June 26th, 2019 marks the one-year anniversary of Croatia defeating Iceland 2-1 in their World Cup Group D finale. It was the first time the Vatreni had ever won all three group stage matches at the World Cup. The only other time Croatia went perfect in group stage was at Euro 2008.
With Croatia already through to the knockout stages with 2-0 and 3-0 wins over Nigeria and Argentina, respectively, coach Zlatko Dalić was allowed to take the Iceland match a bit lighter to rest starters and players who were on a yellow card.
As Rakitić (came on in 2nd half), Rebić, Mandžukić, Vida, Subašić, Brozović, Vrsaljko and Strinić got the day off against Iceland, Croatia’s backup squad got the job done against Iceland to cap off a perfect group stage. Lovre Kalinić got the start in goal alongside World Cup 2018 debutants Tin Jedvaj, Duje Ćaleta-Car, Milan Badelj, and Josip Pivarić.
In a must-win game for Iceland, the 2018 World Cup ‘cinderellas’ came out firing against Croatia in a match that saw the ball slam off both posts multiple times. After a scoreless first half, Milan Badelj would beautifully strike the ball off a half-volley into the ground to get the Vatreni up 1-0 in the 53rd minute. It was then Dejan Lovren – who came on in the 70th minute – who would allow Croatia’s only blip in the group stage with a hand ball in the box in the 76th minute. Sigurdsson would convert the penalty as the men in checkers conceded their first World Cup goal after holding a clean sheet for an astonishing 256 minutes.
However, similar to the Spain game at Euro 2016, Ivan Perišić came down the left flank in injury time to net the winner for Croatia and send Iceland home. It was Perišić’s first of three goals at the WC as he scored against England in the semifinal and France in the final.
Croatia finished the group stage with seven goals scored and only one conceded – a penalty to Iceland. More importantly, it assured that the Vatreni would not have to play a very good French team in the Round of 16 as the two nations were sent to opposite sides of the knockout draw.
What about living an A Sexual lifestyle not much about that.
@Crnkovic
We have a British Champion here wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
Goku is from Dragon Ball Z , pametnjaković
Sometimes there is no choice but to stand and fight. Those times are very rare. When I was young I was black belt Goku Ryu and for a time British champion. My sensei would always tell us how dangerous it was out there in the streets. How many times he had been attacked and had to beat up 4 or 5 guys. My brother opened my eyes when he said “oh yeah? How come nobody ever attacked me”
Brekalo maybe to AC Milan along with Kramaric, Moro and Lovren, I’d like to see that!
Crnkovic
Its obvious you have never been in a fight in your life. You are a weak beta man. Brekalo will be a hero and proper Croat. US Football is gay central now so I can never support the US again.
lol, its still funny Truth, although you’ve made the same joke 80 times.
Homosexuality can never be equal
With the union of man and women.
It is inherently inferior. Sorry if their
Feelings are hurt.
We are Croatians and we believe in the family.
Homosexuality is hate.
It is dangerous to label alternative lifestyles as sinful. It creates poor stereotypes, discrimination, and puts unnecessary stress on those living those lifestyles
Brekalo acted hatefulky and with intolerance
People of alternative lifestyles have long struggled under the discrimination and oppression of the system. Wearing the rainbow arm band demonstrates you support their struggle and goals of equality. Something we should all be able to agree with nowadays
If the US elections go according to plan, some evening of the score will finally be achieved with candidates like Elizabeth Warren proposing reparations for those of alternative lifestyles who could not take advantage of tax benefits before gay marriage was legal
Kovacic to Chelsea on a permanent deal.
Chelsea’s transfer ban might’ve had some influence on that one.
Nice to see Spain Germany final in u-21 The nil nil between the roma’s And west Afrikaans did not work out as planned!
But seriously. Yes. There is some really strange stuff going on. But we have to be level headed rather kneejerk dufus about it. Right and wrong. What’s worse: killing kids for oil, or A man wearing another man’s name on his jersey?
Now we have to put up with the media saying stuff. That’s the worst any of us could ever hope to deal with
Can someone kindly explain why we should not “tolerate” someone if they sincerely believe sodomy is wrong?
Those were the days
Or better still line up with spears and run at another bunch of guys with spears and see who gets impaled last…
It’s a crazy world. Whatever happened to the good old days when you could lose seven kids to polio and if you didn’t like a woman you could say she was a witch and have her burned alive?
Lol
Truth I’m curious as to why brekalo’s stance has you so outraged?
Frankly how many of us are sick of all the LGBTQ crap we have to ingest every day.
Who really gives a damn what you decide to stick or lick.
It seems to have gotten chic to be a fluid..gender neutral polyamous pre-op black bi sexual Buddhist.
Great you’re confused who gives a rats arse!
Society just keeps getting more messed up by the day I feel for our grand-kids they have no hope!
Samo naprijed Brekalo!
Don’t let these perverts force you to support their filthy sin.
https://remnantnewspaper.com/web/index.php/fetzen-fliegen/item/4513-australian-rugby-player-fights-for-religious-freedom?fbclid=IwAR2p6cp68Xhg9RBOkzj5vzMGy3EIo8Z_kbq21hybW4Psq6-_GS0Tu9N0TXA
People should be free to believe their Catholic faith. How about tolerating that?
If someone believes what the Bible and Catholic Church teach that sodomy (filthy and smelly anal sex) is wrong, that does not mean they hate everyone who commits this sin.
Why should any professional athlete be FORCED to believe this is O.K.? Now tell me who the real bullies are?
I think we need to take a moral stance on brekalo. After that incident with the rainbow armband, the hns needs to make a statement that hate and intolerance won’t be tolerated!
We can’t look foolish and backward to the rest of Europe.
Hns new policy staying immediately should be:
No rainbow, no checkers!
To balance things out, Croatia should possible wear a rainbow armband in their next match. They could even toy with the idea of rainbow checkers for the game in split. This would draw rave reviews from the world and put Croatia on the map
Brekalo is going to be a counter scoring machine for years to come. After Modric and Rakitic retire, we will go back to not being dominant in possession and relying on counters. It will be successful sporadically, and it will be frustrating most other times.
I am glad Brekalo is joining the senior squad, just wish he did with Mandzukic still around.
@Horvat
He also lives the ZDS lifestyle. He is our boy !
Although nobody knows how Brekalo’s career will turn out, the kid has potential to be one of the best in the world. He’s a lot better than Modric and Perisic were at his age.
What I like about him best is his confidence and he shows up to play every game. He’s very consistent when he wears the checkers.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wPb8GqTMqnA
WE BEAT NIGERIA 2-0 NOT 1-0 WAKE UP ANTE
I think it’s good for him to stay. Even though he didn’t score, he didn’t play bad with Chelsea. Of course he hasn’t lived up to his full potential yet, but he’s growing, and that’s good.
Good if he doesn’t play Sarri ball.
Kovacic permanent signed at Chelsea
What u guys think good or bad?
if our own can get into a euro match and disrupt it we can do the same when an official gives us another bogus penalty. It’s time to make some noise.
the wound is still fresh, jebote:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/sport/nobody-wanted-this-zero-tolerance-approach-to-handballs-f0hjkwpsq
Croats are arabs, Serbs are white.
@BZ
Lol, what a dumb cunt you are, didn’t you know it was dangerous?
What about those anti-white two faced faggot Croats that bashed white Serb waterpolo players?
I got jacked up by 3 black guys walking out of Yankee stadium as a teenager. They stole my Sony Walkman, with a cassette of a bootlegged Gn’R concert in it. 5 stab wounds to the back. Mayor Dinkins really made it a dangerous place, was much better after Guiliani cleaned up the city.
Before the Croatia -Whales game they showed the rooftops of homes behind the small stadium the game was played in. How cool to walk outside your door and walk a block or few to the stadium to see your own kind (who were a WC finalist) play an international soccer game, and everyone walking to the stadium is White. Contrast that with a Yankees game whereby Yankees Stadium and the immediate area around it becomes basically what the ‘Green Zone’ in Iraq was. Then when the White people leave in cars, buses and trains, the area left behind is one dark, dirty, dangerous, totally “diverse” place no one wants to live in.
This was the game when our defensive frailties began to show and it got worse from then