Photo: UEFA
Luka Modrić played the full 90 minutes for Real Madrid Tuesday night as Los Blancos took a comfortable 3-0 first leg into Istanbul versus Galatasaray. Everything looked to be in cruise control for Real Madrid as Ronaldo scored in the seventh minute, meaning Galatasaray would have to score five goals to go through. With Madrid up 1-0 going into the break, Galatasaray would need a monumental second half to get back into the tie- and it happened. Three goals from Eboue, Sneijder and Drogba within 15 minutes put the Turkish club back in the mix, only needing two more goals to clinch a spot in the Champions League semifinals.
But it was not meant to be as Ronaldo put his second goal away in injury time to see Real Madrid go through, alongside reigning German champions Borussia Dortmund. Modrić finished the game without a shot on goal and will be available for the semifinal first leg. The draw will be this Friday.
Mario Mandžukić and Bayern Munich take a 2-0 first leg lead into Torino Wednesday night when they take on Juventus.
Lovren doesnt read the game well thats what makes good cbs Robert Kovac Tudor Simic Bilic Stimac Soldo read the game so well but lovren looks lost like Carli Joe Sifo are the slowest cbs but they read the game and dont panic
Our back line needs work i agree as a unite it works but individually not so great Lovren does suck, Vida is playing as a cb in dynamo,Dinamo has Jedvaj and Simunovic that look good and maminjos cousins son looks like a good future LB,Hajduk only has Milovic cb, Belupo have Kokalovic Bubnjic, and Pavlovic and Renato Kelic look ok but non are proven yet, look at sifo the man was average in the HNL but at the Euro played solid and some of the games this cycle
Kansas=Mandza
Lovren is still young. We’re still hearing the same story from Kansas from a couple of years ago…. The kid messes up up, but will still be a stud one day!
At the end of the day, your wife is better than mine, forbidden fruit is the sweetest and the grass is greener on the other side…. Shit it wasn’t only agents, but players… How does anyone explain Silvio Maric?!?!?
He cant be any worse than Lovren!
He should be able to get a shot at the national team eventually. Our back line is quite terrible. They play well as a unit which is what you want but individually they’re garbage!
Vrsaljko is only 21 going on 22 man come on he has time to be a good player and we have Srna at RB for now. Modric was a late bloomer also.
A few years ago Tonel (Portuguese defender) predicted Vrsaljko was going to be one of the world’s best right Backs by now. They were saying he was even more talented than Modric. So much for that.
It’s too bad Vrsaljko hasn’t lived up to his expectations. Cro could have used him right now.
yeah im pretty sober these days which means life is boring.. seein ghow lexapro goes post zoloft and effexor.. has anyone seen that movie side-effects on a related note ? parasomnia is interesting.. some people can sleepwalk and go for drives, prepare meals etc.. there have been cases in the states where people murdered someone while asleep and then got acquitted cos they were asleep.. funny games
When i was young growing up the following players,were talked about in Croatia this is from 1997-2005
Tomislav Vranjic=Nothing
Mario Carevic=Nothing
Mario Grgurovic=Nothing
Deranja=Nothing
Biscan=Nothing
Kranjcar=Disappointing
Mornar=Nothing
Ljubojevic=Nothing
Babic=showed promise but average
Mikic=nothing
Seric=LOL
Balaban=Nothing
Sokota=nothing
Josip Simic=LOL
Dario Smoje=nothing
Vedran Jese=nista
@nepoznat….if you want to believe that, then go right ahead. He was also linked with big clubs 2 and 3 years ago. Guess what????/ He is still at Dinamo. Don’t believe everything you read. Many of those types of stories are given to reporters by agents with the hopes of getting their player some visibility.
Those same sites also said big clubs were interested in the likes of Mihael Mikic, Zvone Deranja, Mare Carevic, Ivan Bubalo, etc……
Mario !!!!!!!!!!!!
COME ON PARIS!!!!
1-0!!!
WOOT-WOOT!!!
7.2/1 ODDS 🙂
That yellow on Mario was BS! There is no way he deserved a yellow on that play.
Now he will miss the next game if Bayern should advance.
Modric played well, but still some spanish journalists keep blaming him, the Real Madrid fans have beginning to praise the modric’s work if you take a look at the comments in some fans forums you will see that they considered modric a key player.
@Ziva can you think of any other young defender that would make the trip? I can only thing of Sime
and if he is disappointing, why is he linked to the likes of Arsenal and Inter?
http://www.goal.com/it/news/7/calciomercato/2013/04/10/3890703/calciomercato-già-rovente-linter-sfodera-un-jolly-blaugrana?source=breakingnews&ICID=HP_BN_1
http://www.theweek.co.uk/football/49397/arsenal-eye-sime-vrsaljko-and-new-ronaldo-david-henen
this site likes him for the best U23 players in the world:
http://www.givemefootball.com/335451-world-xi-best-under23-players
in the end, you may be right as I don’t follow him nor HNL closely at all and only know what bits I read on the net
@Toni
I couldn’t stand looking at the arsenal logo so I had to balance it out a little.
@kreso
I agree don’t throw food their are kids starving all over the world.
@anon
That’s one of the points of this website. If we want croatia to come play here we need to be loud. Shoot an email to someone somewhere! I would like to see USA, Canada, croatia, Mexico, and a couple other countries come play for the croatia cup in the us of a.
Also make a screen name!
And add a picture!
@jonb, cool video and i love the map.
Sretan vam 10. Travanj… from Milwaukee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Hcq_T0keLoY
Hajduk Split Beats Slaven Belupo 2 – 1 in Cup play ! Naprid Bili !! Bog , Hrvati , Hajduk , i HNS !!!
@jim I thought that was interesting as well when I checked out the match ratings
@nepoznat……Vrsaljko was viewed as promising three years ago. Now, he is disappointing.
@Anonymous…………sure, you lead the way with the pop cans asking for donations. Only way you will get Cro to come to N. America is one of two ways:
1. we miss out on Euros or WC and come here in June for a meaningless friendly against the US or against another country that has a big ethnic following in the states (mexico).
2. We make next year’s WC in Brazil and come to the US for traning and freindly before going to Brazil. I doubt that happens begins logistically flying from Europe it doesn’t make sense.
The chances are remote because you need a promoter willing to bring them over and take the risk. We’ve debated this a few years ago. The cro population would not turn out in huge numbers for a game featuring Cro by itself without a marquee opponent. Only place the game could be scheduled in NYC, Toronto or Chicago. The 1990’s are done (for those of you who remmeber the World Basketball Championships in Toronto and how the Cro fans took over the venues). Playing in NYC, Toronto and Chicago would get you a crowd of 15,000 or so at best. Bring in Mexico, Columbia (NYC) or Portugal (Toronto) or Mexico (Chicago) and you will get over 50,000 with those teams.
How about organizing an effort to bring the Croatian national team to the USA for an exhibition match?
Fatalna Caroline: Mlade belgijske zvijezde u seks skandalu!
http://tinyurl.com/chry4a8
@iggy, where are you mate, not doing any of that aa shit are you? 45 cunts in one sentence, that can’t be done sober.
@ elvis. i don’t know where it is. i ‘m by puntica. i heard modric scooped himself a nice place by punta skala
interesting note. looking at the goal.com player ratings (where modric was given 3.5, which was second highest on the team new to ronaldo’s 4), he has nearly 300 likes/dislikes next to his rating which is by far the most of any player with most having sub 100. any theories on why this is? i’m just wondering if modric as a big signing and consequent “flop” has become a polarizing figure in soccer and lots of people like to express their opinion on him or if perhaps a couple hrvati got a hold of a computer and just kept clicking . i just found it interesting. here’s the link
http://www.goal.com/en-us/match/106095/galatasaray-vs-real-madrid/player-ratings
How about organizing an effort to bring the Croatian national team to the USA for an exhibition match?
Sretan Deseti Travanj
@dannyj Dinamo Zagreb has a young RB named Sime Vrsaljko who seems pretty promising at just 21 years old. I think he will definitely make the trip to Brazil with the squad
@JM
Can you see Modric’s villa where u are?
@jm i agree, even for totenham when watching from the cameras point of view you can see free players on the field, Luka is one of the few players who can find them and know just when to pass.
i watched the madrid game yesterday. i love watching modric play. when it comes to maintaining position and combining it with creative and precise movement of the ball, the guy is definitely world class. even in the star studded ranks of madrid i didn’t see anyone else able to do what he does…or at least not yesterday
you shouldn’t throw food
Kruno Tottenjew really?
There is a fine line between nationalism and throwing bananas on the pitch
@vatrena cast
Tell me one African country you would live in?
@HAET
Just to piss you off im gonna tell you that i have a black cousin. half white croatian and half african american. boom!
Sretan Vam Deseti Travanj!!!
do we have any promising defenders that could step up as early as world cup?
I noticed the “no to racism” marketing in the game.
Why is loyalty to RACE wrong, but loyalty to nationalism is A-okay, ESPECIALLY when all “nationalism” is these days is piece of paper?
NO TO WHITE GENOCIDE!
RACIST IS A HATE WORD!
@Valentina nice, way to go Ivan!
Bayern v Real semi-final also possible depending upon the draw.
PSG all the way!!!
Hopefully they play Luka and Real in the final.
I like bayern real final
@miki, line up looks fine other than kranjcar! I like the guy but he is jut way too slow. I wouldn’t have him playing on the national team anymore
@ Iggy
That piece of garbage was a veteran in the War against Croatia.
Probably was all fucked up in the head for the crimes he committed in the war. And now the SOB took it out on others.
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/09/17666022-13-dead-including-a-baby-after-house-to-house-shooting-spree-in-serbian-village
@ Iggy
Typical serb behavior…killing civilians. Useless pricks!!
see that serb guy who shot dead about 13 civilians in the news ?
How about a Bayern/Real final? One of our two big guns would be getting a CL trophy and they and the repka would only benefit from playing in such a game with the experience gained. The only thing I worry about in these types of games is serious injury. By the end of May, these players are worn out and teams will do anything to get an advantage.
http://www.24sata.hr/nogomet/rakitic-asistirao-za-gol-seville-u-pobjedi-protiv-athletic-bilbaa-309778
Croatian football looks good i think we can make a run at 2014 atleast quarterfinal ill be happy Midfield Kranjcar Modric Kovacic Radosevic Vukojevic Rakitic Perisic Sammir(LOL) up front Mandzo Ola Eduardo Jelavic Livaja Kramaric. Our defense needs work Left back is still a question,Carli is a CB who will partner him Sifo Old man vet Joe Vida Lovren or a shocker new talent and RB is Srna Pletikosa rules and idemoooooo
Bilo,
I didn’t catch the game. Dortmund-Malaga was the second half to watch. Gala needed 5 2nd half goals without Real scoring. That’s a far reach even on the run they were on and the Sneijder point blank miss that went sailing 20 yards right. 3-0 first leg juuuust about wrapped things up.
I want to see a Real-Bayern FINAL for obvious reasons. Semifinal draw: Bayern-Barca and Real-Dortmund.
Modric was good today he played well Rm have no defense how on earth did they sneak by with this defense.
@Croatia vs. Antwerp
For sure! Ozil was absolutely invisible on the pitch today!
Real were being overrun. The defenders were woeful. And Modric and Khedira were Real’s best defensive players.
Modric adding extra muscle to Khedira’s power. If it weren’t for these two the score line would have been much worse.
I wouldnt say they marched…more like stumbled and crawled.
Forgot to sign in! Here it is again:
Modric and Ronaldo were Real’s best performers tonight.
In terms of maneuvering around defenders and maintaining possession, Modric is one of the best in the World at this. The British announcer even admitted it.
Modric and Ronaldo were Real’s best performers tonight.
In terms of maneuvering around defenders and maintaining possession, Modric is one of the best in the World at this. The British announcer even admitted it.
I rather see a Barca-Real semi.
Hope its Barca-Real on one said and Dortmund-Bayern on the other side. That way you avoid all-Spanish or all-German final.
Modric played well i dont like Dimaria and Pepe they get by based on nationality rather than qaulity thats my opionion!
And if Olic and Mandzo werent croatian everyone would praise their work ethic they play with heart.
Ante,did Luka play well? I was at work and saw little of the game.
woot! here we go boys… now it’s Mario’s turn tomorrow!!!