The streak is officially broken…but what a streak it was!
With Modrić (Real Madrid) and Stanišić (Bayern Munich) bowing out of Champions League Wednesday night, this will be the first time since 2011 where Croatia will not be represented in the CL semifinals. I blame Manchester City and their poor League Phase form. If you get Kova and Gvardiol in the quarterfinal mix with Madrid and Bayern, anything can happen…even with their awful form this season.
This quarter century has been magical for Croatians int he Champions League:
2012: Ivica Olić and Danijel Pranjić got the party started making the CL Final with Bayern Munich. They would eventually lose to Chelsea in penalties.
2013: Mario Mandžukić would score and pick up his 1st CL trophy with Bayern Munich!
2013-2022: A Croatian would lift the CL trophy 10 years in a row! Mandžukić, Modrić, Rakitić, Kovačić, Lovren and Perišić would all keep the streak alive! Modrić would lead the pack with 5 titles in that span. Kovačić won with both Real Madrid and Chelsea even though his playing time with RM was minimal at best.
2023: The CL trophy streak would end as Marcelo Brozović and Inter Milan could not get by City in the final.
2024: Modrić would bag #6 as Real Madrid defeated Borussia Dortmund at Wembley. Not bad for a nation of only 4 million.
P.S.
ICYMI, gvbh was in the crowd today at Loko singing his songs
x.com/CroatiaFooty/status/1913256823706079682
Jagusic with World Class assist for 2nd goal today
Wow
Wow
Wow
MOTM 8.3 FOTMOB
Yes, beautiful cross. Fingers crossed that he keeps developing— can he fill in as a winger too? 😉 I love the fact that he plays for Slaven and comes from Koprivnica too.
Yup – looks like he can play as a #10 or LW or RW (he’s played all three this season) so very versatile – his cross was sensational – 2x the distance of Lamal’s cross for Barca’s 3rd goal Saturday (below) and more difficult (had to get over more players to the back post) – but you see millions of posts praising Lamal and one post from Anonymous praising Jagusic 🤷♂️
x.com/search?q=Raphinha%20goal&src=typed_query&f=live
A spring tradition; Hajduk shitting themselves at the end of the league season
You gotta admit, it’s the most exciting finish in years.
Last time we had it this close was 2018, and even then it was more of a two-way race back then instead of the three-way race we have right now.
The month of May will be INSANE.
Dinamo/Hajduk/Rijeka all play each other…
Osijek playing spoiler for Hajduk/Rijeka, and Slaven/Lokosi playing spoiler for Dinamo.
Will come down to the wire, for sure.
Hajduk did well to get a draw after Diallo was red carded in the 15th minute and playing with 10 men for the rest of the match. Soft dismissal but so was the penalty on Livaja at the start of the second half for the equaliser.
If Hajduk cannot win the title, I hope that Rijeka will. On Sunday Rijeka play Istra away and that won’t be easy, and I would not be surprised if this match ends in a draw ?
2. HNL promotion might also come down to last round May 31 Vukovar vs. Opatija
Wow is this a scheduling coincidence… ’cause wouldn’t this be a repeat of what happened last season? When promotion was decided on the last day between Sibenik and that village club near Osijek. Anyway it’s great that our first and second tier leagues are so exciting this season. I say let’s go Vukovar, hehe.
A nationalist patriot’s club (Vukovar) vs a pan-Slavic Yugo club (Opatija).
That’ll be fun to watch.
Matanovic’s Frankfurt crash out in Europe ☹️ to Tottenham 😊
DCC (barf) entered 115’ and let United score 2 goals in 5 minutes (both his fault)
Pong played 90 and won
Beljo crashes out too (they played 10 men for 113’ and 9 men for 10’)
No Cro content (aside from DC-C on Lyon), but Manchester United and the commentators celebrating like they just won Champions League by coming back to defeat 10-man Lyon at home …. was something to behold. Sramota.
It was a good match for the neutrals. Penalties, red cards, last minute goals. Although the red card seemed too harsh on the Lyon player. Lyon could have won it at the end if they defended better. They played well for a team with 10 men.
They always do that. Even though there is no way you can doubt that Arsenal deserved to win and progress, Real Madrid was far better than Arsenal in that second leg. It can’t be argued at all. Either way, the English pundit was not willing to even suggest such a thing. Instead, they had to say “Arsenal is by far the deserving side to progress.” Its like, yeah they were but Real played a much better game this second leg, and was better than Arsenal in the second leg (just check the stats they don’t lie). I watched the game as well, and you can definitely make an argument that Real was very unlucky in that match, many things didn’t got their way. Now I am not saying Real should have won, they played an awful first leg so they really did it to themselves.
So there definitely is bias on the English pundit and announcers part, it’s very annoying at times. But what can you do, it’s sports, people have a bit of bias. Objectivity is kinda hard when it comes to sports.
The English think they own the game. I love watching them lose. Even McManamen (sp?), who I normally like — former Real player — was so bias yesterday it hurt. I think one of them (maybe Ferdinand?) referred to Arsenal as “we.”
Isusati boga.
Reminds me of this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8SeGHLrY_4
There is a rumour floating on YouTube that Slaven Bilić could be named coach of Dinamo?! That would be interesting
Better than Bišćan
I’m sure it’s a long shot but love to see Luka close it out in MLS maybe California, Texas somewhere warm and Croatian-North Americans can say thank you to the greatest of all time for us. Sami nasi, hvala vam Luka.
I was just gonna say I hope Luka doesn’t go to MLS but your post kind of jerked a tear to my eye.
Maybe I shared before, but I saw him play on the under-21 team in Hamilton, Ontario. I had no idea who he was. Ten years later a slo-pitch teammate said …. Hey you know that blonde guy you were raving about in Hamilton, that was Modric.
Bilic was the coach. We bugged him after for autographs. He was cool as shit, would have come out for pivo.
https://hamiltoncroatia.com/history/newmillenium.php
He missed his chance to make big money in Saudi, but I respect him for staying at Real (even though Read did not deserve him these past few seasons).
I know that Modric recently invested in Swansea, so I hope he doesn’t lose money on that investment. Would be a shame to see guys like Broz completely surpass him in wealth.
MLS is a complete waste of his time and talent.
If anything, it would be great to see Modric back at Dinamo with Boban running things.
Not sure what BBB thinks of Modric with the whole Mamic thing, but it would be nice with Rakitic at Hajduk and Modric at Dinamo (going against one another).
These are the only types of veteran talent that these HNL teams should be signing…Former National Team players at the end of their careers (and not some wasteful B level talent from Africa).
MLS is a wasteland. I used to quite enjoy it because it was the best we got.
Just so many teams now … it’s garbage. I’ve bitched about it here before, but the whole never-ending regular season and random playoff format …. I just can’t. Have had Toronto FC season tickets since day one and haven’t gone since 2023.
New team every year, NYCFC playing on postage-stamp-sized field then New England (who I believe is an original team?) playing at cavernous Patriots stadium. Looks like shit. Like Atlanta etc. Sranje.
Fake news
Petar Sucic @ Inter is still involved (he’s de facto already part of Inter – let’s just say he’s not registered to play in the CL – as is the case with all teams i.e. there is sub-set of full squad that gets registered – it’s like Matanovic he’s not registered to play for Europa due to squad # limits
Tough times – requires tough measures – so let’s be “cute”
Europa and Conference League
Frankfurt – Matanovic (but not registered)
Lyon – DCC (barf) and 20 y.o. RB Teo Barisic
Fiorentina – Pong
Rapid Vienna – Beljo and Grgic
Real Madrid getting eliminated from the champions league makes you wonder what they will do with their coach. I know they have been looking at Jurgen Klopp and Xavi Alonso from Leverkuson to possibly come in next season. If they do get a new coach what happens to Luka Modric? I’m sure they would want to build a new team with younger players. Possibly, Modric would get more time on the bench with coming on late or a new club? Ancleotti does have offers from Brazil too. This Madrid doesn’t play as a team they rely on individual performances and have big egos. They need to find someone else other than Vini to play the wing. Maybe find a machine to make Ronaldo/Modric younger.
Also, BVB could have went through against Barca only if they had defended better in the first leg.
This could easily be Modric’s last few games in a Madrid kit. With Boban now running the show at Dinamo does Luka go to DiZag? Does he go to Saudi? USA? Serie A for one season? Or does he get Swansea out of the championship lol???
If he wants to go on to the world cup in 2026, I would think he would have to try and land in the Serial A, maybe even Bundesliga somewhere if he can and someone takes him. That would be the only way, otherwise I think it would be best to call it a retirement.
He still has a lot to offer for a year possibly two, but your body eventually declines and there is only so much you can do after a certain point.
I would love to see him continue though, if he has it in him and decides to do so. Would love to see him holding the world cup, would be an amazing end to a hell of a career. Either way he has achieved so much and shown the capability if a small nation.