedini su mediji njihovo ponašanje prikazivali u pozitivnom svjetlu. Na kraju je vodstvo kluba prije svake utakmice strepilo hoće li ona uopće biti dovršena. I ne samo to, kad smo posjetili igrače i vodstvo kluba u austrijskom Lendorfu, nitko od njih nije želio javno govoriti o navijačima jer se boje njihove reakcije. Odjednom nitko od igrača ne zna tko su ti dečki, odjednom svi govore “ja znam one iz mog kvarta, ali to nisu ovi navijači”, odjednom svi opravdavaju situaciju poznatom frazom “ovo nisu bili oni pravi navijači”. Međutim, kad smo s igračima razgovarali pojedinačno, priznali su da je sve otišlo dalje nego je itko očekivao:”Nije nam svejedno, naročito kada prije početka svake utakmice čujemo upozorenja – ne pobijedite li, automobili će vam biti razbijeni”. Očito je da su i igrači pogriješili, jer želeći s navijačima biti u dobrim odnosima, poklanjali su im dresove, trenirke, kupovali pivo, davali novac za putovanja, ali umjesto da ih to smiri, reakcija je bila suprotna. I Miroslav Blažević potvrđuje da navijačko nasilje traje već godinama pa ni njegovo postavljanje za trenera Dinama, kao što se to piše, ne može biti isprika za huliganstvo. Dapače, prisjeća se kako ih je i on sam svojedobno spašavao od policije i kaže da je 1993. dvojicu izvukao iz zatvora nakon izgreda na utakmici Dinamo-Pazinka, a oni su mu nakon otvaranja rešetaka rekli: “Gdje si do sada, p…. ti materina”. Miroslav Blažević ističe da mu kod Udruge navijača Dinama najviše smeta što je na čelu te udruge Tomislav Glušić (29) zvan “Petrinjac” koji je prije devet godina, s još petoricom prijatelja, uhićen pod sumnjom da je podmetnuo požar na Dinamovu stadionu. U požaru, podmetnutom u ožujku 1993., uništena je svečana loža, trenerska klupa i klupa za rezervne igrače, dio tartan-staze i dio salona “Maksimir”. Počinjena šteta bila je pola milijuna njemačkih maraka, a Blažević, koji je tada bio predsjednik Dinama, platio ju je i zamolio sutkinju da optužene oslobodi. “Mislio sam da sam tako stekao njegovu naklonost, ali Tomo mi je rekao da sam manipulator. Taj je Tomo iz Udruge otjerao osmoricu kako bi drugima zatvorio oči”, govori Blažević.”
don’t let someone that has no clue of this sport allow you to believe that these fanclubs are all just that, good fans…BBB is criminal and recently have behaved more shameful than ever…trying to put a black mark on Croatia and yet, never having to pay the price for their crimes!
you don’t have to attend a game to see a criminal. If Zdravko Mamic isn’t operating within the Croatian legal system he’ll soon be charged of a crime…
who will these thugs try to blame next? BBB has been behaving criminally for years…there wasn’t a Mamic in 1997, 98, 98…2000….and yet, these thugs cause chaos every year for reasons only they know!
idiots that say this and think they deserve the right to say they’re a Dinamo fan are mentally challenged:
“Awesome responses by those who actually have the audacity to go to the games instead of the high and mighty way of not going.”
Sorry, wanted to finish….these are the zivotinje that give Croatians a bad name….i agree with Slavonac and anyone who defends them or that kind of behaviour is a fucking pos!
I have family that went to poland for Euro….were on the tram when a smaller Croatian guy started trying to pick a fight with my family group….they wouldn’t bite. Finally this “fan” pulls out his pecket and starts pissing between my uncle’s legs….prava zivotinja, rodjen u stali!
“Ovo su neprijatelji Hajduka, ne znam što ćemo u Europi s takvim navijačima!
– Ovaj ispad prevršio je svaku mjeru! Pa mi smo molili da navijači koji imaju ulaznice s češkim imenima budu pušteni na tu tribinu na kojoj su zapaljene baklje?”
…”Splićani su recidivisti, ove sezone već je plaćeno 115 tisuća eura kazne.”
even the clubs themselves have to control who is allowed to attend away games or not because these criminals ruin it for the real fans!
http://www.zagreb.info/sport/ogorceni-i-ljuti-navijaci-porucuju-hns-u-danas-ste-napokon-uspjeli-sebati-hrvatski-sport/11843
Awesome responses by those who actually have the audacity to go to the games instead of the high and mighty way of not going.
Hooligans and fans are NOT mutually exclusive.
Some of the best fans I’ve known are hooligans.
Wasn’t calling anyone on here a “manure spreader”, think you might be confused a bit, friend.
Manure-spreader????????? Hey, be kind to the some of the guys who post on this site. I know their comments can leave you scratching your head, but maure-spreader is a bit harsh, no?
I would have been here sooner, but a manure-spreader jackknifed on the Santa Ana. Gawdawful mess. You should see my shoes.
well, I’ve briefly read through a few web pages and saw that both the fan bases from Hajduk and BBB have been accused of nered, theft of alcohol and other items while away in the countries they played in.
I’ve always enjoyed watching a game and taking in the atmosphere but there’s a difference from hooligans and fans…one is a criminal entity that is there for their own interest, the other is there for the team!
I often wonder how and what inspires these so-called fan boys to fight, vandalize, create an unsafe environment for individuals and families that attend games or prior to and after games. when I was younger I thought it was kinda funny to see but now I think they are nothing more than criminals!
So, the savez today decided to not sell ticketsor organize any official road trip for fans for the three remaining Euro qualifiers. Meaning, a Cro fan can still go but there will be no organized trip and Croat only section as is the case on road games. The home team is obligating to provide 5% of seats to visiting fans.
No surpirse why this is being done…..to avoid a fan or group of fans doing something that could hurt us and lead to more fine, deductions or even a suspension.
Now, will the savez do the same at Euros. Would they ask UEFA to do the same and not Croat section only seating.
Yep, this is true. Outside of state-run companies who had sponsorship deals in the past with DInamo, and to be fair a lot of the other clubs in Cro (money laundering at its finest because most of these sponsorship deals were not legit), it appears nobody else wants to be associated with them.
@Maminjo
European scouts are watching Dinamo’s youth teams, not the first team….the first team lately only plays 3 Croats and all the scouts know those players.
P.S. I can fault them for not being able to pay better salaries, as it is a collective fault of the club, league and savez for allowing the on-field product league-wide to deteriorate to the point it has. Smart, progressive people would figure out ways in which to sell the league and attract dollars. There are no smart, progressive thinkers as far as football is concerned in CRO, that is abundantly clear.
Didn’t you find it sad to watch Dinamo’s last game to see they were the only club not to have a sponsor on the front of their jersey? No one wants to be associated with that brand….that is telling.
Modric came out and said yesterday that Kovacic will player of the year in Europe in two years.
Might get to see Modric and Kovacic take the field for Real Madrid this weekend against Alen Halilovic, who looks set to join Sporting Gijon.
@Ante B
Just got home but during the week I would always catch the european Dinamo and Hajduk games with a cousin in some Kafic where ever I was in Croatia, I’ll miss that as it’s 3 in the morning here for those games.
@Ziva
You can fault Dinamo for a lot of things, but you cannot fault them for not being able to give salaries as competitive as the bigger leagues in Western Europe.
What’s worse is that, as a result of Croatia’s reputation and success, there are foreign scouts sitting in on HNL matches constantly looking to find the next Modric, Rakitic, Mandzo, etc. They will pay top dollar for anyone that even comes close to looking like one of them.
Crazy that there are four Croats playing on Real and Barca’s roster…with two of them being purchased strictly on their potential (which furthers my point).
Countries like Romania don’t have a problem like this and can manage to hold onto their players a little longer (and do better than us in European tournaments). I doubt they pay their players any more than we do ours, but there are no poachers sitting in on all of their league games looking to snag young talent. Plus, we have that law against signing kids under 18 to professional contracts, giving outside clubs even more leverage (like it did for Barca when negotiating the Halilovic purchase). I don’t know if similar laws exist in the football leagues of other EU countries.
@bee
Enjoy the game. Coric was great, hopefully he starts this time. Amazing that a population of 4 million and a team on the verge of champions league play. Good for them but they still have one more game to play.
@lovro………have to remember that those kids dont want to stay at dinamo and the HNL. They want to get out and are pressured from parents to get out. The life span of a pro who can go into Europe and actually make legit money is short. For evey year spent in the HNL that is one less year of more income.
Regarding Dinamo Zagreb –
Something is definitely wrong when you are considered to have one of the best academies in Europe over the past 10-15 years and sign almost every top Croatian born player each year – and yet you regularly start 8 foreigners that you buy and then sell for usually around the same price when they move on.
Why even have an academy if they are never intended to help the parent club?
Answer – they are intended to help someone’s bank account.
Nothing short of human trafficking.
@Du. N.
So what was it exactly?
He definitely wasn’t slow. He plays deep like Modric, and holds the ball well, controls his area, and put through some nice passes. If you expect him to be “fast”, as in, playing more offensively like Vlasic by pushing forward in the middle and on the wing, then I guess he is “slow” according to you.
He wasn’t injured, but maybe there is truth to the fitness issue. Either way, what we know for sure is that Balic was replaced by Maloku and then 12 minutes later, Slovan Liberec scores. Not saying that any of this was Maloku’s fault, but Maloku is a full-out winger and we replaced our deep-lying midfielder in Balic with someone who doesn’t play there.
I will be in Croatia and will catch their next game, actually flying in that same day. So excited 🙂
Exactly hammer, those are the rules. Plain and simple. Dinamo though still have not qualified but if they do well they deserve it. They played a great game away game yesterday.
I just like to watch football.
On Dinamo deserving or not deserving CL play, I always say when you go to someone’s house you play by their rules, you see the UEFA champions league is UEFA’S house, they tell Dinamo to go play Skenderbeu (I think that’s how you spell it), and if you beat them over two legs you deserve to be in the champions league.
Why wAs Balic taken off? Did you not watch the game idiot?
Slow, injured, who knows but his play warrNted being taken out of the game. Next time watch the game before making a general homer statement.
Aussie Kreso,
Did you go to the game? I know you were saying you were in Europe recently. Don’t know if you made it home.
I was told that Balic is over weight and is taken of early due to fitness, was told by a supporter so not sure how true it is.
Hajduk was impressive today, considering these guys were teenagers playing against grown-ass men.
Hajduk played a good counter attacking game. Vlasic was very impressive in the first half, and had a clever flick that almost caught the goalie (who did well to get his fingers on it).
Balic was good too, yet I don’t understand why he was taken out of the game in the 66th minute. This didn’t help us, and it was only 12 minutes later that Liberec scored. Not sure why this coach likes to take Balic out midway through the second half. He does this regularly.
Liberec are older, more experienced, were playing at home, but they didn’t seem to have the natural talent that Hajduk did. Hajduk’s only flaw is that they are extremely inexperienced. Hopefully they bounce back the next game (it should be a close one) but I really hope Hajduk doesn’t sell Balic and Vlasic to the first bidder, because they could seriously make a boatload of cash with these two.
Ziva – it IS called the “Champions League” – not “best 3rd and 4th place club in their respective” league.
Since its earliest iteration it included clubs that were not the best in Europe.
Hey Ziva,
What does it say about an athlete if at a young age they have not only frosted hair, but frosted and dyed red whilst also sporting a mohawk ?
before I make my point, let’s make this clear, I want Hajduk to come back and win at home so they can advance!
Hajduk played Liberec today, they missed quite a few decent chances in the first half and although I only saw glimpses of the game, I thought for sure they could have scored at least one or 2 goals….now for the comparison:
Hajduk had 8 Croatian starters in their line-up today. If Hajduk advance into the top 32 stage, they receive $200,000 Euro’s (vs Dinamo’s 12 million)
round of 16 is $350,000 Euro’s
Quarter Finals is $450,000
Semi Finals is $1 Million Euro’s…..
Can Hajduk use any money to do anything but pay off a few bills…does anyone foresee them making it further than the round of 32?
they are using home grown talent, do they have a chance? how do they get to that next level before they sell off their current talent?
this should explain a little of why the achievement to get into the top 32 in Champions League means a lot. you get $12 million Euro’s just to get in…that can help a club….while on the other hand you make 60 times more qualifying for n Champions League than you do qualifying for the top 32 in the Europa League…60 times more.
lol:
“Ted Lasso defines insanity as expecting different results doing the same thing over and over again. Dinamo has done the same thing year after year with little to no results.”
LOL
I think you’ll find that quote is from some little known fellow called Albert Einstein, fella.
Everyone says it these days, quoting him. Nfi who Ted Lasso is ?
Who scores about Dinamo? Hajduk lost today. No one comments on that.
@mile
You made a valid point but the homer does not understand. He is bitter.
@slavonac
Svaka to cast. You put them all in place…….consistently!
No, I get your point. But, because it is a “World Cup” you have to include the rest of the World. It doesnt make sense to take 20 european teams to the WC when the event only holds 32. But, I get your point.
My point is simply there are teams in every competition that shouldn’t be there – including the World Cup. The best 32 teams aren’t in the World Cup. The top teams in each region are, but that’s necessarily the top 32 overall. The point is that there are much better teams in Europe that don’t make it. Just like the Champions League. So it is a fair comparison. Unless you think Iran is better than Sweden.
I completely forgot about Maribor…Sheriff…Neftci…HJK…Pyunik…Koper. Khazar, Domzale, Ekranas
in simple English for you Ante BBB fanboy…I will make this very clear
you used Lasso (whoever the fuck this guy is and said:
“Ted Lasso defines insanity as expecting different results doing the same thing over and over again. Dinamo has done the same thing year after year with little to no results.”
In simple terms…making it to the stage of 32 teams is an accomplishment for a team from Croatia, especially since they quality of that league is so low!
you are plain and simply very dumb if you think Dinamo are expected to do better…but then again, I’m talking to you, a dummy that has no understanding of this sport!
Ok since you missed the reference. Ted Lasso was used as HUMOR to define what insanity is. Again, next time I’ll use a 1985 reference. How difficult is it? I would defy any of you to tell me which of these teams are powerhouses: Skenderbau, Fole, Molde, Ludogorec, Cernomorec…do I need to include others?
“he worse thing is when a person has no clue, but somehow thinks they know!”
Truer words never have been spoken. Wikipedia it.
True, i got no issue with the expansion of the CL to 32 teams. That is fine.
Just the way they select the 32 is what I don’t like. I don’t see the playoff round doesn’t have the champions of the smaller leagues take on the runner ups and third and fourth place finishers of the bigger leagues.
And you example of thye World Cup is a bad one…….It is called the WORLD CUP for one reasin, it involved the WORLD.
The Champions League is for the best of European club football. By any metric you have – and bring it at me – the dinamos, the APOELs, the Maribors, the BATEs of Europe are not even close to the top 32 of Europe.
ok dummy, I’ll walk you through this.
you said: “Ted Lasso defines insanity as expecting different results doing the same thing over and over again. Dinamo has done the same thing year after year with little to no results.”
Now, who the fuck is Ted Lasso and how does this example of what he said make any sense to the Dinamo conversation…as you used it?
see…this is what you said and this is how you used him as an example…who is this guy and how does what he said have any relevance?
we were talking about qualifying for Champions League…the context of the conversations were regarding playing Croatians vs imports…right? then we talked about how they get smashed once they get into the group stages…right? then you turned and used the Ted Lasso example…right?
you tried to say that no Dinamo continues to fail in the group stages…right?
I’m saying that for any soccer knowledgeable individual (which you are not), they know and understand, regardless of what the media writes…how difficult it is to make that group stage…and then once you’re in that stage, you have to face teams that are FAR more experience and FAR better than a small team from a minnow league!
Ted Lasso can be relevant to you, because you have no clue how challenging it is to play in the group of 32…you have no understanding of the level of play…the difference from playing at a shit low level league to then competing on a much higher level is not even comparable….but you use “Ted Lasso example of defines insanity as expecting different results doing the same thing over and over again”…its all here for us to see…you’re trying to say that Dinamo is doing the same thing over and over again and failing but you’re so damn ignorant, you haven’t realized that making it to the 32 is probably the highest they will make it until they can buy better players from higher leagues…not the Soudani’s, Taravel’s, Fernandes’s…all playing alongside inexperienced kids…none of this ever comes into your mind, because you just don’t get it…
the worse thing is when a person has no clue, but somehow thinks they know!
Krpa je lengendo
however I’m not completely convinced that the dude doesn’t have down syndrome to some degree, its like … look at him, no way he’s 100% hrvat
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NTcyWDQ1Ng==/z/F6EAAMXQCndRhMSQ/$T2eC16JHJIkE9qU3iycSBRhMSP)lQ!~~60_35.JPG
The people complaining about Dinamo not deserving, or that the Champions League is watered down or that there are better teams that aren’t going to make it, just look at the World Cup. Many teams shouldn’t be there. There are 32 teams in the World Cup, but only 13 from Europe. The four Asian teams won a grand total of ZERO games last year. The 20th best team in Europe is better than the best team in Asia. That’s why the Euro tournaments are better than the World Cup – all the teams are decent. Expanding it from 16 to 24 teams will water it down next year, but it still better quality soccer.
I was original. You had no idea who he was. Burn. For the rest of us living in the 2010’s, a slight break from this orgy:
If you tried to end a game in a tie in the United States…heck…that might be listed in Revelations as the cause for the apocalypse…ties and no playoffs? Why do you even do this.
sorry for not knowing about Ted Lasso, didn’t know he was relevant…hahaha…Ted fucking Lasso….
…you should really try to be original…you keep trying to counter me by using my material, get some originality!
See…atta boy!
Can I borrow your towel for a sec? My car just hit a water buffalo.
Let me go check Wikipedia again and put words in peoples’ mouths…again. To note, it looks like your popular cultural humor stopped possibly thirty years ago. Note to self: continuously pretend it’s 1985. Did you see the new Fletch movie?
you’ve already embarrassed yourself enough…Ted Lasso (Ted Who?), Petar Krpan (the guy that paid his way onto the ’98 team) …
you have no right to comment on anything soccer, you’re a BBB fanboy and you can’t even stand the fact that Dinamo win’s…because they only used 5 players…trying to qualify for Champions league.
your attempt to take things out of context is hilarious, you make one comment and try to equate yourself with Ziva (in your case Spike…right Chester?), who understand far more than you do.
as I said earlier, the best you can do is report to that “fuck off” department, bury your head in the sand and wait for a political topic to pop up…
BTW – you must be so proud of your BBB getting jailed for robbing a gas station…hahaha…such stand up guys hey?!?!
Ante B: I’d rather play with home grown kids
Supcino: (insert the haha fetish) you’re an idiot, no idea what you’re talking about. Let me first put words in your mouth and then let me check Wikipedia about another item.
Ziva (and other posters): I’d rather play with home grown kids. Please stop putting words into my mouth.
Supcino: I am totally with you on the home grown talent.
Pokrij se usima.
I think you know you’ve embarrassed yourself enough dude, give it a rest!
“I can’t even find the guy on Wikipedia.”
Please pause instead of me having the bomb the comments with “hahaha’s”.
No, the above quote is the greatest post on CroatianSports has ever seen…or the saddest.
Ah, the way you “investigate” at its finest. It’s no wonder your head is so far up your supak when it comes to Croatian soccer and politics. And for those who actually get it and understand, Zivio Pero Krpan…whom we have continually referenced on this website. I’m sure you can find that on Wikipedia too.
And you’ve just made my point for me by completely missing the points made. Don’t worry, the world needs morons and you’re their figurehead. My favorite is that you had to look him up. The positive is that I’m dealing with an emotionally unstable mental midget as each post progresses. Please continue to agree with Ziva and others who have literally said the same exact thing that I’ve been saying all along.
well, this has to be the most uneducated comment in all croatiansports history…the armchair fanboy trying to stay relevant…hahaha…
“Ted Lasso defines insanity as expecting different results doing the same thing over and over again. Dinamo has done the same thing year after year with little to no results. If there was a significant result, hell, let’s say making second in the actual group then ok but when you are continually having the same performance year after yet then there is something wrong. I’m sure actual professionals like Pero Krpan and Mario Stanic would be on the same page. Clearly it’s not working. Then when the possibility of bringing more Croatians (oh the terror! Let’s use as many ‘hahaha’s as we can to masque that) onto the field is laughed at and then agreed upon at the same time, it is no wonder da smo svi otisli u kurac.”
first and foremost…Ted who? hahahahahaha…hahahahaha….Ted fucking who man?
this Ted Lasso? http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20140814/on-the-media-who-is-ted-lasso-and-why-does-nbc-want-me-to-care
I can’t even find this guy on wikipedia…and you reference Ted Lasso? what a fucking joke you are my BBB fanboy….Ted fcuking Lasso?
you then reference Petar Krpan…oooohhh myyyy Goooddd…coming from you this is hilarious. you constantly talk about how you want to see some credibility in Croatian soccer and you reference the guy that somehow…miraculously made the ’98 team going to the World Cup…hmmm…and there wasn’t some payoff or funny business in Petar Krpan making the National Team…and you use him as an example?
you have never had an ounce of credibility when it comes to the topic of soccer, you should immediately report to the “Fuck Off” department…you’re as dumb as they come!
you make good arguments and I am with you on home grown talent, but in a sport that is part of a business, where the profits are reliant on the results…its really hard to know where to take risk and keep a good balance.
could be. Not sure.
I think he (Coric) just returned from injury…didn’t he?
@Slavonac…………fair point. They probably wouldn’t be able to even get that far. It would start with the philosophy of the club and my idea isn’t something you could do or change to right away and expect decent results. It takes time and a dedicated philosophy. That is why I love a club like Athletic Bilbao.
I look at yesterday and the person who changed things around was Coric when he came into the game. And for the last few CL games he was on the bench and a foreigner was infront of him.
“How many hrvati played…………….i only bring that up when dinamo or any other club is humiliated in europe. Not an issue if there is success or decent play. But, if my club is going to get exposed and humiliated, I rather have home grown kids getting humilated and learning on the job. I don’t ant it to appear that there should be a quota on the number of domestic players. I don’t. I beleive in freedom of trade/employment.”
I agree with this 100%.
Ziva
hahaha…I like your explanations…good points all around!
you said that its “Not an issue if there is success or decent play. But, if my club is going to get exposed and humiliated, I rather have home grown kids getting humilated and learning on the job”…
I guess my thought is that they’d never get to the group stage utilizing Cro kids so when they get humiliated in the group stage, how do they just swap the line-ups to give the Cro kids the exposure? you’ve often said that you can’t just play Halilovic just because he has the potential…doesn’t that same rule apply with Dinamo at the group stage? wouldn’t the team be disrupted if the coach all of a sudden just utilized home grown players when it was the imports that got them there…I know you know this…so I wonder how you would allow one set of rules for one situation and another set of rules once they get to the group stage?
its a vicious circle, at least in my opinion it is. Dinamo would NEVER qualify with using home grown talent alone…how could you then go out and use them once you get there?
I appreciate the words……replies to your questions are below
why do you constantly nit-pick about how they qualified……………to me its not nit-picking, because I really do think the qualifying process that Platini brought along hurt the Champions League. We see less competitive matches in the group stage. I don’t like it. Now, it is a good thing for countries like Cro, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Cyprus (teams from those countries that have made it into the CL) because they can get in. But, I am a fan of soccer and i like to watch competitive matches. To be fair, every now and then you get one of these minnows that is able to fight and compete. I don’t want to appear I am stating absolutes, but for the most part these smaller clubs have hurt the group stage of the CL.
How many hrvati played…………….i only bring that up when dinamo or any other club is humiliated in europe. Not an issue if there is success or decent play. But, if my club is going to get exposed and humiliated, I rather have home grown kids getting humilated and learning on the job. I don’t ant it to appear that there should be a quota on the number of domestic players. I don’t. I beleive in freedom of trade/employment.
why a player got sold……….because things in Cro are not clean. What Mamic did to Da Silva is terrible. What he is currently doing to Modric is also terrible, but Modric is either afraid to say anything or worries about his own safety. I just think these personal service contracts that Mamic forces on some of the players that join his agency (his son’s agency) are terrible. There are rumors of more players who have signed them, but I can’t confirm it.
Going down the TMZ path?…………i get bored and this site is not where I go all the time for serious soccer talk. To me, I’m a student of human nature and its really interesting to watch people react to situations that involve people they don’t know and have never met and will make excuses for them. They would never do the same with their kids/family/friends, but when it comes to sports it is funny how so many fans change their behavior. Now, items like being a jock sniffer and wearing another man’s name on the back are things I actually do believe. But, that is more of a discussion point with people.
And by today, I mean August 27th next week.
Notwithstanding the Jared Fogle attempts directed towards others in a passive aggressive way, some ‘obviously jealous’ spectators, former AYSO coaches, and such, have been accused before by multiple people of putting words into their mouth. Nobody here has said Dinamo should win the Super Bowl. Pardon my ignorance, the CL. Ted Lasso defines insanity as expecting different results doing the same thing over and over again. Dinamo has done the same thing year after year with little to no results. If there was a significant result, hell, let’s say making second in the actual group then ok but when you are continually having the same performance year after yet then there is something wrong. I’m sure actual professionals like Pero Krpan and Mario Stanic would be on the same page. Clearly it’s not working. Then when the possibility of bringing more Croatians (oh the terror! Let’s use as many ‘hahaha’s as we can to masque that) onto the field is laughed at and then agreed upon at the same time, it is no wonder da smo svi otisli u kurac. The same applies to agreeing and disagreeing at the same time. It must be great to be a svecenik and kurva and must be very accommodating.
Wishing Hajduk the best today. I know my boys in Pedro (yes, even the ones who hate me) will be going nuts at Poljud today.
very well said and I agree!
so my question to you? since you actually grasp this very well…why do you constantly nit-pick about how they qualified, how many Hrvati played, why a player got sold…
I’ve always said you are pretty smart and that you understand this sport…but you end up going down that TMZ path when you’re so much more informed than a lot of these other guys on here…why do you instigate that shit?
90 minutes away from the glory of getting shit pumped in the Champions League.
No disagreement from me. You can’t keep them. That is why the league will be like this forever. The top leagues in Europe will continue to get finacially stronger while all the little leagues will struggle for money.
You may get a situation where you have a group of kids coming together at a club and you bring in a few foreigners where you get yourself a respectable team that can comepte in Europe, but that will only last for a year or two. Those kids will be gone.
Any kid that shows any potential will be gone from the clubs in Cro by the time they are 20 or 21. We now see more and more kids making first team debuts at the ages of 17, 18 or 19; that was unheard of 25 years ago. These kids receive offers at an earlier age and are pressured by parents and agents to leave for bigger money.
Look at Dinamo over the last few years. Kovacic and Halilovic were the most hyped young players maybe ever at that club outside of Zuti. How many games did either one play for Dinamo. I’m pretty sure Kovacic and Halilovic didn’t combine to play in 100 games for Dinamo. If you are a Dinamo fan, that sucks. But, that is how soccer world today.
The same will apply to hajduk in a year or two. Vlasic and Balic appear to be the real deal, especially Vlasic. I’m still not convinced about Balic’s durability. A teenager not being able to play more than 65 minutes per game raises some serios questions for me. But, those two will be gone before they turn 20.
that’s true Ziva but then what do we say about these teams that are worth hundreds and hundreds of millions, where their owners spend millions of dollars on one player, thats worth almost as much as the entire Croatian league…and then bomb out of Champions league and their own league?
I know Dinamo is not a powerhouse in any way and I’d also like to see more younger Croatian players playing…I was happy that 5 (I think..through subs and starters) saw the field yesterday. the problem is, the vicious circle, selling players young to keep the production mill going is not easy to stop. imagine having Brozovic, Kovacic, Halilovic, Coric, Rog, Pjaca, Jedvaj….and so many more! they are all young, good players that have good potential to be great….how are you going to keep these players from leaving when they all know the Croatian league is garbage?
I know…Dinamo has benefited from this format…but they’ve taken advantage of it this year whereas last year they didn’t!
Agreed………most of what you wrote is correct. I don’t think anyone in their right mind expects Europski dinamo to compete with the Champions League sides or will be disspaointed when they do lose 4-0 in the group stage.
My only point is they qualified for the competition because of the watered-down qualifying format. To me, that takes away a bit of the prestige in making it to this elite competition. It certainly doesn’t take away the cash they will receive the chance for Mamic to showcase a few more players that he can sell – and ultimately force to sign a personal service contract.
This isn’t the late 90s where they had to really earn their way in by playing the likes of Newcastle or Rangers or Celtic. They are getting in now taking on the best club sides from leagues that are the HNL’s level or below. Again, not their fault. But, can’t be ignored either how they benefit from this qualifying format. The real Champions League doesn’t start until 2016 when the knockout phase begins.
as I read these comments from the Dinamo haters…or just jealous people, I see how short sighted some are. we have discussed Croatian soccer and the fact that the Croatian League is so damn crappy…and then, for some apparent reason that I just can’t seem to understand…so many here think Dinamo should be on some other level?
you guys are unrealistic!
think about it this way. that league have little to no significant sponsorships, they get little revenue from attendance…at least not enough to sustain the entire organization which includes all expenses, salaries, paying for maintenance and upgrades…its a business that requires money to operate it. so we end up having teams that pay little money to their players, which isn’t attractive, everyone wants to leave and play in a better league where they can make more money…and the end result is you have teams that are plugging away, operating on borrowed money or not playing their employees….
…and you guys expect a team that plays against some of the biggest minnows in Europe, to compete against far more established clubs in Europe?
when we talk about soccer, some spectators (guys that have been “around” the game but have never played at any level) get pissed because they think this means nothing…there’s a reason why most of the better teams play in Leagues that are very competitive, there’s a reason why the better teams usually have several imports…its obvious why in the better soccer Nations where the league has revenue from TV deals and sponsorship…the level of play is far greater…there is money in those leagues…and in all of those Leagues…guess what? look at the team rosters…they are filled with imports!
you either understand the sport and the way it is…or you don’t…and you point out that your (so-called) team is only utilising 3-5 domestic players…this is ignorance talking…it means you know little about how hard it is to compete at that level! I can imagine how well Dinamo would do with only domestic players…they wouldn’t be in this position, they never get any money from qualifying to the group stage, not a single import of any significance would ever play for Dinamo…why would they…there’s no chance of qualifying for Europe.
the difference between knowing what this sport is vs being an arm-chair fan are two very different things…which is why I think some of you just don’t understand the accomplishment and the reality of how positive it is. If Dinamo qualify for the group stage, this will be their 3rd time in 5 years…that’s decent. the fact that they don’t win a game should demonstrate that Croatia is weak at the club level…Dinamo is the best of all Croatian teams at the club level…which means the league is one of the worst…thats the reality!
nobody can blame the Mamic’s for for Hajduk’s abysmal organization, nor can Osijek blame Mamic…or Slaven Belupo, or RNK Split…or anyone else for that matter…
if the Croatian league ever gets stronger, we may have more chance of one of our teams doing better…until then, don’t expect any victories in the Champions league…its unrealistic!
@Armada…..as a neutral obeserver who loves soccer, yes, i rahter have attractive opponents. Nobody will care about a Dinamo – Porto match or a Dinamo – Valencia/Monaco match. But, they will want to see Dinamo-Bayern, Dinamo-Real, Dinamo-Manchester U………
Definitely not- however they can only play the team in front of them-
Take advantage of every opportunity.
Cinderella story- maybe they get hot and advance- no no that’s not going to happen.
@ Ziva
Was that you that hopes our teams are drawn with big time teams in the CL Groups?
I mean that’s fine and great, but I don’t want to see Dinamo drawn with a RM, Barca, Chelsea, Bayern, etc. It’s fine and dandy to have them come to Maksimir. The purgeri, hercegovici and BBB would make it a packed house and all…
but do we really want to see Dinamo embarrassed 5-0, 6-1? is that a win for anyone involved, aside from the ramming Dinamo in the guzica?
I’m hoping Dinamo get another favorable draw. We can use all the coefficient points we can get and it would be nice to see a team of ours get a decent result or two in Europe.
So, you really think this current Europski dinamo squad is Champions League caliber?
Yes, they did beat the opposition they played. But it was weak opposition. Credit to them for taking advantage of a flawed qualifying system. I said the same think in early July. The biggest advantage Europski dinamo will have is the current qualifying format for the CL. In my opinion they need to seed all the teams in the final playoff round so you avoid the Spanish, English, French (top leagues) playing each other while the shitty leagues (Cro, Albania, Khazakstan, etc) play each other. Yes, it helps spread the participants, but the average fan doesn’t want to see garbage in the CL proper.
@AB
Well said, some people on here are homers and just don’t get it.
Dinamo deserve it.
Ask yourselves this when the groups are announced….could any Dinamo players start on any of their three opponents?
Assuming the answer is no, you will know that they don’t deserve to be there.
You can only beat the team you’re up against
Based on that, Dinamo deserve to go through!!
Deserve champions league play????? Based on beating a team you didn’t know existed until a few weeks ago. Easy on hyperbole. Very nice accomplishment, but they benefited from a very kind draw. They don’t deserve CL play, at least not based on seven playoff games they have played so far.
Very exciting game to watch especially the second half. Beauty of a second goal. They deserve champions league play.
@Lovro. Slaven has quality-and you need to reward champions..period.
College football needs to go to a 6 team playoff- power 5 champs and one wildcard.
Reward champions at every level-
BBB
Never against Dinamo.
Well done Colin.
Dinamo will score at least once in Zagreb. With that said, the Albanian club will need to reach the back of the net at least twice. I’ve seen stranger things, but expect Dinamo to qualify as long as they don’t pick up a red card.
With Mamic back, are any of you Dinamo fans rooting for Dinamo to lose? Champions League will be a huge payday for the Mamic’
Pavaric shot made goal of the day on ESPN.
realstreamunited.com
Dinamo being allowed entrance into the Champions League when there are at least 40 teams in the Europa League better than them, is like Affirmative Action allowing lesser qualified miniorites to fill certain work positions.
They are “Champions” of teams such as Slaven Belupo, Zadar, and Istra 1961.
– or maybe more like section 8 housing appilcants allowed to live in a building
hey how do you guys watch these dinamo or hajduk games?
Samo naprid Dinamo.
Fortune and glory!
Go Team !