Not much action Tuesday during Champions League night #1 for the Croatians.
Vatreni winger Luka Ivanušec had to be carried off the field in the 89th minute after twisting his ankle badly in the turf. The grimace on his face looked bad, alluding to a serious injury. However, reports out of Rotterdam are saying otherwise. “A setback for the Feyenoord team was Luka Ivanušec’s injury in the final phase. The Croatian left winger’s ankle collapsed. Feyenoord will have to make do without him in the Classic against Ajax on Sunday. If you have to come off like that, with a stretcher and if your ankle gets fat so quickly, then we all know that it is unlikely that he will be able to play on Sunday. I can’t give a definitive answer to that. But after forty years in football, you know that if an ankle becomes so thick, you won’t play on Sunday…”, Feyenoord manager Arne Slot said.
This was Ivanušec’s first Champions League match for Dutch champions Feyenoord since coming over from Dinamo Zagreb a few weeks ago. It’s a shame he picked up an injury so late in a match where Feyenoord were up 2-0 against a 9-man Celtic side. The good news: it doesn’t look to be structural damage and Ivanušec should be back to training within a month.
In the only other match to feature Croatians, Manchester City came back from a 1-0 deficit to defeat Serbian club Red Star 3-1. Joško Gvardiol remained on the bench as an unused sub for City. Mateo Kovačić should return to the team after suffering a back injury in the next 10 days. He was not part of the squad Tuesday.
Madrid Universal player rating (tired of waiting for Managing Madrid, they getting slow). ——- 8.5 highest score.
•••••••
Luka Modric: 8.5
The Croatian star started the game against Union Berlin and dictated the tempo of play. Delivered a performance for the ages, as has become a norm for him.
Modric completed five key passes on the night, 95% of his passes and a staggering five long balls. Had a solid strike from distance parried away by the goalkeeper in the 70th minute. Came off for the final 10 minutes.
Extended highlights for the Benfica vs Salzburg game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWN-y5_Vh4E
Looked like a great game. The Croats did well. I wish I watched it.
Musa and Roko were both rated the best for their teams on WhoScored.com
Here are some highlights on the video above:
– 1:50 Musa hit the post (after it ricochets off the post from a teammate’s attempt)
– 6:33 Musa frees himself and has a great run from center field to the opponent box, and got hauled down (no penalty called)
– 7:42 Musa with a dummy that creates a great chance and a shot from him (that the keeper was very lucky to save)
– 10:48 Musa using his big frame and his physical strength, receiving a pass with his back to the defender, turn around and waltzing in on goal
– 2:03 Roko with a nice run on the left side with a defender and keeper cutting him off, he took a shot that was deflected and looped toward the goal and a Benfica defender cleared it off the line with his arm
– 2:55 Roko takes the PK (that he created) and scores
– 8:17 Roko does great to step back onside, receive the pass, avowith a great run and assist
– 9:12 Roko using his large strides to beat out the defender (who can’t seem to stick with him), receives the pass, but the keeper is wise to run out and help (barely getting there to stop the play)
Fucking hell
This is awful
This was my concern with the higher work load of England
Luckily he is a machine
Albeit an older one
Hoping he can somehow recover
He will want to know doubt
Such bad news for Croats and euro cup potentially
I’m sure he is gutted
Marko Pjaca to the rescue.
Ironically the guy with the bionic knees may have to step up
What’s the eta on orsic comeback from injury??
Well young bucks. Here is your chance to become the next Croat legend
Simic goal and assist
How did Sučić do?
Simic vs. Musa – here we go !
Really shitty news about Perisic, we definitely cannot afford for him to be out based on our issues in the final third. For all the people who are still saying he is not world class, now you can see what the team will at without that guy on the flank, this is absolutely terrible for Croatia.
I am not saying that on a one for one basis he is anywhere near Perisic. However, Dalic may have to call up Livaja here, he does play that position as well even though he is nowhere near as fast as Perisic. I don’t see a different alternative, unless Dalic relies on youth, if maybe Vidovic is having a good start to his season.
People have been joking about Rebic but there is no way that will happen and he has not shown any consistency at all since his fallout. I also don’t know about Sucic here as he may not get called up due to the previous injury, Dalic may view this as too risky of an option.
I guess we will have to see what happens.
The other option is Orsic, Dalic may have to go with him as well.
Dalić will go with Pašalić and Vlašić.
Huge downgrade but he won’t try anything new there.
Hopefully we get Ivanušec and Perišić back and at 100% for the Euros.
Perišić is 34, so I’m less hopeful of him coming back to form though.
Ivanušec I am worried about because he can give us another 10 years of good play, plus it looked like he was about to take that next step in his career.
Perry Perisic I mean ofcourse =U=
=U= Ivan will be ready for his last tournament =U=
Perisic is not a world-class
as I told you many times
: only Modric for the world-class :
many idolatry everywhere here!
so could not help their immature
The spooky thing re: Perisic is that F-ing fake Fabrizio account posting the fake news of the same injury before the Armenia / Latvia qualifiers….
Good thing we took those games seriously
Sad morning for Hajduk fans. Their dreams of Perisic coming over in January on a free transfer are now gone. Only the best for them. HAHA!!!
Sad morning for “Hajduk” fans?
Perisic is a Croat, and this very negatively impacts our National team along with our prospects of winning the Euros next summer.
This is very sad news for “Croatia” fans, and the fact that you’re laughing about this is disgusting.
I guess this confirms that you’re one of those Yugos who cheer for all things against Croatia.
Our odds were already low to begin with. 9th or 10th favorite.
Yes, this bad news for the national team.
Knowing this also hurts Hajduk and any chance of him coming back does bring me smile. What is the line you Americans use? You make lemonade from lemons.
Man, do you ever post anything intelligent? 9th or 10th favorite? They have finished as the 2nd best team in Europe in three of their last four international tournaments. Agree with Maminjo, this guy is a Yugo. Man, I wish we could block half-wits like this and truth.
The guy is a Yugo incel.
Nothing wrong with a Dinamo vs Hajduk rivalry, but to feel joy despite it hurting the National Team is pathetic.
The 9th or 10th favorite comment is a joke.
Typical Holiga clone.
I’m glad I am not the only one who has been asking questions about this guy.
If he starts to talk about our fascist fans and UEFA needing to punish us then maybe it really is Holiga.
Hopefully Pjaca, Vidovic or a Pasalic can pick up their play.
Looks like Roko Simic with an early goal today, I think he ends up being our best true striker in the coming years.
Dinamo’s Kačavenda and Stojković were taken out for the season with knee injuries (right after Dinamo signed them), and nobody mocked or laughed about that.
These are two possible career-ending injuries, and even though Hajduk fans may act like idiots at times…nobody was laughing and cheering when this tragedy happened to Kačavenda and Stojković.
Cold Yugo mentality.
All our left wingers, first Orsic, then Ivanusec, and now Perisic. We’re cursed ffs. Looks like we’ll have to call up Rebic haha.
This will surely force dalic to play 3 in the back with sosa and JJ as wingbacks. Who knows maybe a blessing in disguise.
Perija out 8 months … brings us to May 2024 … Euro 24 starts June
Is Oliver Lukic on any1 radar ? Starting today (junior teams playing before Benfica vs. Salzburg). So far only represented Austria in U18
https://twitter.com/RedBullSalzburg/status/1704453513818902826
https://www.transfermarkt.us/oliver-lukic/leistungsdaten/spieler/915896
Hopefully Simic and Sucic get a chance today
Perisic out with and ACL. What an absolute disaster of a week losing both of our wingers! Qualifying won’t be as easy with this news.
I guess it will force Dalic to call up some young talent to see what we have.
Speedy recovery Ivan.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CxabwluqAZI/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Yikes.
Broken ankle… 3 to 4 months
Eduardo injury?
Wasn’t Eduardo out for longer than that though?