Reuters; Is this the last of the Modrić-Redknapp show?
It was a Crottenham reunion Sunday as all three Croatians got the start for Spurs. Luka Modrić finally made his season debut after being left off the squad for the Manchester United match last Monday due to “his head not being in the right place.” Niko Kranjčar started alongside Modrić in midfield with Vedran Ćorluka behind them as the defensive right-back. Spurs manager Harry Redknapp stated before the game that “Luka requested not to play against Manchester City on Sunday,” Soccernet reported, with a possible £40 million bid coming from Chelsea in the next day.
Spurs looked promising in the opening 30 minutes as Bale, Crouch and van der Vaart all had prime chances to score. After the missed opportunities, the wheels came of the Tottenham wagon. Bosnian Edin Džeko scored two goals just before halftime to take the wind out of the Tottenham sails with Kranjčar being subbed out at the break due to a minor knock. He should be fine for the September qualifiers. Modrić was subbed out with the game out of hand at 4-0 in the 66′. Will it be the last time we see him in a Spurs shirt?
Reuters; Ćorluka catching up with ‘Man of the Match’ Edin Džeko
Edin Džeko scored four goals on the day in Manchester City’s 5-1 thumping of the Spurs. Ćorluka played the entire 90 and played well against some of the best attacking football in the world. Ćarli had a very nice slide tackle on Nasri in the box to deny City an early scoring chance. What will Spurs management do now with van der Vaart tearing his hamstring and being out for the foreseeable future?
COMPLETE SPURS-CITY HIGHLIGHTS
EPA; Klasnić (R) vs. Liverpool’s Lucas at Anfield
Ivan Klasnić got the start for Bolton on Saturday as they encountered a tough road match against Liverpool. The ‘Reds’ dominated from start to finish and didn’t give Klasnić much space to work with in the 3-1 Bolton defeat. However, Klasnić did get a consolation goal for Bolton moments before the final whistle to ruin Liverpool’s clean sheet. With the goal, ‘Killer’ has now scored a goal in every match this season. Should he start vs. Malta or Israel?
KLASNIĆ GOAL @ 10:15
Germany
Photo: AP Photo/Michael Sohn; Mladen Petrić (left) celebrates after scoring from the spot
In one of the most entertaining matches of the Bundesliga season so far, Köln came back twice to stun HSV with a 4-3 win in Hamburg. Mladen Petrić, just recently left off the Croatian national team, opened up the scoring in the 10th minute by converting from the spot. Köln would then answer with goals from Adil Chihi and Milivoje Novaković to silence the 51,289 at HSH Nordbank Arena. HSV continued to push forward and matched Köln’ double with a double of their own through Slobodan Rajković and Heung-Min Son. Just when HSV looked to be on their way to three points, Mato Jajalo’s corner would find an unmarked Christian Clemens and the 20 year old would equalize in the 84th minute. Then it went from bad to worse for HSV after keeper Jaroslav Drobny punched out a free kick straight to McKenna, who blasted into the empty net for the winner.
2:31 Petrić goal, Mato Jajalo assist
PHOTO: Köln; Mato Jajalo(left) in action against HSV
Mato Jajalo started and played 85 minutes in the win. Kevin McKenna came on for Mato and scored the game winner just minutes later. The former U-21 Croatian captain is still waiting for his first senior cap.
PHOTO: AP Photo/Michael Sohn; Miro Varvodić celebrates Köln’s fourth goal
Former Hajduk Split keeper, Miro Varvodić, received his second straight start for Köln in place of the injured Michael Rensing. Miro looked like a waterpolo keeper out there, swinging his arms before the shot was taken. The 22 year old finished the match with three saves, but was saved by two posts and a flurry of missed opportunities from Hamburg. Köln climbed out of the relegation zone into safety with the three points.
Photo: REUTERS/Thomas Bohlen; Ivo Iličević(right) is shown red against Bayern Munich
It was men against boys at Fritz-Walter-Stadion as German Giants, Bayern Munich, smashed on Kaiserslautern 3-0 on Saturday. Mario Gomez was the hero for Bayern after registering a hat trick within a 30 minute span. Croatian international, Ivo Iličević had a goal and an assist the last time he faced Bayern Munich in 2010, but there wasn’t much Ivo could have done today with only 31% possession. After a disappointing evening at home, Ivo decided to let out his frustrations on Anatoliy Tymoschuk with a nice slide tackle from behind for a straight red card. The referee ended the game just seconds later. Iličević will have plenty to think about during next week’s international break and will serve a one game suspension the following week at M’gladbach.
Photo: AP Photo/Michael Probst; Ivo Iličević(center) takes the ball away from Munich’s Bastian Schweinsteiger
Croatian international, Danijel Pranjić, was left on the bench for Bayern Munich in the win.
1:50 Ivo Iličević red card
“We didn’t stand a chance, and we have to accept that. Bayern are in good form. We resisted in the first half, but their goal early in the second half was fatal. All Bayern’s quality came into play after that, they were in superb shape.”
~Kaiserslautern manager, Marco Kurz, after the match
Photo: dpa; Mario Mandžukić in action against Freiburg on Saturday
Felix Magath will surely be feeling the heat after striking out to Freiburg 3-0 at Badenova Stadion on Saturday. Croatian international, Mario Mandžukić, started and went the distance for Wolfsburg in the loss. Mario missed a great opportunity in the 25th minute as his one time shot off a Patrick Ochs cross just sailed wide of the post. That would be Mario’s only shot of the evening as Freiburg would dominate possession the rest of the way.
“Unfortunately, a trend has developed that I had feared. We have no self-confidence and no courage to attack. Now the team is put together at the end of the transfer period and this takes the insecurity away for many players. They no longer need to be afraid that somebody else will arrive. Everybody can now work out for themselves their position and improve it, therefore I am optimistic that we will do better in September.”
~Felix Magath told Sky television after the game
Photo: Wolfsburg; Mario Mandžukić rockin’ a new due against Freiburg on Saturday
Srdjan Lakić once again looked invisible out there for Wolfsburg. The 28 year old striker came on at halftime for Josué and failed to get anything going against a stingy Freiburg defense. Srdjan did manage a shot on goal in the 64th minute of play, but his shot was saved by Oliver Baumann. Hrvoje Čale made his Bundesliga debut after coming on in the 64th minute with the game already decided. The former Dinamo Zagreb defender picked up a yellow card three minutes from time after a bad challenge on Yacine Abdessadki. On the bright side, three Croatians were on the pitch together for Wolfsburg.
PHOTO: DPA; Bernd Leno(left) luckily gets a hand on Ivan Perišić’s shot for an breathtaking save
In front of a sell out crowd of 30,210 at BayArena, German heavyweights Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund played to a scoreless draw. Borussia’s Ivan Perišić came on for a disappointing Kevin Großkreutz just after the hour mark. The Croatian international once again didn’t fail to impress. Ivan came close to scoring his first Bundesliga goal in the 67th minute as his right footed shot from the center of the box was saved by Bernd Leno. The 19-year-old keeper saved the ball that pretty much everyone had already seen inside the goal. Unlucky Perišić will have to wait until after the international break for another Bundesliga chance. Should Perišić start for Croatia against Malta?
PHOTO: REUTERS/Tobias Schwarz ; A 82 minute goal by Raffael(left) was all that separated Stuttgart and Hertha BSC
Hertha Berlin stopped a 17 match home winless run in the Bundesliga with a 1-0 win over Stuttgart in front of 52,232 at Olympiastadion on Friday. Former Croatian U-21 international, Andre Mijatović, started and went the distance in the victory. The Hertha captain caught a break in the 40th minute after video replay showed that he might have brought down Martin Harnik in the box. Stuttgart coach Bruno Labbadia was upset with the call and the result, “It’s an incredibly bitter defeat. We clearly had more chances.” It was promoted Berlin’s first Bundesliga win at home since a 1-0 victory over Hannover on August 8, 2009.
“We played as if we didn’t care in the first half, barely present. But in the second half we were much better. In the second half we were extremely dangerous on offense and converted on our chance. But now we must move on. We have to thank the fans. They have shown great support despite the heavy conditions. This victory was for our followers.”
~Andre Mijatović after the match for Hertha BSC
Croatian international Josip Šimunić was once again left off the squad by Hoffenheim in a 2-1 home loss to Werder Bremen on Saturday. 20-year-old Petar Slišković was left on the bench for Mainz in a 1-1 draw at Hannover 96.
PHOTO: REUTERS/Robert Pratta; Dejan Lovren(right) challenges Montpellier’s Olivier Giroud
For the first time this season, Dejan Lovren did his job and led the Lyon defense to a 2-1 win over league leading Montpellier on Saturday. After a scoreless first half, Lyon would score twice in the second half through Miralem Pjanić and Jérémy Pied. Just when Lyon looked to be headed for their first shutout of the season, Henri Bedimo ripped one in injury time from just outside the box to cut the deficit in half. Montpellier pushed forward in search of an equalizer, but it was little too late as Lyon handed Montpellier their first league loss. The only low point of the night was the injury to Argentine striker and Lyon captain Lisandro who was stretched off in tears at the end of the match with an apparently serious left ankle injury.
“Licha’s injury casts a shadow over this beautiful victory. We don’t know yet how long he will be out for or what kind of injury it is. He’s gone for tests and we’re waiting. As well as being our captain Licha is an important player. He’s omnipresent and motivates his teammates. He intimates his rivals and if he were to be absent for a long time it could cause us problems.”
~Lyon coach Remi Garde
PHOTO: gazeta.ru; Zhirkov slides it through to Eto’o
Stipe Pletikosa and Rostov took on Anzhi Makhachkala with fans hoping for Eto’o to make his Anzhi debut. Eto’o began the game on the bench as Rostov looked to get at least one point to move themselves out of the relegation zone. Pletikosa was untested in the first half, collecting a few crosses, as neither side created many good opportunities.
Rostov came close in the 54th minute off a header that goalie Revishvili got just enough of to deflect it off the crossbar. Eto’o was finally subbed on in the 58th minute, wearing #99. Rostov capitalized on their possession and Timofey Kalachev scored on a free kick, putting it over the wall and past the keeper in the 72nd minute. Eto’o equalized for Anzhi after Rostov defenders missed four tackles on Yuri Zhirkov, the former Chelsea man, who drove into the box and put it across for Eto’o to tap in. Pleti was unable to get a hand on the cross as the defense was primarily responsible for the goal. The match finished 1-1 with Rostov happily receiving a point against the Champions League hopefuls. Rostov sit in 14th with eight games to go before the league splits in two for the second phase of the season.
“We are pleased to have taken one point against one of the top teams. I think we will soon emerge from the danger zone.”
~Stipe Pletikosa after the match
(Rostov goal at 2:15, Anzhi goal at 2:45)
PHOTO: sovsport.ru; Dujmović confused on how to get some playing time
Dinamo Moscow looked to get back to their winning ways on Sunday against bottom-feeders Spartak Nalchik. They won 2-0 thanks to goals from Kevin Kuranyi and Igor Semshov. Dinamo gained valuable points as CSKA tied Lokomotiv in a Moscow derby. The win puts them in 3rd, 3 points out of 2nd. Tomislav Dujmović was an unused sub for the 7th game in a row.
Scotland
Daily Record; Jelavić shocked after Europa exit
Rangers got back on track Sunday with a 2-0 win over Aberdeen after being dismissed from Europa League on Thursday. Rangers could not overthrow a 2-1 first leg loss in Slovenia to Maribor and only managed a 1-1 draw at Ibrox in the return leg. Nikica Jelavić has not scored in the Rangers’ last four games against weak competition, at best. Scotland will not have one team representing the SPL in Europe this season. With only a Scottish championship to play towards, is Rangers the right place for Jelavić to grow as a player?
Ukraine
Shakhtar; A disappointed Srna after the draw
Darijo Srna apologized to Shakhtar fans immediately after their 2-2 road loss to Chronomorets on Sunday. The entire club is in complete disappointment after letting Burdujan score his second goal of the match in injury time to force a 2-2 draw. With Shakhtar dropping two points and Dynamo Kyiv winning on the weekend, the two Ukrainian giants are now tied atop the table with 20 points each. Srna played the entire match while Eduardo remained on the bench as an unused substitute.
Frankly speaking, it is hard to say anything right now. We should not have lost points in today’s game. We have to put on a much better performance. Everyone is responsible for this result. I apologize to our fans for spoiling the Miner’s Day. (Srna on the next game) We will win! This is not a problem. We must claim points in our away matches! Luck wasn’t on our side; we shipped two late goals in our two away games.
DynamoKyiv; Vukojević & Dynamo back in first
Ognjen Vukojević and his Dynamo Kyiv side took care of business as they defeated Dnipro 4-0 to share a piece of first place with rivals Shakhtar Donetsk. Vukojević played the full match card-free. Dnipro had both Nikola Kalinić and Ivan Strinić start for them to no avail. Kalinić couldn’t get on the board for Dnipro while Strinić was taken off at halftime. What roles will these three Croatian internationals play in the Malta and Israel qualifiers in September?
Spain
PHOTO: marca.com; Ivan Rakitić, training for Sevilla
La Liga kicked off this weekend with Sevilla taking on Malaga. Thanks to a double by Alvaro Negredo, Sevilla were able to win 2-1 against a new look Malaga side featuring the likes of Jeremy Toulalan, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Santi Cazorla, who curled in a free kick in the 81st minute to give Malaga hope. On Thursday, they looked to overcome a 2-1 deficit in their Europa League tie with Hannover. Sevilla gave up an early goal but were able to get one back before half on an own goal. Despite relentless attack the second half, they were unable to break down Hannover’s defense as it finished in 1-1 with Hannover advancing 3-2 on aggregate.
Ivan Rakitić will be disappointed not play in Europe after his former club, Schalke, reached the semi-finals of the Champions League last year. Ivan Rakitić is nearly recovered from the foot injury he suffered in May, having trained with the team for the past week. Sevilla have asked the HNS to let Rakitić stay in Spain over the international break to help him get back on the field quicker; and they agreed.
“Rakitić was not called for the upcoming qualifiers because he is not mtch fit after just returning from an injury.”
~Slaven Bilić on Ivan Rakitić
“I watched Dinamo and this is great for our football. I am sad that the other teams didn’t qualify as well. Sammir has had a great season and was amazing against Malmo. If Bilić calls him, prihvatit ćemo ga kao da je naš.”
PHOTO: Sporting; Mate Bilić
Sporting Gijon started their season with a disappointing 2-1 home loss to Real Sociedad. Mate Bilić is still recovering from an injury he picked up a week ago but should be back soon.
Portugal
PHOTO: cdNacional; Dejan Školnik(right) in action against Birmingham
Nacional took on Birmignham at St. Andrew’s Park on Thursday, with the tie at 0-0 after the first leg. Nacional were dominated by the Championship side and rightfully lost 3-0. Dejan Školnik played the full 90 minutes as Birmingham advanced into the group stages of Europe for the first time in 50 years. Nacional play at Benefica on Tuesday as they focus on continuing their success from last season.
Next Matches:
No games next week due to international break.
~Ante Kvartuč and Denis Svirčić reporting from sunny Southern California, Zach Gilfix reporting from Minneapolis, MN
Modric and tevez quit their clubs?
http://m.yahoo.com/w/sports/home/blogs/article?offset=1&urn=urn%3Anewsml%3Asports.yahoo%2Cyhoo%3A20050301%3Asow%2Carticle%2Cyhoo-ept_sports_sow_experts-wp4513%3A1&.ts=1314840793&.ysid=RWfgROuIIizKRqDWL4kiOIsN&.intl=US&.lang=en
dinamo seems to have too many players in their squad..their young promising players could have problems getting enough playing time
Simunic has signed for Dinamo – 2 years. Also, a strong rumour that if Modric stays, Liverpool will pay 17 million for both Niko Kranjcar and Vedran Corluka.
Ilicevic linked to Hamburg
Rangers rejected a bid of 6.5 million euros from Leicester City for Jelavic
U21 international Roberto Puncec is on his way to Maccabi Tel-Aviv
If Simunic does not come to Dinamo, they will sign a Chilean youth international from Palermo on loan (Labrin)
Transfer window closing on the 31st. I really would love to see Luka go, but with 1 day left it seems pretty bleak.
A lot of people are looking down on Luka for his actions, but when you have an agent telling you not to play b/c a deal is coming, it's hard to not head his advice. I wanted to know what you guys would do if you were in his situation. Wait it out until the transfer window closes, and take the criticism. OR, play for your current team, and hope for the best.
On the Illicevic vs Perisic. Obviously Perisic, but I'd love to see Illicevic get some time on that left hand side, later in the game, if he's fit.
why is everybody hating on HAMILTOn guy. you guys yugoslavs or what? ustasas for life.
I'm for giving Ziva a column to write about soccer. I'd also like to suggest giving Andrej a column to write about soccer as well. How often I don't know, and if Andrej gets a soccer column, please no tomes – learn how to get your point across with less words. I could tell you where to learn that skill, but then you'd all call me a naziwhowantstokillsixmillionjews…ahahahaha!
Yeah, ever since I gave Klasnic that Slaven Bilic shirt, he's been doing great. I'm sure he wears it to sleep every night. You can thank me later 🙂
A little late, but I thought I would share something with you guys…
A few weeks back I was interviewed by a Romanian sports website.
Interview
Not a big deal, just for shits and giggles.
@Bobby V,
thanks for the update on the BBB. A little pessimistic with your prediction, no?
Croatia's C team should be able to beat Malta. C team would have:
Strikers
Rukavina, Krstanovic up top Petar Slišković and Duje Čop off the bench
Midfield:
Jajalo in midfield(Only called up because of all the injuries in midfield, I still think Jajalo qualifies as C team
Mateo Kovačić
Sammir ( not my choice )
Zvonko Pamić
Mario Tičinović off the bench
Marko Babić off the bench
Sharbini brothers?
Defense:
Manuel Pamic at LB, Tonći Kukoč, Skolnik, Renato Kelić
Dino Drpić off the bench…haha
Keeper:
flip a coin. Even count Runje as a C goalie. Lovre Kalinić, Our boy at Chelsea Delac
I probably missed a couple of names.
Malta and Israel will both be dificult. However, I think we will squeak out victories in both. A draw or loss in either game and Bilic should be a man and resign.
U normalnoj državi Marković i Mamić odavno bi bili u zatvoru.
The BBB has ended their boycott but only for HNL games – still won't be attending as a group for the Champions League.
I can't see our national team winning either of the two matches coming up. Too many players hurt, sitting on the bench and concerned about their club status. Mark my words.
@Zach,
Looks like Ilicevic is having a struggle to be fit in time for Malta after an abdominal strain. Yes, Jajalo has been called up. I would be shocked at this point if Perisic doesnt get the start. The kid has been impressive with limited time at powerhouse Dortmund.
@Stipe,
Thanks for the suggestion of banning IP addresses. We might need that in the future. However, not with Hamilcar. He brings good stuff to the table when its not related to race and white-genocide. Yes, we warned him "1000 times" but lets just be a little patient and we will delete all of the inappropriate comments within a few hours.
Everyone needs to ignore the white genocide comments as this is not a topic on this website. Within a few hours, the comment is deleted and we move on. The more people bitch and retaliate, it just adds more fuel to the fire and worsens the situation. Please don't take this personally, as this is not a shot at you or anyone else on the website. Just a solution that will work. As always, you and anyone else can contact me through email at: paluka81@yahoo.com.
If Kranjcar's out, would people rather see Ilicevic or Perisic on the left. I'd say give them both a half vs. Malta and then decide.
***yawn****
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Problem is they clustered all the aryan-slavics into the same brackets so that a large # can't progress to the later stages of the tourny. I'm acting as tho this is alread Croatian Sports Report.
Cilic, Karlovic, & Tomic won today. And our distant cousin Tipsarovic also.
I dont think we should be arguing politics on a soccer board… but Hamilcar is right.. Dzeko is more ethnically Croatian than Sammir
hamilcar I'm with u, according to our old boundaries, dzeko would be playing for Croatia. haha
Somebody needs to ban Hamilcars IP. If you need help I will gladly show you how. He has been warned like 1000 times and I guess his mommy and daddy professors never taught him how to listen.
It's been a rough start in my estimation for Croatian soccer:
1)Petric in relagation zone, no europe.
2)Olic injured again, Pranjic no where to be found.
3)Jelavic no europe.
4)Modric drama, Kranjicar under performing.
5)Manzo and Lakic in relegation zone, Lakic no where to be found.
6)Kalinic no where to be found.
7)Rakitic no europe.
On the bright side:
1) Killer starting, playing lots of minutes and of course scoring goals. Perhaps his fitness is better than it's ever been?
2) Perisic getting playing time for one of the best teams in Europe and playing well.
3) It's very early in the campaign.
On another note, can we get Dzeko to obtain a "croatian passport"? haha. You know in 1000AD (as well as 1940), Croatia consisted of Modern day Croatia and Bosnia; most Bosnians are mostly ethnic Croats, the only reason they are named after geopolitics as opposed to being named after a nation (ie Croats make up Croatia, Serbians make up Serbia) is due to Ottoman overlordship. But you guys would take Sammir if you had the choice cuz you loyal to paper as opposed to blood, and it make you feel "virtuous" to "celebrate" diversity". Anti-racist is code word for anti-White.
kranjcar is the hero last time croatia met israel…he scored both goals…in 2-1 win…
is he officially withdrawn from coming matches?
Im in 30th cause I can never get my captian right!!!!!!
Well I am in 31st place in fantasy, not great because my strikers have done shit (Zamora, Bent, and Beckford damn you..I need to get away from English strikers).
Wow Manzo you look like a tool with the designed sideburns. I thought only clueless wingers like Aaron Lennon do things like that. Oh well, anyway is Niko really out for qualifiers? That is a huge blow and really sucks. Once again our midfield is going to be limited without him or Rakitic. God that pisses me off, what the hell…
Jelavic is sure losing it and my love fest with him is sure going down. That being said, Klasnic is back on the rise and I am loving it. Petric should have been called up over Kalinic to be honest because Kale just seems so stale and just doesn't offer much to the table. I just want to get 6 points in anyway, let's just be in the damn tournament. Modric needs to leave Tottenham and I think he will. Scott Parker (who is damn good and is close to Modric's level) will sign for Spurs and should open the door for Modric to go out. A Sandro-Parker midfield makes me really jealous and that can create so much havoc. Put Adebeyor up top and Spurs can contend for top four still. The blowout was brutal to watch, but they got guys coming in so we won't have to see jokesters like Crouch step on the pitch for a big game again.
Wow Manzo you look like a tool with the designed sideburns. I thought only clueless wingers like Aaron Lennon do things like that. Oh well, anyway is Niko really out for qualifiers? That is a huge blow and really sucks. Once again our midfield is going to be limited without him or Rakitic. God that pisses me off, what the hell…
Jelavic is sure losing it and my love fest with him is sure going down. That being said, Klasnic is back on the rise and I am loving it. Petric should have been called up over Kalinic to be honest because Kale just seems so stale and just doesn't offer much to the table. I just want to get 6 points in anyway, let's just be in the damn tournament. Modric needs to leave Tottenham and I think he will. Scott Parker (who is damn good and is close to Modric's level) will sign for Spurs and should open the door for Modric to go out. A Sandro-Parker midfield makes me really jealous and that can create so much havoc. Put Adebeyor up top and Spurs can contend for top four still. The blowout was brutal to watch, but they got guys coming in so we won't have to see jokesters like Crouch step on the pitch for a big game again.
JerseyCro,
Wipe your mouth out after those comments about Jelavic. Sram te bilo.
On another note.
What is going on this season. EPL looks like a 2 horse race atm, while CSR's fantasy EPL league is being taken over by two women. Congrats ladies. Everybody else, pick it up.
https://skitch.com/mlebo/fwigd/fantasy-premier-league-the-official-fantasy-football-game-of-the-barclays-premier-league
For Next matches: Nacional @ Benefica today
Arsenal had a scout at recent Dinamo games, apparently watching Kovacic and Situm.
Jajalo has finally been called up to the NT after injury doubts to Kranjcar and Ilicevic.
SPL is such a garbage league which is why I take Jelavic's "success" there with a grain of salt. The SPL is probably worse talent wise than the HNL, only the SPL still has some glamor. God help us if Jelavic is one of our top 3 strikers
poaaah, Edin Dzeko! The legendary Bosnian diamond… well done!