Okay. So here we go. Croatia have two games to either qualify automatically for the 2018 World Cup in Russia or to force a November playoff by finishing second in the group. There's also the possibility they completely sh*t the bed and finish third or worse to miss out on all of the above. For sake of argument, let's just talk about the Finland game on … [Read more...] about Operation: October – Pick Your XI
The Battle For Catalonia
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There is civil unrest in Catalonia. To quickly catch you up, Catalonia has been an autonomous community of Spain. Catalans consider themselves Catalan and not Spanish. They even have their own language. It is somewhat similar to Croatians' past relationship with Yugoslavia- minus the fighting. Catalonia has tried to become an independent nation for nearly 100 … [Read more...] about The Battle For Catalonia
Road To Russia: The Final Countdown
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This is it boys and girls. The week that will determine everything. The cardiac Croatians have left their Russian World Cup hopes until the end. CroatianSports will be reporting on both the Finland and Ukraine matches throughout the week, but this is what you need to know: 1) The match against Finland on Friday was originally planned to be be … [Read more...] about Road To Russia: The Final Countdown
Croatians Around Europe *VI*
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Inter Milan's Marcelo Brozović is Croatia's "Player of the Weekend" with two goals within four minutes of each other in a 2-1 win over Benevento. In the 19th minute, Brozović made a run through the box and headed home from the penalty spot for his first goal. Three minutes later, Brozo would send home a curling free kick from 24 yards out for a 2-0 Inter Milan … [Read more...] about Croatians Around Europe *VI*
Vlašić Scores 1st Everton Goal
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19 year-old Nikola Vlašić scored his first Everton goal Thursday night in Europa League after making a £10 million move from Hajduk Split (the largest transfer fee Hajduk has ever received) only four weeks ago. Vlašić came on at halftime and scored what looked to be the game winner in the 66th minute only for Cypriote club Limassol to equalize in the 88th minute to force a 2-2 … [Read more...] about Vlašić Scores 1st Everton Goal
Champions League Day 2: Mandza Scores
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Mario Mandžukić scored a 'right place-right time' insurance goal for Juventus Wednesday night in the 80th minute of their match with Olympiakos. He was on a Juve rush when a defender cleared the ball off the line right onto Mario's head. It was in typical Ivica Olić-like fashion and gave the Italian champions a 2-0 win and their first points in Champions League this season. … [Read more...] about Champions League Day 2: Mandza Scores
Croatians Around Europe *V*
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You know it was a slow week when Ivan Santini is leading off Croatians Around Europe. The 28 year-old Zadar native slotted home a well thought out penalty in a 1-0 Caen win over Amiens on Saturday. The win puts Caen in 8th place in the French Ligue 1. Historically, Croatians have been awful in the penalty kick department. Santini looked confident up there but he's so … [Read more...] about Croatians Around Europe *V*
What’s Up With Real Madrid?
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On Wednesday, Real Madrid lost 1-0 at home to Real Betis on an injury time goal. It was Madrid's first loss of the season but the third time in their past four La Liga matches where they dropped points. So what's the deal? And how will it affect Luka Modrić and Mateo Kovačić in the future? Teams have slumps. It's a normal part of sports; no matter how good … [Read more...] about What’s Up With Real Madrid?
Persistence: The Ivan Rakitić Story
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(Thank you to CroatianSports.com member Idemo for posting this article) per·sist·ence (noun): firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition. A good friend of mine in Croatia once told me, "Money and good looks don't win over a woman, persistence does." Women like to be chased. They want to be wanted. Now, … [Read more...] about Persistence: The Ivan Rakitić Story
