Photo: Paun Paunović/CROPIX Ante Vukušić celebrates opening goal against Skonto Ante Vukušić’s 34th-minute strike gave Hajduk a lead they would not relinquish in Split today as the bijeli downed Latvian league leaders Skonto in the first of two Europa League qualifiers. Vukušić ran onto a lovely through ball behind the Skonto defence before neatly chipping the … [Read more...] about Vukušić heroics lead Hajduk past Skonto
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Dinamo squeaks out a draw in Bulgaria
By 30 CommentsPhoto: Stoyan Georgiev Sammir(right) in action against PFC Ludogorec Written by Colin O'Haravić Late-game heroics by striker Ante Rukavina, earned GNK Dinamo Zagreb a tough 1-1 draw with Bulgarian champions, PFC Ludogorec. Rukavina’s goal stole away a seemingly sure and historic win from the European new comers in the 93rd minute in front of a crowd of 6,000 in … [Read more...] about Dinamo squeaks out a draw in Bulgaria
OFFICIAL: Pranjić to Sporting Lisbon
By 10 CommentsPhoto: FourFourTwo Hrvatska Croatian midfielder, Danijel Pranjić, announced today that he will be joining Portugal's Sporting Lisbon on a free transfer from Bayern Munich. After much speculation that the 30 year-old Pranjić would join Nikica Jelavić at Everton or even chase the money in China, it was a bit of a surprise that he left for Portugal, albeit a good … [Read more...] about OFFICIAL: Pranjić to Sporting Lisbon
EURO 2012: A Final Look In
By 17 CommentsPhoto: Rob Uvanovic/CroatianSports.com Written by Rob Uvanović I’ve been waiting my whole life to watch the Croatian national team play live – and by traveling to Euro 2012 with my father and having the privilege to watch all three Croatia matches, we were both able to check something off our bucket list. As a Croatian-American that grew up in the US, the Vatreni have … [Read more...] about EURO 2012: A Final Look In
A New Era Begins…
By 46 CommentsPhoto: Crophoria.com Vlatko Marković's 12-year reign as HNS president is over. The 75 year-old Marković began his tenure in 1999 and will now hand 1998 World Cup Golden Boot winner Davor Šuker the keys to the HNS bus. Although Croatia's all-time leading scorer (45 goals) has minimal management experience at age 44, Šuker has played in some of the best systems in the … [Read more...] about A New Era Begins…
EURO 2012: After the Dust has Settled
By 29 CommentsPhoto: AP WHAT WE LEARNED: -We could very well be witnessing the greatest team in football history...and Spain can make that official, without a doubt, with a win at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil -Ronaldo can carry Portugal by himself (the non-penalty take will only make him stronger) -Teams that have the talent, but also mental blockage, that prevent … [Read more...] about EURO 2012: After the Dust has Settled
Aleksandar Holiga on Tap
By 102 CommentsPhoto: The Guardian So who exactly is Aleksandar Holiga? He is an independent Croatian football writer who often contributes to FourFourTwo and The Guardian. On June 26th, 2012, Holiga posted "Euro 2012: The problem with Croatia's nationalistic fans starts at the top" in the Guardian's sports section, citing all the problems he has with Croatian fans during major … [Read more...] about Aleksandar Holiga on Tap
EURO 2012: What We Learned
By 83 CommentsPhoto: Mirror Written by Vedran Ćavara Something funny happened during Croatia's 2012 EURO campaign: our expectations were suddenly raised, and the team made us proud. Here are a few observations I've made. Feel free to disagree. -Slaven Bilić made this team into a bona fide unit that played within themselves. They worked hard for each other and defended as a … [Read more...] about EURO 2012: What We Learned
What Could Have Been
By 92 CommentsPhoto: Facebook.com/priznajem.HRVATsam Croatia was one Ivan Rakitić header away from not only clinching a spot in the Euro 2012 quarterfinals, but dethroning the current Euro and World Cup champions, Spain, all in the blink of an eye. With Italy expected to win against the Irish, Croatia knew they needed a result and had to play a near flawless game against the Spaniards … [Read more...] about What Could Have Been