You know what guys? We have the most exciting national team of the last 5 years. Hands down! Croatia may not have any silverware in their cabinet yet, but the CARDIAC CROATIANS once again stayed true to their name Wednesday night in Rotterdam.
1st Half: Crap from Croatia
2nd Half: Excellent from Croatia
Last minute of the match: Disaster from Croatia
Extra Time: ALL CROATIA!
So why do I say Croatia is the most exciting team of the past 5 years? Well, the proof is in the pudding. Nearly every single knockout round match since the opening of the 2018 World Cup has gone into extra time or beyond.
2018 World Cup: 3/4 KO matches went to extra time. 2 went to penalties. Croatia won all 3.
EURO 2020: 1/1 KO match went to extra time. Croatia eventually lost to Spain in ET but that wasn’t before Croatia scored twice in the final 5 minutes of the match to tie the game up and force ET.
2022 World Cup: 2/4 KO matches went to extra time and penalties. Croatia won both penalty shootouts against Japan and Brazil. As a bonus, you can add the group finale against Belgium (0-0) in the mix as that game had every Croatian on planet Earth on the edge of their seat. Hvala Lukaku.
2023 Nations League: Croatia blow a 96th minute lead to force extra time where they would eventually win 4-2 in the semifinal.
The proof is in the pudding. But check out this interesting Croatian “Stat of the Night!” Since the beginning of the 2018 World Cup, the maximum amount of Knockout round matches between the World Cup (4 games x 2 years), EURO (4 games x 1 year), and Nations League (2 games x 3 years) is 18. Croatia (with Sunday’s UNL Final against Italy or Spain) will have played in 11 of them. How incredible is that? (I will look to see if any other European or South American team has topped that number since 2018 later in the week. France or Argentina may be close.)
That means since 2018, Croatia has:
-played in 10 Knockout Round matches (+1 on Sunday)
-7 of those have gone to Extra Time
The Vatreni have only lost 3/10 KO round games in that span: 2018 World Cup Final vs. France, EURO 2020 R16 vs. Spain, 2022 World Cup semifinal vs. Argentina.
Of the 7 matches that have gone into extra time, they have only lost one game: Spain in 2020.
Croatia trailed in every single match (7) that led to extra time but only lost one. How strong does a team need to be mentally across a 5-year span to pull those numbers off? Absolutely unreal.
Since 2018:
- 11/18 Knockout Round appearances (61%)
- 6-1 in matches that go to extra time
- 4/4 in penalty shootouts
So why am I telling you this? Because our beloved Vatreni did it again Wednesday night in Rotterdam. However, instead of an epic comeback, it was a tragic letdown ‘at the death’ against the Dutch. But Modrić and his boys dug deep once again to win an extra time thriller to put Croatia in their second Final in 5 years.
The Good:
- Modrić was absolute class!
- Livaković finally looked good coming off his line and grabbing the ball out of the air
- Petković is officially Mr. Big Game in extra time
- The entire Croatia team came to play in extra time after conceding the equalizer in the 96th minute
- Ivanušec with a surprisingly great game out of nowhere
The Bad:
- The “Put Together At The Last Second” defense of Vida, Šutalo, Perišić, Juranović showed they had never played together on the first Dutch goal
- Kovačić was invisible this match
- Perišić still has no one to cross the ball to in the box
The Ugly:
- The 96th minute Dutch equalizer was nasty for Croatia. You cannot let the ball ping pong around the box like like. Kick it into the 17th row if you have to!
- How many short corners does Dalić want to play? I counted 3 unnecessary short corners in this match that did absolutely nothing. Put the ball in the box and see what happens. I understand we don’t have a tall striker than can climb the ladder for a ball, but the short corner has done nothing For Croatia, EVER.
UEFA Nations League Final takes place between Croatia and the winner of Spain/Italy Sunday at 2:45PM (ET). Who are we rooting for in the other seminal?
I am having nightmares from Euro 2020, with Spain as our next opponent. Did not see Dinamo Dani Olmo out there today. Maybe he did not make the team.
Sigh Spain winning already
Ugh…clearly I need to make my jokes clearer to you guys…. slovonac as in slow-vo-nac
as in marko pee-ass-a (who’s lack of a comeback i predicted to the hate of the crowd), josip bust-a-lo (that name proving to be true), or tin jedva igra ( also proving to be true)
Here’s some advice: Try making your jokes funny.
Damage control.
He doesn’t understand Croatian. He didn’t know what a Slavonac was.
And we all know euro cup in Germany will be as close to playing in Croatia without being in Croatia
No fan base will outshine us in Germany
There will be large swathes of Turkish and possibly Moroccan fans.
But neither team will make a deep run (if they qualify).
Why would Morocco play in European championship?
Why is Australia in Eurovision? 😉
I know I sound like a broken record with the luka retirement
But if beljo and or Musa break through with krama somehow
Petko as a super sub
Orsic if he can get his game back
Even if JJ is used as a potential rw
We have a Legit offence to go with our stellar defence
Gvardi and sutalo will be that much better together next year
And I really feel stanisic is the most underrated talent we currently have
He doesn’t lose so much to JJ offensively has good pace and is physically strong and powerful I feel
If Livaković keeps it up(I think it’s fair to say now he is what some of the scouts said he was)
We have a very deep run for Euro
Luka will play like a God for one last tourney I know this
I remembered actually I wanted to come back to something Slovonac said.
Usually I don’t like his posts too much cause he seems to be fighting some dinamo-hajduk war from decades ago that no one else is still fighting…. at least not in the diaspora.. It’s just not that personal to anyone else… But he grew up with a different experience so its burned into him.
Also, I get mixed feels of his soccer critiques. Sometimes when one comes from a sporting background, they overthink things too much and try to get too technical or too old school. I also played pro soccer but I can view the game through a simple lens and I realize with the analytics movement now that a lot of the stuff I was brought up on was dead wrong.
But onto the Slovonac point I agree with.
Many times I look at the line-ups and say how can Dalic do such a stupid thing like start Vida. I assume that me sitting half way around the world devoting most of my time to running a company and never having been in training or watched a single vida club game etc etc would know better. Maybe we all have to accept sometimes that like Slovonac said, the coaches see things much more intimately than we ever could and have some logic in their decision making.
….its Slavonac (Slavonija)….not Slovonac!
Wow. I thought he was just some self hating Croat or maybe a mixed marriage pro-Yugo guy…
But to not know what the word “Slavonac” is… He just might be some outsider who has nothing to do with Croatia.
Better than being called a slonovac
@ maminjo
Once again, croatia has more similarities to Greece than you think. The Brazil game is the key example. They knew they were outmatched and had a lot less talent than Brazil. So they tried to kill the flow of the game and smother it through slow possession and barely ever looked forward in the opponents half refusing to ever committ.
I agree that the talent level of Croatia is much better than Euro Greece. But the strategy to kill the game and sneak out tight victories is the same.
Once again, in playoffs matches in the past two world cups and yesterday in 90 minutes Croatia is 1 win, 2 losses, and 6 ties. Eeking out victories like Euro Greece
Argentina would have played Brazil the same way.
Brazil is simply the most talented team in the World, and we (along with maybe 3 or 4 others) are even capable of pulling off a win against them.
Croatia doesn’t kill the flow of any game.
They dominate possession and they tika taka their way into the opposing box. Brazil didn’t look confident against us whenever we were marauding into their third.
There are zero similarities to Greece (who would physically maul people and score only on set pieces), and as I said before, we are more like 2010 Spain who also dominated all the possession and passing, and “eeked” out 1-0 wins as well.
is this truth person still talking?
Anybody who compares this Croatian team (or ANY Croatian team) and their style of play, to Greece’s anti-soccer of 2004 is an idiot. Full stop.
Like Italy wins tourneys at least since I’ve watched them(except this euro) with nothing but boring game
We are simply playing to our advantages and our system if that’s considered Greek like then sure we are Greece;)
Crappy teams who can’t do much will play pure bunker or even ok teams against the best will play that way It’s a style that can be done with average or below average talent and as proven can get upsets
But we always want to possess and when we control the game and the longer we do the better our chances get(my Xbox supports these stats)
Even against Argentina, we knew the way to do it and we were, shit calls and like 5 terrible minutes changed it all
Italy and Spain we can beat as we know
They know how hungry we are and are not looking forward to playing us this is for sure
We can harp on dalic for lineups and sometimes some weird subs
The luka sub out against wales will forever be one in my mind
Kova for majer at that point didn’t make sense besides killing time
But he and everyone involved have been designing a strategy for matches and seem to be doing it well
Trust the process is something that seems to ring true right now
Sorry, I still can’t stop laughing that John Turdman said Canada was gonna “eff” this glorious team. Hahaha.
Canada has their own semi final in nations league against mighty Panama
Come see us again when you pay your dues
As a Canadian I want them to do well but man do I wish we put another three in the net against them
We did what we had to do and won. I know the Dutch or whatever they call themselves we’re missing a few guys but they we’re all over the place and the score should have been 6-1 if we didn’t mess up so much on D. Modric looked like he was having the time of his life out there. Good job boyz.
It should have a score line of 6 for us really for both Petko and Pasalic two goals a piece. But we still won.
I don’t like the referee at all.
Calling back Petko’s goal was a mercy decision by the ref.
5-2 beatdown was justified after Pasalic hit that crossbar and all the other unlucky misses in the second half of that extra time. The Neterlands collapsed in extra time and it was great to see us still dominating and looking to score, even though we were the ones who were up 3-2.
100% agree- the Nederguys had nobody back and some of them weren’t even running . Their lack of fight was interesting to watch and see.
I think we should leave it with this…
Dalic’s words on Sportsmen Novosti:
“We don’t need that. There was a reception… Leave the reception, let’s go do this, when we win the gold, everything will be spontaneous. I won’t let us deal with it. We have had two beautiful receptions so far. If there is a reception, it will be spontaneous. Thank you for your support to everyone in Croatia”
Man I hope that they achieve this….!
Apart from not having any speedy forwards, our biggest problem is set pieces in offence and more alarmingly in defence. The fact is other teams with tall timber in their ranks know this. It is amazing how often we struggle to effectively deal with long throw ins into our penalty box and numerous high crosses like yesterday against the Dutch in the last 10 minutes.
Not sure what the problem is ? poor positioning, lack of concentration or Livakovic not coming off his line enough to deal with these. Yesterday I thought that Livakovic did well on a few of occasions coming out to catch or punch incoming crosses. This has been our problem for a long time and Dalic and coaching staff need to work on this.
Majer was good today off the bench “except the back heel” but I was dumbfounded when dalic brought him in to close out the game with a lead, he’s should not be a defensive replacement!
He started to play well the last few matches of the club year, and it looks like that translated to the National team, the kid needs to hit the gym and work on fitness this off-season!
I think the same thing Majer is offensive not defensive it should show from the game with Canada he is strongest up front.
@ maminjo
it’s not provocation.. I think the Euro Greece analogy is pretty accurate because Croatia just doesn’t score goals and is not very talented in the final third. They are different in that their play is not a traditional bunker/counter style but a modified version. As I said, they’ve become an excellent team because they have developed this great identity of just smothering the game with their control and wearing their opponents down.
This is from five thirty eight during the world cup article “Where will the goals come from in the world cup semifinals?” . They say:
“There isn’t a ton to be said about Croatia’s goal-scoring prowess because Croatia mostly doesn’t have any goal-scoring prowess: In five games, the Checkered Ones have scored just six goals. They’ve only led their opponents for 46 minutes in Qatar,3 and four of their six goals came in the same match.4 What we do know about Croatia is that they spread attacking third touches pretty evenly across the pitch, and when they do score, they’re mostly doing so from the middle of the penalty area. ”
Not from me…but from the stat experts.
@ dannyj
The guys in the savez don’t know for sure what Luka’s plans are but its been assumed he would stay on through the Euros. Unfortunately, his answer to the question in yesterdays press conference was a bit less committal than usual. .Usually he says he loves playing soccer and playing for Croatia and will continue to play as long as he can contribute. Yesterday he answered reporters by simply saying he doesn’t know and is just focused on the game vs Italy or Spain. Some shift in tone indicates it’s crossing his mind to go out on top if they win the NL. In my thoughts though, he’s definitely staying on because he’s so confident and such a competitor. If he wins NL, it will just make him think even more they can win the Euros and no way he’d pass that chance up in a Croatian packed Germany.
You really gotta love the smile and joy of Modric in the successes cause you can tell the intensity of his joy is because of the reciprocal nature of it with Croatian fans. His joy is amplified in victory by hitting his other desired goal of bringing joy to the Croatian fans.
Croatia is like 2010 Spain.
2010 Spain dominated possession against every team, and also struggled to score.
2004 Greece comparison is just an obvious attempt to draw attention to yourself.
Greece played anti-football that was well criticized for ruining the game. Croatia plays a beautiful possession game where they dominate their opponents that gains plaudits from all the experts.
Also, to say that we are like Greece because we play a “modified version to Greece’s traditional bunker/counter style” is insane.
Croatia does not bunker. They don’t even like to give up possession (which is the opposite of what a bunker is). Croatia actually tries to maintain possession even in dangerous areas of their own half (to a detriment).
Greece were experts in clearing the ball out of their half, physically killing the flow of the game, and scoring on set pieces.
We’re the opposite in all three of these things.
In yesterday’s game, it was the Dutch and the ref that killed the flow of the game. It’s not our fault the opposing team are incapable of taking the ball off our players without resorting to fouls or calls from the ref.
We also continue to screw up on our set pieces, and we rarely do simple clearances from our half.
This team is literally the anti-Greece.
I would not say that Croatia were crap in the first half they just did not capitalize on those corners, Croatia’s issue seems to really stem from not capitalizing on those set pieces it’s definitely a weakness.
The main players we have in those circumstances are the usual suspects Pasalic, Krama and Co. This is where I would argue that Pasalic needs to shine more for us. Although I would say Krama and Pasalic both had a fairly good game. Maybe even Musa or Beljo could have done much better in the first half with those opportunities as far as I could tell from their previous club league games they seem to be strong suits here I believe. They are also a lot taller and have a bigger stature which may suit them better for those occasions.
I am very surprised at Krama’s work rate in this match it was something I did not expect at all. I have been a huge critic of his as of late but he did really well in this game. Pasalic also did very well he unfortunately could not bag that second goal.
Modric is Modric even ta the age of 37 it’s really incredible to watch.
For anyone who said Broz is not good he was fantastic in this match anywhere and everywhere on the field even after a Champions League final. Again he is
a Defensive Midfielder!!! Just to point out again.
I don’t fully agree with some of the decisions Dalic made in team selection, but it seemed to work out in credit I think to what Maminjo said about Croatia’s depth.
I cannot help think how much we are missing Gvardiol here. While some are saying Vida put in a solid shift his weaknesses showed here he does not have the finess that Gvardiol does with his passing. Gvardiol was exceptional in the world cup. Vida may be a strong shot blocker and can stuff out opponents but Gvardiol has shown himself on this way too. To be fair Sutalo did not put the worst shift in either in comparison to Vida, atleast from what I saw but maybe I am missing something.
Overall they got the job done, and our technical ability showed in this game. I agree with Slavonac I think Croatia showed they were the better team here and deserved to win.
I actually meant lineup selection not team selection when discussing Dalic**
Guys is luka leaving us??
As iggy says…. Hold me!
Where is ziva and his “guy at the savez” to give us the goods!
I dunno, I hope not until the end of Euro but he might, he still has a lot of quality even at this age.
Modric was incredible and completely outclassed de Jong. You could see the frustration.
I’m eating my words on Kramaric’s work rate. He ran himself ragged today. Speaking of, has anyone got the numbers on how far Brozovic ran?
Petkovic’s short area speed and control are something else, but my god he can’t run. Clutch nonetheless.
I like what I saw in terms of composure in the final third. Accuracy needs a lot of improvement, but lots of quick short passes, clever runs, and smooth dribbling under pressure in the box.
Defensively we knew that height could be an issue, and we missed Gvardiol’s aerial prowess. Vida put in a solid shift, Juranovic was on fire, Stanisic is criminally underutilized. Sutalo is going to be a good one with experience. His class shows, but he still makes too many bone headed mistakes.
On the other side WTF does van Dijk have to do to get called for a penalty. He gets away with the most obvious fouls. I was frustrated with the uneven refereeing numerous times, but at least they didn’t screw up the 2 pens. Probably because the Germans in the booth wouldn’t let them.
i, I,Cigani =U=. Za dom
@ mali ante
You can’t look at a result and say someone was wrong in odds .I gave Croatia a very healthy 35% chance of victory. No team had one in the Netherlands for the past 30 matches and the Netherlands barely lost to Argentina who beat us 3-0. 35% win chance under those conditions is massive.
I also said Croatia was a good team and have been very positive on this team in recent years. In terms of Livakovic, I’m thrilled to be proven wrong on that one…would love that streak to continue
As I said, they’ve developed into a Euro Greece type team but winning through grind it out possession.
unfortunately, the talent in the final 3rd is just not there… but croatia has been able to overcome
My boy Modric was incredible today and I felt one of the best games I’ve seen him play in a while for the NT. I think he’ll stay on for the Euros regardless of result.
Croatia is not a “Euro Greece type team” but truly a soccer superpower!
He’s such an agitator lol.
Croatia is essentially a more consistent Netherlands.
Multiple deep runs in tournaments, going right up into the finals and semifinals…but failing to win a World Cup.
The Netherlands did actually win a Euro (in 1988) but they’ve also been around longer and have had many more attempts.
However, they’ve been more volatile and inconsisent…regularly missing tournaments and sometimes finishing last in their group in some tournaments.
Croatia almost never misses a tournament (missing two by a single point each), and when they make it, they have never finished last in their group.
Croatia, along with Portugal and the Netherlands, are the best teams in the World that are yet to win a World Cup.
You didn’t give us a 35% chance to win…oddsmakers did.
As for Livakovic, I’m also glad that he’s made most of us eat our words. Good to see that he has become more aggressive and gained confidence each and every game.
Sram te bilo in comparing us to Greece. That’s was anti soccer and our style of play is very different from the Greek ‘ 2004 run. We’ve had to adjust our play without a true no.9 and move to our possession based game and have been incredibly successful. In addition, our mental toughness and depth as Maminjo says is why we are one of the best in the world right now.
Scoring 4 is anything but ‘Greek-like’….
Our team is just so deep, which allows us to remain good even if we have a few players having off-games.
At the World Cup, we had backups like Orsic, Petkovic, Majer, Vlasic, Pasalic all scoring game winners, extra time equalizers, and scoring in PK shootouts.
Orsic gets cut from the team, and his replacement (Ivanusec) sets up a go-ahead goal as if there is no dropoff in talent.
Seems like we just have this endless supply of capable talent, who are also very mentally strong.
Once we went down 1-0, I knew we would come back. Even with that demoralizing 2-2 injury time equalizer, I still had a feeling we’d pull it through.
Not everyone had a good game…but this is why the depth works so well for us. It seems like someone else will just step up and cover for you.
For example, I didn’t think Perisic had a great game, but that was fine because Kramaric picked up the slack and was very dangerous in the Dutch third.
Also, our possession game is the best in the World. Just dominating possession with the Dutch chances all coming against the run of play.
A Croatia vs Spain final would be crazy with the two midfields going at each other.
Modric absolutely should not retire after this, especially since we finally have a capable goalkeeper.
I always said the day that we get an average keeper is the day we win a tournament.
We almost won that tournament in December, and we may end up winning this one on Sunday. If Modric stays on, I expect nothing less than a deep tournament run at Euro2024 as well.
We need to take advantage of having a World Class star (Modric), a very capable goalkeeper (Livakovic), and this insane depth that we have surrounding our star player.
I know the general feeling has been that nations league is stupid and we should use it to experiment with new line ups and integrate the youth
now that Croatia is actually in the final though, can we all agree its actually the most important tournament in the world even outranking the ku mi te?
I dont think that has been the feeling since the first edition of it, tbh. I don’t think anyone says it’s stupid or has in recent years.
I think the complaint had been from players suggesting too many tournaments throughout each year but I don’t think everyone sees the Nations League as less prestigious necessarily.
I’m so happy right now that I’m a Croatian soccer fan this is amazing. Can’t wait for Sunday. Let’s go Croatia 🇭🇷🔥💪⚽️🍻
Just a few of my own thoughts about the game. Perisic had a bad game. Kova wasn’t great. Vida…. ehhh. Could have been better. We were the better team and the score could have easily been 7-2. Broz had a great game. Modric was superb. Livakovic was pretty solid.
We’re slow. I mean really slow. I miss the speed of Olic. I disagreed with every substitution Dalic made. Yet somehow it worked.
Pasalic is growing on me but I still don’t like Petkovic. He has one move, the back heel flub I call it. Other teams don’t expect it. But I will give Petkovic credit for one thing. Out of all our players, he’s the one willing to take shots at the goal. It resulted in him scoring against Brazil and it allowed him to score today. Good things happen when you stop dribbling and just smash it towards the goal. Maybe Musa would also do this if given the chance.
If Musa had that break petko had where he just didn’t have the speed, he is gone with it
The Croatian fans were amazing, it was as if we were playing at home.
Some of the referring decisions did not go our way, however those chants
Cigani, Cigani were not necessary and I’m afraid will not go unpunished by UEFA.
I just hope that the punishment will be monetary rather than having to play our next EURO qualifier at home with no fans.
I hope that Italy beats Spain. Spain’s possession football does not suit us.
We can beat Spain as we have done in the past, but I feel that we have a better chance against Italy.
Yes, i too would rather play the Italians if i had a choice.
Bit harsh!!! We weren’t crap in the first half. More than even but after half time complete performance from ALL.
I feel so bleesed to have seen the best midfield in world football for the past 5 years and that they are Croatian.
I’m sad that my dad isn’t here to see them play but I’m sure he’s looking down with immense pride!!!
Zivjeli!!!
Finally got to go to a game live. What a first game to be at! Let me just say, Modric, Kovacic, and Brozovic are even more of a joy to watch live. Will be at the final as well. Really hope they bring home the trophy.
That’s soo awesome kid, enjoy every moment!
Must have been absolutely electric. Jelly.
Awesome Nikola!
What a game! That was exciting, and I hope Croatian national teams continue playing the way they did in the extra time today every minute that they are on the pitch in the future.
This may not be the popular opinion, but Dalic managed the game very well. He put players on the field who could rise above the brute physicality that the Dutch team brought today. This was no match for Borna Sosa. His substitutions had their intended effect, minus the chaotic goal at the end of regular time (the whistle should have been blown by then anyway because the time added was excessive!). Every single player on the field for Croatia had a good match, and some had a great match. Sutalo took too many risks in the box and was too sloppy on his clearances, and Perisic could have been more solid on defense. However, this was a new game plan, and the team implemented it well. How many teams can play it so cool while tied 2-2 in extra time of an international semifinal? Simply amazing.
I don’t see why Vida is getting the flack. He was solid and looked far more fit than two years ago. Sutalo was a hazard in the box with too much playing around and not enough simple defending, though the other side of the coin is his ability to get counterattacks going and track back fast to stop breakaways. Perisic probably just needed this game to get locked in at that left back position. He is our most versatile player in that role, bringing the speed and muscle as well as the two-footed technical skills and vision for the field.
The lineup for the next match should be tailored to the next opponent. Dalic has a full squad of winners at his disposal! Ajmo Vatreni!
Love Squawka’s player ratings.
Luka Modric–9
” Is this man ever going to regress? Modric has made an absolute mockery out of Father Time with his age-defying midfield exploits.
Even at the end of a grueling campaign, the soon-to-be 38 year old was darting about like an energetic pup, controlling the tempo and drawing passes with the precision of a knife-weilding surgeon ”
Excellent
Just a reminder to the silly gooses that don’t know below. Winning the Nations League does NOT qualify you for the Euros. Now can people stop asking thx
“How will the Euro 2024 playoffs work?
The playoffs will be created using the final positions in the UEFA Nations League group stage.
There will three playoff paths, one each for UEFA Nations Leagues A, B and C.
The group winners are guaranteed a playoff, should they not qualify automatically. They are:
League A
Netherlands
Croatia
Spain
Italy
League B
Israel
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Serbia
Scotland
League C
Georgia
Greece
Turkey
Kazakhstan
If one of the group winners qualifies automatically, the best-ranked team which requires a playoff in that league path will take the place.”
So the way I read it, winning guarantees you a playoff (likely against a much weaker opponent).
Yea, winning your Nations League group (which Croatia has already done) gives you a separate playoff path into the Euros (in case you screw up in your qualifying cycle).
Since most League A teams qualify through the regular method, the odds of playing a difficult team are low and you would end up playing some second-placed League B team (since they don’t let League B group winners get paired with a League A team, as a reward for topping their group).
Excuse all the grammatical errors, too tired to proof read.
Also, I’d like to thank all those who have made this site. I see they get much flack from the troll nation.
Agree or disagree with those in charge but one thing no one can argue is their love for everything Hrvatska.
I’m very proud of those who give is us a voice to debate, argue and celebrate 🎉
God Bless the Cro Sports Team
Amen 🙏
Even the commentators were bias, on 50/50 ball they would scream foul against us but when Juranovic got the spinning back fist 👊 to the face they argued that players have a right to defend themselves or the ball.
Utter nonsense, was it intentional? That’s debatable but I see it as unintentional.
How many warnings were given to the Dutch and then are first minor infraction and instant cards
The tying goal, as I stated earlier was offside but call after call to give the Dutch set plays for the aerial advantage was also suspect.
My whole issue is the all round bias, from the refs to the commentators. So blatantly obvious and yes I’ve been fuming 😡 since 96, lol.
Be proud lads. Noting more to say.
As someone asked below
Do we auto qualify for euro if we win Sunday?
That would be amazing and can just try random stuff during qualifiers
Luka could rest up and join in Germany He was so good. He needs to go one more year
When is the point where he is no longer world class?
Rakitic and him could have shared a half each for us…
Luka has to play euro
It’s just next year and it’s basically at home in Germany
We win and we parade from Germany all the way back to Zagreb!
Livaković was solid as everyone stated. Aggressive. Better with the ball when he has it
As the dazn commentators said we stick to the game plan and our experience pays off
Love that krama took that first pk He was on his game
Had some good looks and made stuff happen
Ljvaja probably butt hurt somewhere but turns out we didn’t need him
We probably would have started him and not shown that krama and pasalic offence
I may catch flak for this but still feel orsic would have been better then ivanusec on that side even tho he provided a great assist
I liked stanisic when he came on
Made an excellent cross in extra time
JJ worked hard. Especially that one when he saved a for sure ball from going out and proceeded to dribble past two
Tried to make something from the impossible and nearly succeeded
I think he should keep playing till he is 45 years old. He can quit in 2032.
What do people think about Modric retiring after Nation’s League, but rejoining the team next summer at the Euros?
How many times did this ref try to hand this game to the flying/crashing Dutchman.
Obvious yellow cards given to us for minor contact yet the same contact is ignored. Are players get a fist 🤛 in the face multiple times and nothing.
Stoppages in play to insure we have zero counter attack, where advantage rule should have been applied.
The tying goal was offside before the ball was released.
I’ve always said that the only way we counter any match fixing is by dominating, ie Germany 🇩🇪 beating Brazil back in 2014. The penalty shots that went are is only because we gave the ref no choice.
If we hadn’t played so well considering all BS calls and non calls, we would be having the conspiracy write up article tomorrow.
Anyway, super proud of this team overcoming all odds.
I also give a shout out to God for hearing my prayers for justice.
Amen 🙏
I agree with you, i thought the officiating definitely favoured the home team. My dad and i were watching it and were like wtf they can clearly jump and elbow our dudes and then 10 seconds later the same happens and they get a free. Also there was a bs call that led to one of their goals directly, i think it was their first goal came right after a bs call.
the two gypsy brothers Dalic and Romanian ref tried their best to stop us, but our boys alongside the fans were too good! Petkovic showed up big today. I’ll give credit to dalic for ivanusec, but vida/perisic defense was appalling. Instead of just playing our game when we’re winning, dalic idiotically chose to play ultra bunker for the last 20 mins where we eventually got scored on.
Petković is a super sub.
No need for fitness when you can dribble and finish like that.
Our Croatian heart is invictus.
Croatian confidence is radiating throughout the team.
That was a physical match.
Extra day of rest.
Sunday we go for it.
Have to say i still dont know why it wasnt 5-2? Why was Bruno’s last goal disallowed?
The VAR Said it was handball by Petkovic
On DAZN they said it was the lead up play near half which was 5 touches later but I digress.
They showed the replay but on that angle 📐 where Robbie Fowler is sniffing lines. The angle that no one can determine the truth.
The officiating was obviously geared to push the Red Light district malcontents through.
I know Petkovic gets a lot of hate for being lazy etc. But man, I love those feints and how he draws the fouls. When he’s in the proper mindframe, he’s fantastic. I still remember that setup for Brozovic v. Brazil.
This was the best game I’ve ever seen him play. I haven’t a big fan of like what you said his effort levels sometimes can be poor and sometimes I haven’t found he has used his body and footwork in the past to his best strengths but at the end of the day, hats off to him for this performance and hats off to Dalic for putting him on, wouldn’t have seen that coming.
Markus, I watch Petkovic and let me tell you this was NOT one of his best performances…he’s extremely good when he’s in the mood and this is exactly why Dinamo love him. he’s not your typical #9, he is more of a playmaker than can also score goals!
I guess for the National Team this was the best I’ve seen from him, I wouldn’t be too sure about majority of Dinamo performances.
I do agree that when he’s in the mood he can do things but imagine if they guy was in the mood all the time and had a bit more pace to his game.
I’ve criticized the guy for his laziness on many occasions but today, everything went his way….even though he was dogging it!
That’s it mate, just got to enjoy it and look forward to the Final !!!
Well, that was outstanding! LOL what a lovely day. Got up at 4.45 am and watched the game with my old man and we enjoyed it. Also it’s his birthday tomorrow (84) so a nice present for him. Now just to have quick breakfast and shower and off to workies with a huge smile on my face all day, gotta love the Vatreni! ♥ Absolutely the pride of Hrvatska !
did anyone else here notice that we looked technically superior to the Netherlands today? I mean WOW…the ball control, the tight passes, the dribbling and one-two passes were amazing to watch!
@Maminjo can you please let us all know how many times Livakovic came off his line today? In particular in the second half and in the extra time? we usually criticize the guy but today he deserve’s praise!
Petkovic was the only guy that defended Livaja and with this performance today he may have put Livaja’s chances of ever coming back on ice! Petko was a beast while holding up the ball and this is why Dinamo and their fans love him. when he’s good, he’s fucking great…soo hard to take the ball from him!
I stand by my comments regarding Dalic, Ivanusec, Vida and Perisic…none of them were great but the game isn’t 45 minutes long and they all made some bad choices but were part of this BIG win as well! Ivanusec assisted to Pasalic, Perisic got better as the game went on, Vida had a few indecisive passing moments but other than that he was OK and Dalic deserves credit for this AMAZING performance….they looked really good! New set plays, different players in different positions, Kramaric ran more today than I’ve ever seen him run in my life…and he was very good all game long!
Slavonac, here’s a reminder of what the truth posted the other day…
‘In terms of today, Croatia will likely lose. But Croatia is a good team, so its not like they have no chance. They probably have a 35% win chance.
I fear Livakovic will make us all remember who he was before fairy dust was sprinkled on him in the winter of 2022.’
Dead wrong.
I have been one to bash Livakovic in the past as well for his lack of aggression but I’ve always thought he’s an excellent shot stopper. Today, he was solid and as you noted he was excellent coming off the line. I loved the aggression. That talk with Modric changed him a bit.
Agree regarding Krama, one the best games he’s had for us I thought.
Great team win! Ajmo momci!
I don’t pay attention to trolls bro! He’s not here to add anything worth noting, he’s here to shit disturb
Slavonac FC,
I watched the game on DAZN, and the commentators stated a few times that Croatia was superior and deserved the win.
Yeah we totally deserved this result today! Even when we were losing I thought we were better than Netherlands!
Yeah, no question about it ! I hope we can bring our best to the final and win it.
I would hate see us take out the favourites and then lose the next game again.
One game at a time bro!!
💪
One of our greatest away wins, first defeat for the Dutch in Rotterdam after 32 matches and some 20 years. Credit to all the coaching staff and players.
I thought that all our players played well including Vida. Yes, there were some mistakes but overall, I thought everyone played well and gave their maximum.
So we won the game that gets us a Silver (at a minimum). We now just have to win the one that gets us gold!
Certainly possible; however, I fear that if we win, that Modrić will announce he is retiring from the NT?
If so, it will be hard to see him go- brilliant game for him today.
Do we automatically qualify for Euro2024 if we win Sunday?
Not a Petko fan but his big body and skill was definitely the difference!
Great assist by Ivanusec on the Pasalic goal. Maybe he becomes a wing option going forward.
I gladly will eat any of the negative comments I’ve made!
If Petković had proper fitness and like 10 percent more speed, he would be world class
Luka got to stay for euro!!
We can definitely win next euro. In Germany we will be even louder then today
Could you imagine any team in the world coming in to Croatia and our fans be out chanted!!! Nema šansa!!
Perisic maybe just wasn’t his game but I fear he is drying up….
Let’s get some hardware!!!
Very entertaining game. Proud of the boys. Luka Modric plays like he’s 25… Petkovic showing up during big games. Still not sure why Vida started and why he wasn’t subbed sooner.
Bruno the Balvan has done it again
This is probably the most entertaining game i have seen in the last couple of eyars.
Why was the bench in an uproar at the corner towards the whistle? Were they asking for a whistle?
Yes, the ref is so shit…
Cigane cigane!!!!
I LOVE THiS TEAM GOD DAMN. That’s all I got.
Dalic is God
Modric is amazing as always.
Petkovic could be the hero again- I would not have guessed it!
Now we are not set up on the for extra time – too many defenders.
Yeah we gambled bringing them on hoping to make it through, now we might be in trouble, not sure how we can score
It’s when Croatia is set up to score that they don’t… Everything was against us today so ofc we had to score 2 goals in ET
Well, that absolutely sucked, we were so close
Why is Vida playing and why the hell is Perisic in defense??
Why are 7 of our players sitting inside the penalty area keeping all the Dutch players onside?
MOVE OUT!
Stop them further up the field!
What a joke. I’m done call me when euro qualifiers start again
Bad defense there. Half our players were watching the ball while they were all in the box. Big mistake taking out Kovacic for a rather useless Majer.
Half of their players offside in the build up!!!
Yes I didn’t like that kova sub. Dumb move
He has just a few mins to play and he is much more composed with the ball
Oh well
Extra time again
In true Croatian fashion
Entertaining match
Ajmo!!!’
…….
Pasalic our best striker – been saying it for years. Only one who knows how to position himself in the box.
Agree right this minute Bobby. Lol.
PASALIC
Juranovic is just too short – picking on his side with crosses all game
Modric made that happen because of pure hustle. Amazing he is still the hustler at his age.
Ajmo momci!!!
sad croatia is losing, but happy dalic is losing. Perisic is an attacking player only, putting him as a defender will never work, the guy has zero defensive awareness. dalic is a terror to football
ti si najveci cigan
No changes is tough to explain. Dalic deserves a lot of blame if this doesn’t turn around
I feel like Beljo would do well in this game… Can we see him play
I didn’t think it was a bad half
We looked overall more dangerous
Vida for gvardiol is a huge downgrade as we all know
Erlic is probably like wtf
Solid defender in Italy, has looked sharp when playing and sitting glued on the bench
Kramarić has looked good
What are the subs??
Also will those cigane chants for the Romanian ref cost us;) lol
Lol. Loved the cigane chants.
The Dutch have some quick players. Malen blew by Perisic a few times.
Ivanusec barely noticeable but is pressing at least.
Kramaric dummies Dumfries – loved it!
Pretty even half really. Vida is too slow and only can pass backwards. We really miss Gvardiol’s passing.
Hey Slavonac, what are your thoughts on Vida, Perisic and Ivanusec after the first half? They were terrible and Vida and Perisic are a massive liability. They were responsible for the goal.
I agree, all pretty bad…especially Perisic!
the goal they scored was Perisic’s fault, not Vida’s.
Is there a 3rd place match?
Ajmoooo Bronze
Yes, there will be
Our Defence seems all over the place.
Yeah maybe Perisic shouldn’t be playing LB and Vida starting over Erlic
What was Daliban thinking…
Can we please give up on the short corners?
Slightly surprised by line-up but hoping for the best from the guys out there, let’s goooo !
as an armchair quarterback, I’ll offer my thoughts on Vida, Perisic, Ivanusec and Dalic.
we usually think we know best, how to setup the starting 11, what formation and what strategy we should use. in the past 5 years, Dalic has made some poor choices choosing his starting 11 but over the recent years, he’s been soo much better at it if you ask me. lets all take into consideration that Dalic is seeing things from the ground level and we armchair quarterbacks are watching from a 60,000 foot view. Dalic probably has his finger on the pulse, knowing who’s been training well, who’s more in form, who might have nagging injuries and who he see’s as fit and ready to play.
Vida is usually the type of player that plays a secure type of game. even in his short passes you’ll see him adjust his body and use the inside of his foot because its the most basic but proper way to pass…and thats usually how he is with the rest of his game…not taking chances, playing the simple and smart pass…I don’t think this is a big risk for us and we don’t know if Erlic is 100%!
Perisic playing left back makes me kinda happy to be honest. to me, this demonstrates he’s willing to make a HUGE sacrifice for us by playing left back, it also makes sense to Dalic because maybe Perisic has been the better option than Sosa…Sosa just recently woke up from a very average season and maybe Perisic is taking this challenge and proving to be the better option than Sosa
Ivanusec has been extremely active in every single game for at least the last 15 games of the season in the HNL and to be honest, we really need to embrace this if we are going to say we need to see our new blood! my guess is that Ivanusec has made it impossible to start Perisic in front of him based on this training camp before this game. I want him to be successful, the guy works super hard, he’s very tough and he can score!
Dalic is finally trying to use logic along with experience and his instincts…we need to back off him and support his decisions here. none of us have seen this camp at training sessions and we don’t know 1% of what he see’s…I’m gonna sit and watch this and hope we do well!
Fair point there Slavonac. Didn’t have a chance to read this before the game ended. I am not a huge fan of Vida, but I didn’t notice what you mentioned about the short passing, I saw some issues with his passing but I guess we have to take into consideration that these are difficult opponents so they will press and hope that defence loses the ball… So maybe I am not giving Vida his due.
That is also interesting point about Perisic he had been playing left back at Tottenham a lot. And he did have some nice interceptions in game to be fair to him as well, I just didn’t expect this but maybe he is following what he has seen in the club seasons and building off of it.
I don’t know much about Ivanusec but he certainly had a key pass in this game and was pressing really well.
It’s just a very surprising lineup to find in the game, I think many of us were surprised by it. But in the end it did work out.
Ivanusec – Kramaric – Pasalic
Kovacic, Brozovic, Modric
Perisic – Vida – Sutalo – Juranovic
Livakovic
Isuse. I can’t believe Dalic chooses Vida over Erlic. I love what Vida has done for us in the past but for Dalic’s sake I hope he plays lights out today.
As for Ivanusec, although apparently in form he’s been pretty invisible every game I’ve watched him play for us. I hope both he and Vida can step it up today.
Ajmo!!!!
Vida will step up.
Big moment for him, he’ll come guns blazing 🤟🤟
I hope so!!!
I called a vida banger last week
I was joking but I sure hope he delivers
Vida is very error prone. So is Sutalo.
Sutalo at least makes up for it by being very technically gifted and connects well with our midfield and wingers. He set up the goal against Turkey nicely on the wing.
Vida will hurt our flow and transition by having to constantly pass back to Livakovic every time he’s pressured, then we give it away with a punt.
Broz and Modric will have to drop back a lot in this game to provide support.
I’m guessing this is vida Swan song
I wouldn’t mind seeing erlic and gvardi team up at some point…
What a terrible lineup. Perisic at LB?
HRV will dominate the midfield against the Dutch but will have trouble creating chances due to sub par forwards. Game will most likely go to penalties with HRV winning.
Folks, the game is on Fox Sports (since these articles never include where the games are being televised…yikes). No pirated streams or anything like that. If you forgot to DVR it or don’t know how, it will be televised again later tonight.
If I have to go based on the 2 Euro qualifiers, there is little to be excited about. Luka has clearly gone downhill at both the club and National Team level. There is no Rakitić equivalent that can step up if he has another down game.
I am still confused why Livaja left over a stupid fan….is he serious (and this is coming from a Hajduk fan)?
I hope Musa starts, but it’s unlike Dalić to do that (I’m his biggest fan).
I hope we can win this title, but I think we lose 2-0 based mostly on how we’ve looked in the Euro qualifiers. I REALLY hope I am wrong!
I would like to see either Musa or Beljo get a fair amount of playing time. With some good service they may be the difference maker?
Every once in a while a young talent steps up and has a game that surprises everyone. Hopefully at least one of them can make up for lack of experience there with a strong desire to stay on the NT sooner than later.
I only want the dazn for a month
It seems like just have to order and immediately cancel it if 30 days is all that’s required
And you can cancel online and don’t have to deal with bullshit phone calls. Did same.
DAZN here in Canada. They also carry all the Champions League, Europa, and European Qualifier games, so its the best option at this point… although I prefer watching on NOVA TV with Croatian pre-game and commentators.
a couple notes
the first that I forgot to mention the other day was that I don’t really care too much about the Croatia Champions league streak ending. Sure it was nice. But really a lot of holding onto that streak was a desire to see Croats in the showcase on the world stage and have croatia recognized for its soccer. The past two world cups covered that need.
In terms of today, Croatia will likely lose. But Croatia is a good team, so its not like they have no chance. They probably have a 35% win chance.
I fear Livakovic will make us all remember who he was before fairy dust was sprinkled on him in the winter of 2022.
Betting line moving quite a bit in favour of Netherlands.
How’s everyone watching this?
Any streams?
UEFA app has a bunch of preview stuff but no match it seems
Luka has reached a decision on his career apparently
Let’s hope he goes till euros and retires then
What is said apparent decision?
••
Watching on DAZN here in Canada. Ordered it yesterday for one month. Rip-off but is what it is. I could catch it on IPTV probably, but this way my dad can also watch with my password. AJMO!
for any Croatian that cares about our National team…this has to stop!
https://sportske.jutarnji.hr/sn/kosarka/kosarka-reprezentacija/zlatku-dalicu-na-kucu-napisali-gnjusnu-poruku-po-potpisu-je-odmah-bilo-jasno-tko-je-autor-15345749
Torcida it’s a way of life
“Torcida it’s a way of life”
yeah I get it….losers that will try to bring the country down!
Holland is a tricky team with a lot of height and speed to account for up front. While I still think there’s a place in the squad for Vida’s experience, bravery, and basic competence, I don’t think this is a match for him. I like the idea of Stanisic over Juranovic at RB today, but wouldn’t rule out using the latter elsewhere or bringing him on later. I’m not much of a Petkovic fan, but I think we need him laying off balls and causing problems in the box. The trouble is that neither he nor Kramaric contribute much defensively, and that’s 2 resources that won’t shift gears to prevent speedy counters. Sosa is so good for club and just about to enter his prime. I’d urge patience with him and the opportunities will come. We’re going to miss Gvardiol for sure.
If this wasn’t a semi I’d honestly be inclined to experiment with a 4-5-1 with Perisic and Juranovic supplementing the mf and Musa alone up top. That’s a lot of work rate and creativity in front of a stout defense against a team that doesn’t score much outside of Depay.
Yea, I liked how we lined up in Paris when we beat France 1-0.
We had both Sutalo and Erlic in the back, with Stanisic at RB shutting down the opposing wing (which happened to be Mbappe of all people).
Juranovic was on the left side that game (due to injuries), so obviously I would change that and want him at RW ahead of Stanisic.
We didn’t have any real wingers playing that game up top, so that would change. We have Perisic and a very in-form Ivanusec, along with Juranovic and Sosa. Hopefully we use them and possibly give Musa or Beljo some minutes in the end there in case we need a goal and have to send some balls into the box.
Virgil is not the same as he used to be, and Matthijs de Ligt is ruled of this game. I would like to test Virgil and that Dutch CB pairing with some high balls and swings from Juranovic, Perisic, and Sosa.
Why does this have the feel of an exhibition game?
I just can’t get into these nations league matches like the WC or Euro’s as much as I want to.
That’s on you lol. I’m already in tailgate VOLIM PITI VOLIM PITI mode lol. I don’t think anyone is suggesting it’s a WC or Euro match, but definitely above exhibition game — no matter what one thinks of this Nations League thing. AJMO!
The starting 11 Markus posted in his article above is likely our best available at the moment. Alternate options, such as the one that was proposed with Perisic and Ivanušec I am not opposed to.
Ideally Dalić and the rest of the staff figure out how to best try to exploit (with success of course) weaknesses they see in the Netherlands’ current / suspected lineup.
However, one thing that I cannot envision happening, is Vida becoming the answer for us.
One lineup that was leaked I like.
Juranovic ,Vida,sutalo, perisic.
Modric, brozovic, kovacic
Pasalic, kramaric and finally Ivanusec.
Love it. Let’s rock
Going with Vida is a mistake, we should be looking towards the future and Erlic should be starting. Six months ago, I wrote that we should consider playing Perisic at left back. Sosa defensively is a weak link and two of them on the left side has not worked out with Perisic more often than not helping Sosa with his defensive duties. Ivanusec has been in good form and should get a start on the left side up front. Pity about Orsic not playing a lot in England and missing out.
I agree with Vida, even Weghorst would outpace the guy in a foot race.
sorry forgot to clarify, meant your point about Vida lol
Too late. From now on, you will be known as Vida Rajic.
Don’t wanna see Vida start over Erlic, as I have said in the other thread:
https://croatiansports.com/nations-league-or-olympics-what-would-you-rather-win/#comments/496132
I can’t believe this is even being considered by anyone.
Vida is a cheerleader at this point in his career.
Any other player (Erlić, Stanišić, etc.) is an infinitely better option at CB.
your starting lineup looks pretty good although I think its a toss up between Petkovic starting up top and Krama on the right vs how this lineup looks.
in my opinion, we will need someone that can hold up the ball and distribute, neither Krama nor Pasalic offer that but we will see.
Maybe Dalic will keep the lineup you put here and look for Pasalic to be more of a utility guy that helps defensively and he free’s up Jura to overlap and get into attacking positions…sending in balls and joining the attack?
Yeah I think I’d just rather start Petkovic for the sole purpose of deploying Krama on the right (where he’s more comfortable) and having a big skilled striker who can at the very least hold up the ball. Don’t necessarily need Petko to be THE guy tomorrow, just need him to allow his surrounding attackers to shine (i.e. Krama and Perisic)
Like to see anything from Sosa. He’s a key guy for us and if he can get some bloody good free kicks into the box, I’m sure we’ll get one from a set play of some sort. Have fun Vatreni. Really love to see the Italianos in the Final. Lovely people and good neighbors to us but man does it bother them to lose to us. Croatia vs Italy would be a nice viewing event .
Spain is completely out of form and their new coach is suspect. Italy lost at home to England and Spain lost to Scotland. Neither team impresses me.
Spain and Italy games are always a 50/50 tossup so it will go either way.
Croatia and Netherlands are both better right now and in better form.
It’s a shame we drew the Dutch in this semi, but I think the winner of tomorrow’s match will take the Nations League trophy.