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Luka Modrić turns 36 years old today. Here are some, but not all, of his lifetime achievements: -4x Champions League Winner -2x La Liga Winner  -2018 World Cup Golden Ball -2018 Ballon d’Or -World Cup Finalist -Most capped Croatian player in history (142) What more can we say about this guy? He has singlehandedly transcended the game of football inside … [Read more...] about Happy 36th Birthday, Luka Modrić!

Grabbing 7 out of a maximum 9 points this week for Croatia was absolutely perfect! Especially when the Vatreni only scored one goal in their first two matches. Obviously, a win against Russia would have been the cherry on top of the cake, but it's never easy to go into Moscow - especially without an in-form striker - and expect a result. We just witnessed Croatia's toughest … [Read more...] about The Vatreni Just Cruised Through Their Toughest Week Of Qualifying…Now What?

Well, it looked as if Slovenia were playing for a draw at Poljud, but that's not our problem. This Croatian side - without Modrić - came out with urgency tonight in Split to thump Slovenia 3-0 in World Cup qualifying. There were tons of chances down the flanks in the 1st half which multiple shots that should have gone in. Andrej Kramarić couldn't hit water if he was … [Read more...] about Croatia Easily Handle Slovenia 3-0 To Stay Top Of Group With Russia

After comfortably beating Azerbaijan 2-0 in their opening match of U21 Euro Qualifiers last week, the Mladi Vatreni face Finland Tuesday evening with the hope of becoming Group A’s 1st place team. Croatia is currently tied with Norway and Finland at the top of the table, all with three points. Salzburg duo Luka Sučić and Roko Šimić led the squad to victory over Azerbaijan in … [Read more...] about Croatia U21s Beat Finland 2-0 With Late 2nd Half Goals

There was a small chance both Luka Modrić and striker Ante Budimir could have been available for Tuesday's World Cup qualifier between Croatia and Slovenia in Split, CroatiaWeek.com reports. However, both La Liga players have been officially ruled out with injury and will miss all three September World Cup qualifiers. The Vatreni drew Russia 0-0 in Moscow on Wednesday … [Read more...] about Modrić, Budimir Officially Ruled Out For Slovenia Clash Tuesday

Things we learned vs. Slovakia: The Croatian offense is in shambles. No pace or urgency. Very slow in build up. There is no "go to" guy Croatia can count on. Vatreni have scored five goals in as many games and three of those came against Malta. The goalkeeper competition is officially open for business! Osijek's Ivica Ivušić had a wonderful first match for Croatia and was my … [Read more...] about Brozović Volley Rescues Croatia In 1-0 Win Over Slovakia

The Mladi Vatreni play their first game of the qualification campaign against Azerbaijan U21 today at 1:00pm EST. The only surprise selection is starting 17 year old Salzburg talent Roko Šimić over 19 year old established Hajduk striker Marin Ljubičić. Either it's because he has impressed more in training or because Ljubičić is being rested (we are playing Azerbaijan, after … [Read more...] about Croatia U21 Begin Their Qualifying Campaign With a 2-0 Triumph Over Azerbaijan

Here's the quick scoop. Croatia dominated possession at 59% but had absolutely nothing going on offensively in the final third. Borna Sosa is good! We are in good shape moving forward with him at left-back. Mateo Kovačić also looked great in the midfield without Modrić. We will be fine with Kova after Modrić retires based off of today's display. However, Andrej Kramarić … [Read more...] about Croatia Play Out 0-0 Draw In Russia, Stay Top Of Group