ENGLAND
NIKO KRANJČAR
Tottenham missed a golden opportunity to gain ground on English leaders Chelsea as they gave the game away to Everton on Sunday. After playing a very physical scoreless first half, Tottenham scored two goals to start the second half. Niko Kranjčar assisted the second goal off a corner kick that fell perfectly to teammate Michael Dawson for the header. Kranjčar played well on the day connecting many passes for his attackers for chances on goal. He has however cooled down from his absolute tear last month.
Tottenham let Everton score two goals to equalize the game within the last 15 minutes before more chaos ensued. Wilson Palacios was hockey checked in injury time while he was making a run in the Everton box. Jermain Defoe lined up for the penalty shot only to have it blocked by Tim Howard’s shins. The game ended in a dramatical 2-2 draw.
VEDRAN ĆORLUKA
Vedran Ćorluka had glimpses of greatness and fatigue in this game. Ćarli played his usual 90 minutes and looked a bit lazy in the first half, almost committing an own goal. Ćorluka was not responsible for either Everton goal as they both came from the left side. He is carrying the ball much more in recent weeks and hanging out in the attacking zone on set plays. Ćorluka deserves a nice, long winter break to recharge those batteries.
TOTTENHAM-EVERTON HIGHLIGHTS
IVAN KLASNIĆ
Ivan Klasnić got another important start for the Bolton Wanderers in their match at Molineux Stadium as they took on the Wolverhampton Wanderers. (Apparently the Wanderer name is as popular in England as Wildcat is in America.) Klasnić played the entire match in a 2-1 Bolton loss that will keep the club a relegation contender the entire season. Bolton sits second from the bottom with only 12 points from 14 games. Klasnić is playing well despite the lousy results. He had a firm strike on goal and set up the ball that lead to Bolton’s only goal. He can easily take this club over if he starts scoring goals. ‘King Killer’ they would call him!
EDUARDO
Eduardo was scratched from Arsenal’s lineup on Saturday with a ‘thigh problem’ as the Gunners easily beat Stoke City 2-0 at Emirates Stadium. It doesn’t seem that bad as he should be available for Arsenal’s next Premiership match.
Eduardo missed the game against Stoke on Saturday with a thigh problem. “Eduardo has a thigh problem,” said Wenger at his post-match press conference. “It is a little recurrence, the medical staff tell me he could be available next week.”
With the win and a Chelsea loss on the day, Arsenal are now only eight points behind the leaders with a game in hand. Manchester United sit in second while Tottenham Hotspur are also in the mix.
Nikola Kalinić came on in the 77th minute for Blackburn in a scoreless draw against Liverpool at Ewood Park. The young Croatian still hasn’t jumped on an opportunity to become a match hero for the Rovers. It is rumored that former Hajduk Split teammate, Senijad Ibričić, will join Kalinić at Blackburn during the winter transfer window.
GERMANY
PHOTO: fcbayern.t-home.de, Ivica Olić
Bayern Munich defeated Borussia Monchengladbach 2-1 from the Allianz Arena to take fourth place in the German Bundesliga standings and finally be back in the mix. Ivica Olić and Danijel Pranjić both started the game for Bayern but made early exits in the 59′ and 79′, respectively. Pranjić tested Borussia goalkeeper Logan Bailly with the first chance of the match. After taking the lead, Bayern took out the Osijek native in favor of a defensive-minded Anatoliy Tymoshchuk.
PHOTO: fcbayern.t-home.de, Danijel Pranjić
Ivica Olić started alongside teammate Mario Gomez but it wasn’t until after he made his exit from the game that the Bavarian side were able to go ahead and take the win. Bayern Munich travel to Turin to take on Italian power Juventus on Tuesday in UEFA Champions League action. Only a win will see Bayern move onto the knockout round. Otherwise, hello Europa League!
PHOTO: AP, Ivan Rakitić
Ivan Rakitić played the entire match for Schalke 04 in a 2-0 win against a struggling Hertha Berlin squad in front of a sold-out home crowd at the Veltins Arena. The win brings the club to 3rd place in the Bundesliga standings. For Rakitić, it is the first time in quite a while that he has played an entire contest for his club. Could it be a sign of reconciliation or indication of a new trust between the young midfielder and Schalke 04 management as the January transfer window approaches? The squad are away at Werder Bremen next weekend in a pivotal match.
PHOTO: scfreiburg.com, Ivica Banović scores on a penalty shot
Ivica Banović scored a penalty kick in the 51′ for SC Freiburg against VfL Wolfsburg in a match that would ultimately end in a 2-2 draw. Banović played the entire game for his team but must have seen the ball very little. In front of a home crowd of nearly 28,000, VfL Wolfsburg DOMINATED ball possession at 74% of the entire contest, yet SC Freiburg did enough to make it out of the match with a much-needed point. SC Freiburg are now sitting in 13th place of the standings, flirting with the relegation zone. Next weekend, SC Freiburg host FC Cologne.
PHOTO: achtzehn99.de, Josip Šimunić
Saturday’s goalless draw between SV Hamburg and TSG Hoffenheim took place from the HSH Nordbank Arena with nearly 53,000 spectators in attendance. Josip Šimunić of Hoffenheim played the entire contest for his club while Mladen Petrić entered the game in the 61′ for Marcus Berg, taking another step towards full-match fitness. Petrić has been progressing very well since his return to play following an absence from the field due to an injury sustained in October.
Hamburg sits in fifth place of the German Bundesliga standings with TSG Hoffenheim nipping at their heels, one point behind in sixth. Hamburg are away at Nurnberg next weekend while TSG Hoffenheim host Eintracht Frankfurt.
ITALY
PHOTO: goal.com, Igor Budan
High-flying Palermo defeated Cagliari 2-1 from the Renzo Barbera Stadium with 20,000 spectators on hand. Igor Budan scored for Palermo in the 55′ on an excellent shot from the top of the box after dodging multiple defenders for the set-up. After a solid performance, Budan was replaced with teammate Javier Pastore in the 70′. The win has Palermo sitting in 13th place of the Serie A standings with “big boys” AC Milan, Inter, Roma, and Juventus still miles in front. Next weekend, Palermo hope to climb up in the standings even further, hosting Bologna.
BUDAN GOAL
PHOTO: AP, Ivan Jurić
Genoa and Parma played to a 2-2 draw on Sunday afternoon in Serie A action from the Comunale Luigi Ferraris with just under 26,000 in attendance. Ivan Jurić played the entire match for Genoa, receiving a yellow card in the 54′ for bringing down Blerim Dzemaili in the midfield. Genoa are in 7th place in the Serie A standings and are away at Lazio next weekend.
Dario Knežević was an unused substitute in Livorno’s 2-0 defeat to Chievo Verona.
Mato Jajalo was an unused substitute in Siena’s 3-2 win against Catania.
FRANCE
Vedran Runje
Lens suffered an embarassing 2-1 away defeat at the hands of Boulogne at the Stade de la Libération in front of just over 1,000 fans. Boulogne were playing with only 10 men after a red card in the 17′ to Mame N’Diaye for going in on a tackle with his studs up. Even more embarrassing, Lens had ball possession for 74% of the contest. Finally, the most embarrassing fact of the match: Vedran Runje, despite playing to the the best of his ability, was powerless to an own-goal off one of his defenders in the 45′ of play. The loss lands Lens in 16th place as they host Nice next weekend.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
SPAIN
Mate Bilić
Tenerife defeated Sporting Gijon 2-1 in Spanish Primera action from the Estadio Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez with 20,000 in attendance. Mate Bilić had a disappointing day for Sporting, starting the contest but only to be replaced by teammate David Barral in the 51′. Sporting Gijon, who sit in 7th place of the standings with this loss, take on Sevilla next weekend.
TURKEY
PHOTO: Hrvoje Čale and Drago Gabrić celebrate
Trabzonspor defeated Ankaragucu 3-0 from H. Avni Aker Stadium in Turkish Super League play. Hrvoje Čale and Drago Gabrić each started the match for Trabzonspor, with Gabrić scoring the second goal of the contest in the 63′ on a blast from the top of the box following a corner kick. Minutes after scoring, Gabrić was replaced with teammate Ceyhun Gulselam in the 71′ after a fine outing. Čale played the entire contest to cap off a solid defensive performance. Trabzonspor are in 9th place of the Turkish Super League standings and are away at Denizlispor next week.
Drago Gabrić goal at 2:32
AUSTRIA
PHOTO: skrapid.at, Nikica Jelavić
Nikica Jelavić scored in the 34′ as Rapid Vienna went on to defeat Kapfenberg SV 3-1 from th Gerhard-Hanappi Stadium in Austrian Bundesliga play. With one more meaningless game left to play in their UEFA Europa League campaign, Rapid must now focus on winning the Austrian Bundesliga while Jelavić must maintain his scoring touch if he wishes to prove critics wrong and attract attention from abroad.
In recent domestic games, Jelavić has found the net on multiple occasions to help instill confidence back in him from Rapid’s coaching staff. Does Jelavić have what it takes to anchor this team back to Europe for next season, or will his knack for finding the net disappear into thin air like Rapid’s Europa League campaign? Rapid move to first place in the Austrian Bundesliga standings and host SV Josko Ried next weekend.
Nikola Pokrivač
SK Sturm Graz and Red Bull Salzburg played to a 0-0 tie on Sunday afternoon in Austrian Bundesliga play from the Arnold Schwarzenegger Stadium. Nikola Pokrivač and Gordon Schildenfeld both started for their respective squads with Pokrivač being substituted in the 90′ for Simon Cziommer while Schildenfeld played the entire contest. With the deadlock, Red Bull Salzburg slip to 2nd place behind Rapid Vienna while SK Sturm Graz are in 4th place in the Austrian Bundesliga standings. Red Bull host FC Karnten while SK Sturm Graz host Austria Vienna next weekend.
UKRAINE
Darijo Srna played the full 90 minutes in Shakhtar’s 2-0 win over Kryvbas on Sunday. Srna strung together some nice passes for teammates in a relatively easy win for the Donetsk club. Shakhtar reclaim second position in the Ukrainian Premier League table but still trail bitter rivals Dynamo Kyiv by five points. Shakhtar play three games in the next 10 days to wrap up play in 2009.
Dynamo Kyiv needed an 88′ goal to skim by Chornomorets Odessa 1-0 on Saturday to remain five points clear of any Ukrainian competition trailing them. Ognjen Vukojević played the entire match and received a yellow card in the 60th minute. Dynamo Kyiv has yet to lose a game this season and look to be favorites to win another Ukrainian title. Shakhtar Donetsk will be in the rearview mirror all season long though.
BELGIUM
PHOTO: clubbrugge.be, Ivan Perišić celebrating with teammates
Club Brugge defeated KSC Lokeren 1-0 from the Daknam Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Ivan Perišić entered the contest in the 46′ for teammate Jonathan Blondel. In the 52′, Club Brugge took the lead when Ryan Donk scored the only goal of the contest. The match also featured former Croatian NT member and Dinamo Zagreb player Tomo Šokota.
With the win, Club Brugge remain in 2nd place of the Belgian Jupiler standings heading into next week’s match against KV Mechelen.
~Ivica Peroš reporting from the Velika Jabuka with Ante Kvartuč writing from Pauley Pavillion while Denis Svirčić is on assignment in Croatia.
Who said there was going to be no group of Death ?,
right now as it stands there are 2 Group of Deaths, 1st would be Group H – Brazil,Portugal,Ivory Coast,North Korea..you cant tell me it isn't a tough group, & second group of death would be Group D – Germany,Ghana,Australia,Serbia..
As a Croat Australian ill be hoping Australia can make the nation proud & move on out of the group fase,We have a strong squad & i beleive it can be done,no doubt about it,theres enough talent in the squad to see us move on to the final 16,can't wait to see us in action..
Mandzukic will not go to Tottenham,even tho we'd all luv to see him go there & join the fellow Croats,making Tottenham look like the Cro National Squad,I can't see that happening..He will most likely end up in the BundesLiga some where..Harry has his eyes on 1 of Palacio's Hondurian Teammates…
They have Defoe, Crouch, Keane, and Gio even if Palvuchenko leaves.
anyone hear anything about mandzukic to tottenham in january? a friend of mine posted this on our fantasy league forum. not sure of the source:
Popularna britanska internet stranica sport.co.uk piše da bi se kolonija hrvatskih nogometaša u Tottenhamu mogla povećati. Naime, kao moguće pojačanje kluba sa White Hart Lanea spominje se Mario Mandžukić.Napadač zagrebačkog Dinama trebao bi, po planovima menadžera momčadi Harryja Redknappa, zamijeniti ruskog napadača momčadi Romana Pavljučenka za kojeg se očekuje da napusti klub.
Inače, u klub čije boje brane Luka Modrić, Vedran Ćorluka i Niko Kranjčar, trebao bi stići i 20-godišnji Brazilac, za kojeg su se otimali i Barcelona i Arsenal, Sandro iz Internacionala, u transferu vrijednom 6.5 milijuna funti.Koliko sve ovo ima realnu podlogu znat će se uskoro, no nema sumnje da se Mandžukiću ne bi bio problem uklopiti u sastav reprezentativnih suigrača.
It could happen, but the game would be in Europe. Since most of the US players are based in Europe, it makes more sense to play the match in Europe. Rumors are that hrvatska might go to Australia for a series of matches in late May/early June, so that would rule out any chance of the team coming to the US.
Financially it makes more sense for Cro to play in Australia. They can make more money from the match and the attendance in Australia will be much higher than it would in the US/Canada.
Does anybody think there is a chance we could see a USA-Croatia friendly before the World Cup?? With Slovenia in the USA's group – the US will surely look to have a friendly with a Balkan team. They have already lined up Northern Ireland as a similar team to England and I'm sure they will try and line up Egypt/Tunisia for Algeria. Has anybody heard any mumblings about this possibility??