It was a slow week for Croatians around Europe as La Liga resumed play after a 3-month COVID-19 break. However, Ivan Rakitić came on at halftime for Barcelona in a 4-0 win over Mallorca; marking the 300th game he has played for the club since coming over from Sevilla in the summer of 2014. It's simply amazing what Rakitić and Modrić have done the past decade in Spain with two … [Read more...] about Croatians Around Europe *XXVI*
Soccer
Croatia vs. England IV: Today Was The Day
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June 14th, 2020. Today was the day Croatia would play England at Wembley Stadium in London in the opening match of their EURO 2020 group stage. Obviously, due to COVID, the entire EURO 2020 tournament has been pushed to the summer of 2021. That means Luka Modrić will be a year older. So will Ivan Rakitić. Ivan Perišić. The list goes on. However, if … [Read more...] about Croatia vs. England IV: Today Was The Day
Perišić Scores For Bayern In DFB Pokal Semifinal Win
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Ivan Perišić scored his first goal since ankle surgery in February Wednesday night in Munich. The Croatian winger got a rare start for Bundesliga champions-elect Bayern Munich in the semifinal round of the German Cup versus Eintracht Frankfurt. Perišić scored the opening goal in the 14th minute as he was left all alone int he middle of the box for a free header. He was taken … [Read more...] about Perišić Scores For Bayern In DFB Pokal Semifinal Win
HNL Matchweek 27
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Has anyone ever been so happy to see the return of the Prva Liga? After a miserably wet and quarantined weekend, I was on edge waiting for the kickoff between NK Lokomotiva and NK Osijek on Sunday afternoon. Popped a beer and turned on a surprisingly-HD stream of the match at an empty Kranjčevićeva between two sides dukeing it out in hopes of clinching second … [Read more...] about HNL Matchweek 27
Croatians Around Deutschland *III*
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It was a relatively quiet week in Germany for the Croatians. However, defender Marin Pongračić is really showing his ability since the restart to the season. The 22 year-old Pongračić played all 90 minutes in central defense as his Wolfsburg side defeated Werder Bremen 1-0 on Sunday. The win lifts Wolfsburg to 6th place in the Bundesliga with only four matches remaining in the … [Read more...] about Croatians Around Deutschland *III*
Failed Wonderkids: Why Did They Fail?
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How often are young players labeled ‘wonderkids’ after showing the slightest bit potential? Way too often. And how often do those players live up to their lofty potentials? Much less often. It is an unfortunate thing to be labeled a failed wonderkid, but at the end of the day, it is just part of the game. Why do these players end up failing to live up to the hype? There are … [Read more...] about Failed Wonderkids: Why Did They Fail?
Is Dinamo Zagreb’s Dominance Bad For Croatian Soccer?
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Before I begin this post, I want to say that I am not a Dinamo fan, a Hajduk fan, or a fan of any specific team in Croatia. I follow the national team as my favorite team and enjoy when any Croatian club team is doing well. Now to answer the question is Dinamo Zagreb’s dominance of the HNL bad for Croatian soccer as a whole? The short answer is: yes and … [Read more...] about Is Dinamo Zagreb’s Dominance Bad For Croatian Soccer?
Football. Is. Back!
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Football is back! And the dates are set! No thanks to the current COVID-19 pandemic, European football will return in June after a three-month postponement. The German Bundesliga restarted two weekends ago and the other three European power leagues are right behind them. English Premier League: June 17th Spanish La Liga: June 11th (tentative) Italian … [Read more...] about Football. Is. Back!
Croatians Around Deutschland *II*
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Marin Pongračić has arrived! The 22 year-old Wolfsburg central defender scored two goals with his head Tuesday in a 4-1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen. This was only his fourth game for Wolfsburg since coming over in the winter transfer from Red Bull Salzburg. Pongračić has already been capped by the U21 Croatia side three times and will surely get some attention from … [Read more...] about Croatians Around Deutschland *II*
