CROATIA WIN WITHOUT MODRIĆ
Croatia defeat the Czech Republic 4-2 in Pula in a game that consisted of offside goals and goalie blunders. Croatia got off to a quick start in the 10′ as Eduardo took the ball on the left wing and slotted the ball between the legs of goalie Peter Cech for a 1-0 lead. Replays show that Ivo Iličević was clearly offsides on the play but he didn’t interfere with play- goal should stand. Moments later, Nikola Kalinić headed home a long range cross from the corner by Darijo Srna to make it 2-0 Croatia within 15 minutes. Czech cut the lead in half off a corner when Vedran Runje couldn’t handle a header by Sivol as the ball barely crossed the line.
Runje nearly pulled a Paul Robinson as a backpass to him took a tricky hop as the Croatian goalie wound up for the kick. Runje got enough of the ball on the shin to deflect the ball for a corner. Czech equalized seconds before the halftime whistle as Arsenal’s Tomas Rosicky was left all alone in the box for an easy strike. The second half began slow with four new faces inserted into the match by Bilić: Strinić, Dujmović, Lovren, Petrić. In the 61′, Tomislav Dujmović lobbed a beautiful ball to Kalinić to put him on the break away. Kalinić appeared offsides but the flag stayed down and Kale finished the play to put Croatia up 3-2.
THE REBUILT STADIUM IN PULA
Croatia kept on the pressure during the last quarter of the game and forced a grave Czech Republic error as goalie Peter Cech came out of his box to chest the ball down and take a dribble. The ball was lost at midfield and Ivo Iličević shot the ball from 40 yards out into an empty net to give Croatia a 4-2 lead. The game would end that way
with a light firework show being put on outside the Pula stadium. A solid win for Croatia to open up 2011 even though it came through some sloppy play. Luka Modrić was missed, and it showed, as the midfield had little composure. Still no Ivan Perišić or Srđjan Lakić siting.
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Croatia open up 2011 with a friendly against the Czech Republic on Wednesday, in the newly rebuilt Stadion Aldo Drosina in Pula. With Luka Modrić out due to an appendectomy, new faces Ivan Perišić, Ivo Iličević and Srđjan Lakić will have time to shine. Will the future of Croatian soccer be unveiled in Pula and what other questions will be answered by this friendly?
Will Niko Kranjčar remain hot? Who will become the new striking core for the Vatreni? What does CSR Nation expect from this match? Should we be excited about this friendly? Yes. There is a slight changing of the guard occurring here. Young players have been called by Bilić who can push out players like Olić, Petrić and Šimunić. It will not happen in this match, but it can be the beginning of the end. Let’s see how our ‘young guns’ do.
Look at the head on that Hef
Come join TEAM CSR at Alpine Village in Torrance, CA for the 11:45 (Eastern) kickoff. Beers, brats and Croatian soccer. What else can you ask for on a Wednesday morning? (CSR has sick notes upon request for teachers and bosses.)
What’s Happening i’m new to this, I stumbled upon this I
have discovered It absolutely useful and it has helped me out
loads. I am hoping to give a contribution & aid other customers like its helped me.
Good job.
cro socceroo retires:
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/josip-skoko-to-end-his-soccer-career/story-e6frf9if-1225999373805
Line of the Week:
Ziva Istina, "I was watching the Fresh Prince of Bel Air the other day. Just wanted to know if that is an accurate portrait of blacks in Bel Air?."
LOTW will become a regular part of the new website we are currently constructing.
Taking Will Smith out of the equation, I can find you one African American family in Bel Air that acts like that. I can.
Thanks for the great game coverage and California info.
@ Ziva: Very clever and amusing.
On a side note: I estimate that 20% of NYC/NJ population is accurately depicted in the Jersey Shore and Real Housewives of NJ. All claim to be "Italian", yet most can not distinguish between Mexican or Italian flags.
Ziva uvik filozofira….
@Ziva
That's hilarious 🙂
Fisto,
With Markovic at the helm, say bye bye to Poljud hosting any friendlies.
None of the goals were offsides…NONE! Ivo never touched the ball and Eduardo socred with a classy finish.
Kalinic 2nd goal was a mile onside! I watched it 10 times and he ran from behind 2 or 3 defenders after the ball was released.
No more Srna @ RB! I have said it forever now…He brings no stability/confidence to our CBs…would rather see Corluka out wide. I am just so annoyed by the nonstop flopping by our captain he should show more class than that! Modric for captain please?
Sime looked very good for the short time he played. He looks like he is going to be a great player because you can just see in his movement he has something extra about him. I really hope he can develop into a class player.
1st half we played awful but we scored whenever there was a chance. 2nd half we were much stronger and played much better. Dont know how much you can take away from this but its never bad to score 4 goals against a team like the Czech…they are definitely not a strong side but nor are they a weak one either.
We needed a game where we could score some goals and pick up our confidence. I dont care if they were garbage or good goals it puts confidence within the team and the players.
I was watching the Fresh Prince of Bel Air the other day. Just wanted to know if that is an accurate portrait of blacks in Bel Air?
@ Jack,
San Pedro is 20 miles south of Downtown LA and is on the water. San Pedro and Long Beach make up the Port of LA.
Just like any other city in the world, LA has its nice spots and its rough spots. West LA, which consists of Santa Monica, Westwood, Marina del Rey, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, is the ritzy part of LA. All upper class even though you will still find a bum on every street corner. East LA as well as South Central LA is completely ghetto. You want to avoid these spots when you come to LA. The South Bay (San Pedro, Long Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance) all have its nice spots with bad. Pretty much middle class. Hollywood is dirty. Hollywood Hills are prestigious. If you have a house in the hills you are a BALLA.
What you see on the show is probably accurate if it's East LA. Come pay us a visit and I will show you first hand.
@ Mishko and the alpine Crew today,
Thanks for skipping work and hanging out with CSR during the Croatia match as well as the other friendlies. Shared a lot of laughs today. Our crew is only growing in numbers and I'm happy with today's 8:45AM midweek show up.
Line of the Day: "Want me to get a pitcher?"
A Pitcher of what?
"A pitcher of water…what do you think?"
(Embarrassed guy thinks to himself and finally realizes we're talking about BEER)
(LAUGHTER)
If you're in the area in late March, join us at Alpine Village in Torrance,CA…right next to Home Depot Center.
For all other game spots showing Croatia arond the world, please let us know so we can post it.
Kalinic Man of the Match
kalinic scoring? must be carling cup time.
niko MOTM! different class.
yaaaaaaaaaa bravo Ivo!!! what a goal!! I told you Niko will play some defense, i just didn't think it would lead to the first goal.
I love seeing the guys back in action. This feels great. Can someone break down the formation and subs as I working all day.
Dennis: It was played in Pula because it was a brand new stadium, they would have sold out this game anywhere outside of Zagreb.
First half was horrible, yet somehow they scored two goals. The Czechs dominated possession and looked better on the ball. The second half Croatia turned it around but as somebody said it above the Czechs had two golden chances to score to take the lead.
This game shows a) Pranjic cannot play left back against any halfway decent opposition b) Corluka is not safe at center back, Lovren looked good in the second half c) Vukojevic is useless, I don't mind him off the bench but he offers nothing in attack
Also, outside of the goal, Ilicevic was pretty disappointing. I wanted to see Lakic and Perisic. Lakic should have gone on instead of Petric who we already know what he can do and Perisic should have come on for Ilicevic. Srna did not have to play the full 90. Another guy I am sick of, yes he got an assist but he was also "shot" multiple times again only to get up in 5 seconds
@ Jack
Yes San Pedro is a port city of LA. There are some ghetto parts of LA, but some really nice spots too. You're gonna have to come out and see for yourself…
I didn't catch the game live, however after watching multiple extended highlights of the game, here are my thoughts;
The scoreline: Giving up 2 goals at home to a Czech Republic side that has no credible threats going forward is unacceptable. Boys, our defense is in trouble and the warning signs have been there for the past year.
The first goal for HRV: Should've been called offside. Even though Ivo never touched the ball, he interferred with the play. If Petr Cech had any thought Ivo would play the ball and Ivo is in an offisde position and that close to goal, he should be ruled offside. Plain n simple.
The venue: It's great that a city other than Zagreb hosted a national team game. However, can Split host a game for crying out loud? Is there so much hatred between purgeri and tovari that there cannot be a game at Poljud? Yes I know the game against Georgia for EURO 2012 Qualifying will be in Split. Was this game played in Pula because the savez knew they couldn't get more than 10,000 heads to the game? You be the judge.
The players: Like Mark said, there were 7 subs made. Could have Bilic done some better things in my opinion, probably so. However, 18 players were used, can't complain too much.
Overall: Scoring 4 goals against a team with a reputation of not allowing a lot of goals is pretty good. Our defense scares me. Runje taking unnecessary chances scares me. Our best defense is controlling the ball possession war in the midfield. Kalinic had a good game.
Grade: B
This is unrelated to today's game. However, I see a lot of California inspired comments which sends me on this tangent. I have begun watching Southland on TNT. The show makes LA look like an ethnic ghetto warzone. Is this accurate or just Hollywood B.S.? Sorry ahead of time to Ziva, who will most likely not appreciate the off topic discussion. Also, is San Pedro part of the city of L.A.?
Does anyone else think Simunic is crap???
@ Mishko,
Time with us is time well spent. You should cherish it. See you in March. 405 sucks!
@Allen,
Not about being the man. I saw the plays live, wrote the post-game write-up, saw the highlights and amended my original report. Simple as that. I'm not here to mess with you guys. Promise.
Son of a gun guys. I should have stayed. When I got on the 405 it was a parking lot. Took me almost 2 hours to get to Van Nuys, and no one was there.
Next time, have beer and hang with friends, or go to work. I pick pivo and prijateli.
easy on Petric, he's fine, not a regular starter, but a quality pro player. It was very obvious that he was trying very very hard to set-up Jelavic for a goal today. Jelavic was much less impressive than Petric today, although I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for just coming back from injury. anyway, imo he's done on the repka soon anyway, as playing in scotland will not make him any better any time soon. with the attacking options that we are currently developing, he'll be hard pressed to see the field in the future.
and remember:
"ima samo jedan Ivan Klasnic" 🙂
http://www.justin.tv/hdk_st/b/279270544
Replay is here if you need it.
Anyway I think Kale is a serious threat in the air. I am not saying he should be a starter, but I think he could give Jelavic a run to see who can be the top young striker for Croatia right now. I am sick of Petric, he brings nothing to the table for me. He was below average and really their are better options.
Ante I am very happy you admitted that. I am happy you can admit to mistakes, thanks for changing it. I always knew you were the man.
Where can i watch the replay match?
I think I would feel more comfortable with Pranjic playing the role Rakitic had today and then either Strinic or Vrsaljko at right back. Put Rakitic on the bench. It's obvious Vukojevic is Bilic's choice ahead of Dujmovic, so unless we are going to play a defensive formation I would go with Pranjic instead of Rakitic in the midfielder role next to Vukojevic.
The two goals we gave up….
I can't complain about the first goal. Great ball, great header. Runje tried making a point blank save and almost had it. The second goal was a combo of bad play from Corluka and Rakitic. Rakitic gives Corluka a dumb ball and Corluka makes a boneheaded play. he should have just blasted it forward, instead he tries a soft pass and it gets picked up by the Czechs and they go and score.
Ante- Pause the video on your site at 6:15. Not only is Kalinic onside, but at the time the ball is played, he actually even with or behind THREE opposing players (the goalkeeper, the defender closest to him and the other Czech defender who is closest to the sideline.
Mark- Yes, Runje scares me too. The best keeper we ever had was Drazen Ladic, and even he was known to give up some soft goals in crucial games. It's shocking that we haven't gotten anyone younger that can take this spot.
Is there a single field in Croatia that is descent? A bad hop on Runje and then a bad hop on the Czech forward, otherwise they go up 3-2.
Where can i watch replay of the game?
-No offsides on any goals.
-Petr Cech once in a while DOES do stupid things like that. You'll notice if you watch enough Chelsea matches.
-Eduardo still produces.
-I blame Corluka for 2nd goal. He can get lazy back there.
-No goals allowed after subs!
-We subbed 7 times. You can't play everybody.
-Runje scares me.
-Overall a very good result. Scoring 4 goals is a good accomplishment for any team, unless you're playing Andorra. Although FIFA ranks Czech #30, I think the're definitely better than that.
After further review, the Eduardo goal was NOT offsides. Remember that when we (CSR) watch a game, we don't have the luxury of watching the replays 100 times like you guys. We are updating the website and hosting the game live. Good eyes guys.
Still think Kalinic was offsides on 2nd goal though.
I am VERY HAPPY people saw Eduardo was clearly onside. I was pretty mad when I read when he was offside the mile. It was clear that Ivo didn't touch the ball and that Eduardo was so fast to get the ball he was there. Eduardo's speed got him the goal. Anyway not done with the friendly replay yet, but so far first half has been shaky. Croatia seriously needs a new left back, Pranjic should just be a holding mifielder, he isn't a left back too small. I am not crazy about Strinic, how about trying Sime from Dinamo!! He showed some flashes with some clever dribbling also liked the bald head. Can we play left back or no? Because right now left back is still a problem. Srna has been alright, he has flopped a little but he really got hit hard a few times in his ankle. Still he needs to man up. Kranjcar was top notch today, really clever with the ball and has been such a joy to watch. The team does miss Modric though, as Rakitic hasn't played that great for NT lately. He had some decent touches but does struggle in the central midfield. We will see, but I am still happy so far. Lovern> Simunic in the future would be nice.
Where can i watch the replay of the game??
First goal can be argued. If you slow it down, Dudu is barely onside, however, I've seen linesmen call offsides for less on that possible interference. It looked as if Kalinic was well offsides for his second goal. Video replay angle doesn't show the best angle though.
No goals were offsides. Kalinic was in the offsides position on first goal, but never touched the ball or interfered with the play, so by rule: no offsides.
I did not like the way we played the last 30 minutes of the first half. Did not have enough possession in my mind.
Peter Ceh dribbling the ball 40 yards from goal…..anyone else want to argue how pointless the results are in games like this.
Overall, good showing.
Shoooooooow meeeee the mooonneeeyyyyyyyy. Sad to hear Lakic and Perisic didn't get out there. Unfortunately for Kalinic, we know what happens when you play for an English team and score goals internationally, he'll be riding the pine. Happy to see Eduardo still producing, we don't hear much about him on CSR anymore. Thank God for being a mile offsides and still getting the goal, things are finally going our way.
Ummmmm Dudu was clearly ONside….actually he was onside by a mile!! Whoever touched it before him looks to be offside…but dudu was clearly on
Hard to take a lot out of this game. If this was a real match, Peter Cech never would have been 50 yards away from his goal line.
Overall, it was positive for the team since goal scoring has never been a strong point.
Very poor first half despite scoring twice, the Czechs in reality dominated and the defense was poor, especially Pranjic
Second half was better, especially three of the substitutes Lovren, Dujmovic and Strinic looked good
Guys like Srna did not need to play the full 90 and why did Petric get the nod over Lakic? Also disappointed to not see Perisic and Badelj for at least 15 minutes
Overall, good result but not a good match by Croatia until the second half. A better team would have beaten Croatia today
Now we're beginning to see the depth that we should've always had… congrats to Bilic for finally understanding the need to experiment and develop players. Lets hope that he doesn't return to his ultra-conservative instincts.
Did I hear correctly that Dado Prso is on the coaching staff as a scout…? If I heard correctly, I like that move.
Nice to see Dudu active!!
The only problems are in Defense… we need to start Strinic > Lovren> Schildenfeld >Charlie
Good job Pula, we'll see you again soon!
ohh another thing the defence in the first half looks very weak… i counted a few times where they fumbled the ball and where the other team was about to shoot and a croatian defender turns their head because they don't want to get hit… so sad at that level that they even do that…the funny thing is that the cezh player missed the ball and it fell to another player which made the croatian defender out of position because he didn't have his eye on the ball…completely dissatisfied with the two in the middle corluka and simunic won't work… vukojevic didn't help either.. and srna at right back is not going to work were going to get killed by a good team if we use him there..
watched the full game… as usual Dario Srna is a big, wait a second a huge flop… i'm tired of seeing him play, he shoudn't be playing nor be the captain with the way he acts even if this is a friendly…
unless he is class act of the pitch which i doubt… bilic has this one wrong… enjoyed dujomovic pass to kalinic on the goal… liked his showing even though he gave the ball away easily once.. kinda promising.. kalinic looks like a stud for the national team.. i like that bilic gave a lot of guys a chance today eventhough i would have liked to see lakic and perisic.. but it's understood to try to get some continuity in the team rather then throw in all sorts of guys
nvm guys, found a stream so will watch the replay now and give you my take later. Defense is still a bit prone to mistakes, but wow seriously Croatia can move the ball with the best of them. Another striker I am getting sick of… Petric. Jelavic despite the miss at the end looks promising and how about Kale!!! Will speak more later
That was great, who would think that Cech would let that happen?
LOL nice job Cech. Guys the HRT 2 channel on Justin TV got blocked so do you know anywhere I can watch the replay of this game. It would be a huge help, missed the first 50 minutes.
Bravo Ivo!!!
I don't care if Kalinic can't keep his composure playing for Blackburn, if he can keep doing this for the national team it'd be great.
Mandzukic isn't on the squad…my mistake
Oh, and I almost forgot about Perisic, hopefully he'll make an appearance.
Not too bad so far but it could be much better, far too many fouls on our side. More possession would help prevent the defensive mistakes. Take out Vukojevic and put in Dujmovic. I can't pick between Eduardo and Kalinic, but one should go out for Lakic. I have a feeling Bilic will put in Mandzukic, but I really hope Lakic gets a chance, he definitely deserves it.
^^
Runje almost pulled a Paul Robinson….
EDUARDO! 😀
Hvala Ivo
Cro to win 3-0.
Any news on bringing the national team to the U.S.?
best stream here
http://www.crotv.bloger.hr
links updated always
Live stream here:
http://www.justin.tv/hdk_st#/w/847244480
Atdhe has been taking down…damm Feds
live stream here
http://darquo.site90.net/
HRT2 LIVE
Thanks to darko!
also links here live links
http://www.crotv.bloger.hr
Will the Golden Child be joining us at Alpine?
3 team moneyline Parlay:(even though a fear a Croatia draw)
Croatia, Real Madrid, Barcelona. Let's get it started right boys
Don't worry Mishko, I got a job. And not only are we going to watch the game at Alpine tomorrow, but I'm gonna take another 5 bucks off you and buy myself beer!
just to let you all know…
ATDHE.net is down…
but http://www.atdhenet.tv/ is up and running 🙂
dont worry, it will fall off eventually….
Oh my bad Denis. BTW – Get a hair cut ya hippy. 🙂
@Mishko,
You must have me confused with Ante.. 🙂
Also, I thought unlike "you guys", "I got this crazy thing called a job." Where will we come up with $$$ to buy you a beer?
LOL.
Go to ATDHE, the feds shut them down. If I show up YOU'RE buying me a beer you little bastard. 🙂
MIshko,
We will be there tomorrow around 8:30am..
We will be running off of SAAN.tv… if that fails then ATDHE…. if that fails then myp2p.eu… if that fails… we'll knock down a couple in the garden…
Don't you want to win that $5 back?
Ante are you SURE, you'll be able to show the game tomorrow. I'm looking EVERYWHERE and can't find it. I think atdnet has been shut down.
So please respond before I committe to coming down.
Thanks brother.
What a sweet line-up of games tomorrow!
I'll revise my earlier prediction of 2-0, to a more optimistic one of 4-1 for the beginning of the new era in Pula. Kranjcar-2, and Lakic, Perisic, Jelavic, Illicevic with the other two between them. Pranjic, Srna, Raki and Dudu with assists.
anyone know where i cam stream is live from… can only catch it at work
That rotation looks just about right in my guess Andrej. I got Croatia 2-0 with Kranjcar and Jelavic scoring. Czech's offense is seriously lacking and are rebuilding. I am getting out 11:30 Est to watch this so yeah I am an hardcore fan getting my mom to let me leave my English class half way
Hrvatska (4-2-3-1): Runje, Srna, Ćorluka, Šimunić, Pranjić, Vukojević, Rakitić, Iličević, Eduardo, Kranjčar, Kalinić
I got $5 on Ivo scoring. LOL
Don't like Ante drinking beer on my dime, when I'm driving back to the office.
I'll see if I can make it, but unlike you guys, I got this crazy thing called a job.
3 – 2 Croatia
0-3 Loss Miroslav Slepicka hatrick. Only joking!
Is anyone interested in buying my Croatia top from the style worn during Euro 2008???? Was my pride possession but i never really wear it and I decided i can part with it as raising money for charity i work for. It size large .. i'm not fat lol .. just 6ft 4
make me an offer? looking for 10 Great British Pounds as rock bottom offer considering i gotta post it too.
If anyone is interested in buying it via a online secure donating system. please get in touch at sandrok221@yahoo.co.uk
ma 3:1 Petric, Kranjcar, Eduardo;
Rosicky,
yea me too interested new stadium in Pula!!!!
I hope that Italy, Argentina and Brazil to win!!!
bye-bye!!
Valentina
1-0 Croatia…. Lakic
2-1 Croatia with goals from Ilicevic and Kranjcar. I'm interested in seeing how this new stadium in Pula will look.