Croatia

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.” -Oscar Wilde There are few things in sports that are sacred. Things that should only belong to one club or one country. The pin stripes belong to baseball's New York Yankees. The parquet floor should only be played on by the Boston Celtics. The Haka can only be performed by … [Read more...] about Often Imitated, Never Duplicated…

In a shock move Monday, the HNS announced that Ivan Rakitić has played his last game for the Vatreni. It's still unknown what his main motivation for the move is but Raketa will address the pubic in the upcoming weeks regarding his decision. Both Luka Modrić and Ivan Rakitić sat out Croatia's two UEFA Nations League matches versus Portugal and France this month, but the initial … [Read more...] about THE END OF AN ERA: Ivan Rakitić Retires From The Croatian National Team

Not just did France beat Croatia with another 4-2 result - just as they did in the World Cup Final - but they did it with another own goal and undeserved penalty call. Obviously, not that big of a deal this time around as UEFA Nations League is no World Cup and both sides were without their best players. Here are my notes from the France game: 1. After the … [Read more...] about France Beats Croatia 4-2…Again; With Own Goal & Trash Penalty Call

I'm just going to leave this right here. No need for me to repeat myself. I hate these games. We put out a decent lineup but the players either are told not to play or decide they're not going to play for whatever reason. At that point, better to put out the U21s or HNLers and let them play their hearts out. Croatia have never beat Portugal in … [Read more...] about Portugal Defeats Zero-Intensity Croatia 4-1

It will be 291 days since the Vatreni last played a match when they take the field against Portugal in Lisbon on Saturday. Croatia defeated Georgia 2-1 in a friendly on November 19th in Pula. Since then. Ništa. Thanks COVID. Croatia was supposed to play Portugal and Switzerland in a 4-team friendly tournament in Qatar in March. Didn't happen. They were … [Read more...] about It’s Been 291 Days…But The Vatreni Are Back!

It's been nearly a year since we saw our beloved Vatreni hit the field, but on September 5th in Porto, the World Cup finalists will face Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal in their UEFA Nations League opener. Three days later, we will see a World Cup Final rematch between Croatia and France in Paris. These will be two action-packed games we're not going to want to … [Read more...] about THE VATRENI ARE BACK! Dalić Names Squad For Portugal/France Matches

Two years ago today - July 11th, 2018 - the Vatreni would endure a third straight 120-minute game and come from behind once again to defeat England 2-1 and earn a berth to the holy land - the World Cup Final. There is no debate. This was the single greatest Croatian sports victory in history. Sure, Ivanišević won Wimbledon. Petrović and Kukoč made it to the 1992 … [Read more...] about Croatia vs. England: The Biggest Victory In Croatian Sports History

It was unknown if UEFA was going to move forward with their 2nd edition of the Nations League in 2020 due to COVID-19, or scrap it due to an already tighter schedule having to be played moving forward. However, last week UEFA announced that Nations League will move forward with group matches starting in September and concluding in November. Croatia was grouped with … [Read more...] about UEFA Nations League Gets Green Light, Vatreni To Kick Off vs. Portugal