FRANCE
Mario Pasalic netted his 1st league goal of the season for Monaco in their 1-1 Friday draw with Lyon. Pasalic got on the end of a corner in the 39th minute and headed home the match’s opening goal. The Chelsea loanee and Danijel Subasic both played the full 90 minutes. Subasic made 5 saves and was not at fault for the goal. Monaco are tied for eighth in Ligue 1, seven points out of the Champions League places after just ten matches.
Pasalic Goal: 1:00, Save: 1:40,
SPAIN
Real Madrid are back on top in La Liga after their 3-0 win over Levante on Saturday and Villarreal’s loss. Luka Modrić is week-to-week after picking up a thigh injury against Bulgaria last week in Euro qualifiers. Mateo Kovačić got the start and played 77 minutes as Real Madrid cruised on the day with goals from Ronaldo, Marcelo and Jese Rodriguez.
Kovačić gameplay vs. Levante
Ivan Rakitić has had a quiet season in Barcelona thus far behind the big three. But with Messi out the next month, Rakitić should have more scoring chances with the club. But on this weekend it was more of the same; even without Messi. Neymar would bag four goals against Rayo Vallecano in a 5-2 win with Rakitić playing the full match. The win keeps Barca level on points with Real Madrid; 10 goals behind on differential.
Duje Čop came on at halftime for Malaga but it was all uphill as they were defeated by Valencia 3-0. Alen Halilović and Sporting Gijon face Granada Monday night.
ENGLAND
It was another quiet week in England as Dejan Lovren remains sidelined for Liverpool due to a foot injury he picked up over a month ago. Liverpool played out a scoreless draw with Tottenham at White Hart Lane Saturday in Jurgen Klopp’s first match as manager of the club. Andrej Kramarić has also been missing in action, not just this week, but the entire season for Leicester City. He is not being utilized as a sub like he was last season and was not on the Leicester squad list this week in their 2-2 come from behind draw to Southampton.
However, Slaven Bilić and West Ham keep on rolling as they defeated Crystal Palace 3-1 on the road Saturday. With the win, West Ham hold fourth spot in England, only four points behind leaders Manchester City. Former Croatia striker Nikica Jelavić came off the bench in the 85th minute and was credited with an assist on the game winner three minutes later, as he whiffed on the ball while on the ground (not worthy of a video). Nonetheless, Bilić got him in the game.
Italy
PHOTO: AP
Fiorentina lost for only the second time this season as Napoli squeaked out a 2-1 win on Sunday. Former Hajduk Split striker, Nikola Kalinić, continued his hot streak and scored the equalizing goal in the 73rd minute of play. Nikola broke the Napoli offside trap and put the ball out of reach of Napoli keeper Pepe Reina with a nice finish with the outside of his foot. The 27-year-old is quickly becoming the Croatian number one striker after scoring five goals in his last four Serie A matches.
Nikola Kalinić goal
Milan Badelj started as a defensive midfielder and went the distance for Fiorentina in the loss. The former Dinamo Zagreb captain played well and wasn’t at fault for either of the two Napoli goals. Ante Rebić looked on from the bench for Fiorentina in the loss.
PHOTO: inter
Mario Mandžukić returned after sitting out almost a month because of an injury. The Croatian international came off the bench for Juventus in the 71st minute of play in search of a game winner against Inter Milan but came up short in a scoreless draw. Super Mario might see time on the bench for a couple of matches before returning into the Juventus starting 11.
PHOTO: inter
Marcelo Brozović started for the first time for Inter Milan in over a month and played 90 minutes as a right midfielder. The former Dinamo Zagreb midfielder came close to scoring in the first half as his shot was saved off the post. However, that would be the one and only shot on goal for the Croatian international.
Photo: Inter
Ivan Perišić hoped to continue his hot streak against Juventus, but failed to get anything going on Sunday night in Milan. The former Hajduk Split prospect started on the left wing and finished the match with three shots. After finding themselves on top of the Serie A table after week 5, Inter have dropped to third and are win-less in their last three matches.
Photo: ilnapolista.it
Sassuolo jumped to fifth on the Serie A table after an impressive 2-1 win over Lazio on Sunday. Šime Vrsaljko started the match on the right wing and wasn’t at fault for the lone Lazio goal. The former Dinamo Zagreb defender finished the match with only one foul. Stipe Perica came off the bench in the 74th minute of play for Udinese in a 1-1 draw against Hellas Verona on Sunday.
UKRAINE
Shakhtar Donetsk picked up a massive 3-0 road victory against fellow Ukrainian topdogs Dynamo Kyiv on Saturday. Darijo Srna started for Shakhtar and was removed in the 84th minute, while Eduardo was an unused sub. Srna’s cross in the 59th minute took a few bobbles before eventually resulting in Shahtar’s second goal. Domagoj Vida played the whole match for Dynamo. The match was Kyiv’s first loss of the season, and bridged the gap between the two sides, as they both sit level on top of the Ukrainian Premier League, with 28 points through 11 matches.
RUSSIA
Vedran Corluka started and played the full match as Lokomotiv Moscow picked up a big 2-1 win over rivals Spartak Moscow on Sunday. The win leaves Loko clear in second place, five points behind CSKA Moscow and five ahead of Zenit.
GREECE
Mladen Petric, Danijel Pranjic, and Panathinaikos will welcome PAS Giannina on Monday, with a win leaving them three points off the top of the Greek Super League.
Germany
Photo: EPA
Ivo Iličević started and played 90 minutes as a left winger for Hamburger SV in a nil-nil draw against Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday. The German born Croatian international made a few nice crosses from the left side of the pitch but couldn’t do much offensively against a stingy Bayer defense. Ivica Olić failed to get off the bench for HSV in the draw.
Tin Jedvaj made his Bayer Leverkusen season debut by coming off the bench in the 60th minute of play. Jedvaj did well by helping Bayer finish the match with a shutout.
Next Matches:
Tuesday, 10/20
Barcelona at BATE(Champions League), Roma at Bayer Leverkusen(Champions League), Olympiakos Piraeus at Dinamo Zagreb(Champions League), Chelsea at Dynamo Kyiv(Champions League),
Wednesday, 10/21
Shakhtar Donetsk at Malmö FF(Champions League), Real Madrid at PSG(Champions League), Borussia M’gla at Juventus(Champions League),
Thursday, 10/22
Beşiktaş at Lokomotiv Moskva, Lech Poznań at Fiorentina, Qarabağ at Monaco, Rubin Kazan’ at Liverpool,
Friday, 10/23
Hamburger SV at Hoffenheim,
Saturday, 10/24
Crystal Palace at Leicester City, Stuttgart at Bayer Leverkusen, Internazionale at Palermo, Real Madrid at Celta de Vigo,
Sunday, 10/25
Southampton at Liverpool, Monaco at Reims, Atalanta at Juventus, Sassuolo at Milan, Frosinone at Udinese, Roma at Fiorentina, Eibar at Barcelona, Panathinaikos at PAOK
Monday, 10/26
Rostov at Lokomotiv Moskva,
~Ante Kvartuč and Denis Svirčić reporting from sunny Southern California, Zach Gilfix reporting from Minneapolis, MN
Just to balance things out let’s bring up Robert Muric, he must have had the same hopes and dreams as Perisic.
@ SLAVONAC
THANKS FOR ANSWERING ME. THANKS
great article Prle…Boban was given a lot by his beloved Dinamo and HDZ. I think Boban should really consider what he says going forward, the guy has lost some credibility.
http://www.slobodnadalmacija.hr/Komentatori/IvicaSola/tabid/416/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/302738/Default.aspx
here’s a line from Ante Cacic…this is exactly the way any soccer person feels, which is different from some “so-called” fans:
“A nije im bilo lako, bilo je čak i pokušaja da ih se odgovori od igranja za nacionalnu vrstu, što je svakom normalnom čovjeku neshvatljivo, pa to je svojevrsni čin veleizdaje!”
who in their right mind would refuse to play for their country? this says a lot about how soccer people see the issue vs how people that haven’t lived there lives for the sport see the issue.
Perisic, a Dalmatinac openly stated how he felt, now Cacic also explained that some were asked to “not play” as a sign to support the “boycott’ and protest…My God, thats completely delusional to imagine that anyone would refuse to play for the country and be considered a professional….they aren’t politicians, they’re soccer players!
@slavonac
bravo on that comment, well done
Sitpe
according to the link Ante BBB provided the other day, Mamic was not a factor until after. Based on the article, Mamic learned a lot from Ciro, who happened to be a self-promoting loud mouth and often spoke about others without an ounce of worry that he may come across as offensive.
as far as the players go…I cannot speak for any of them but what I can say is that most players really don’t get into the politics of the game, they are first and foremost trying to make it as a professional and then secondly, trying to get the best contract on the best team suited for them. with that said, its probably why many of them are somewhat loyal to Zdravko Mamic…
think about this for a second, Bosko Balaban was sold to Aston Villa in 2001…the transfer fee for him back then was approximately $6 million pounds and he was making $20,000/week…thats over a million per year for a guy that played less than half a season.
he then sold Eduardo, Modric, Corluka…and recently Simunovic for more many than anyone could have ever imagined.
as per Mamic controlling Bilic? you can say he did…I don’t believe he did…but if you look at who Bilic immediately brought into the first team when he arrived, I’m pretty certain many will say he did…regardless of how good those players were…Modric, Corluka and Dudu were his first immediate additions…all Mamic players…and this comes from a guy (Bilic) that was a shareholder with Hajduk! NOBODY EVER BINGS THIS UP BUT EVERYONE WILL SAY BILIC WAS MAMIC’S PUPPET!Why would Bilic appease Mamic if he was a shareholder and loyal to Hajduk…the fact is, Dinamo had far better options then and still do today!
The controversy I have seen has been with Sammir and as many will say, he was brought to the World Cup because he was a Mamic guy but the reality is, he and Mamic had a fall-out, if I remember correctly, he was already playing in Spain and when we go down the list of available players for his position (midfield), we were really limited. How do I know…all you have to do is look at what our options were and how we played. Now, the bigger issue to me anyways was, at that time, was Sammir suitable for the team? well, he was a regular player in the HNL, his team had won the league in consecutive years and he was apparently the best player…physically, he was strong and fast…had some skills, could distribute and in my opinion…he was a fill-in player, not someone to change the outcome of a game but a player that could help move the ball forward and defend…we truly had few to no better options. If we look at this from a perspective of objectivity, Kovac made the right choice, if we look at this like many do, including me…he was an idiot.most hated him because he was an idiot and.because he’s a black guy from Brazil…and thats the bottom line. Dudu was a completely different person and player…he was respected by his team-mates and all fans while Sammir had disciplinary issues (disciplined by Ante Cacic of all people), he wasn’t much of a goal-scorer but physically, he could offer something we just didn’t have but we definitely needed. we already had Modric, Kovacic, Rakitic…our issues weren’t in the creativity department…Croatia was in a position where we had just recently added Brozovic to our mid-field and we needed someone else…each game is different, each players assignments change as their opponents change and I think Kovac resentfully took Sammir, knowing his options were limited and still knowing he needed results.
all of this is now past and today, we have the luxury of seeing things with 20/20 vision.
Did Boban, Boksic, Soldo….respect Mamic? I think they most likely didn’t give a shit about him…Boban said he liked Mamic while he was in his younger years but to them, they’re thinking about performing and representing their country. I highly doubt any of them think much of who is running the team from behind the scenes…Zvone Boban played for Berlusconi, a real fucked up guy that had done a lot of stupid things throughout his life. Boban’s one criticism of him was that he felt Berlusconi shouldn’t have gotten into politics but if you ever read Berlusconi’s bio…he was affiliated with shady people, many scandals, tax fraud, bribes (something Ante would call threats), sex with a minor….his list is longer that most people….and all Boban could come up with when describing Berlusconi was to say he shouldn’t have entered into politics. Berlusconi makes Mamic look like a flea…and thats the truth!
@ SLAVONAC
OR ANYONE WHO ELSE WHO CAN ANSWER.
WAS MAMIC A BIG PART OF THE GOLDEN GENERATION DURING EURO 96 AND WC 98?
DID MAMIC CONTROL CIRO WHILE HE COACHED THE NATIONAL TEAM??
DID MAMIC ALSO CONTROL BILIC AS WELL??
LASTLY, DID THE PLAYERS FROM THE “GOLDEN GENERATION” SUCH AS BOBAN, BOKSIC, SOLDO, JARNI AMD ASONOVIC RESPECT MAMIC OR DID THEY JUST CARE ABOUT MAMIC?
A bunch unhinged crooked peanuts control Croatian football but it’s alright here’s another ‘heartwarming’ Perisic quote.
Joe deserves a high five if for nothign else that fantastically brutal tackle on that serb cunt in the WC2014 qualifier in Beograd which inspired all those memes with him as a freight train and the serb cunt as a rekt barina or something similar. Haha.. That was legendary stuff. Anyone who smashes a serb cunt like that when necessary has a fan in me !
@ zdravko
no zdravko. hvala tebi
without your drive, contributions, and know how….
all croatian teams would look like hajduk or rnk split….no team would have the quality and sustainability of dinamo
with your drive, contributions, and know how…
our beloved repka would be more in line with other countries lie lithuania
Tenk you Zvonimir for kind words, I appreciate!
@zvonimr
Excellent comment and so true.
@ slavonac
I am waiting for them to boycott the U17 team as well.
Big Joe was the shit and anyone who doesn’t think so should hand in their card!
If I saw him alone in a cafe I’d walk over, shake his hand and thank him for his career.
Zvonimir, that’s most likely not how some in this site see things….they’re likely complaining that there aren’t Hajduk players and blaming Mamic for another conspiracy.
MelbCro,
If I was somewhere and he happened to be there, I’d probably talk to him if we crossed paths…my comment was more along the lines that I wouldn’t go out of my way.
the u-17 is another example of how much the mamic family is doing for croatia soccer
at one point, 10 of the players were from dinamo. and the announcers marveled at this. it is only mamic that is able to produce croatian talent to fill the repka…thank him for that
the winning ways of mamic were on display again in the euro qualifying
finally we had someone with dinamo winning mentality, cacic, leading the boys…
being associated with dinamo…cacic knows how to win…the boys understand that…and they followed him because of it…just like they followed their dinamo leaders to previous hnl titles
@ Slavonac
“Film might be good but I’d never waste a minute to drive 40 minutes to meet him.”
Met the guy a few months ago, he came down to a Melbourne Croatia match. Hasn’t forgotten his roots, a true champion
“From the Melbourne Knights to representing the Croatian NT. This will be a great film, and I’ll definitely buy the DVD!!!!!
I don’t know the guy personally, but he was great player.”
Best moment in his life was wining the 1995/96 NSL title with Melbourne Croatia.
I watched inter vs juve today…I LOVE Perisic…but Marcelo needs to still be considered for the repka…he had a beautiful shot hit the cross bar today…also looked great on the ball…he has some real potential.
Stanko I have nothing against big Joe! I like him…but I’m with slavonac…I wouldn’t drive 10 min to meet him…
@cekic
Agree.
Film might be good but I’d never waste a minute to drive 40 minutes to meet him.
From the Melbourne Knights to representing the Croatian NT. This will be a great film, and I’ll definitely buy the DVD!!!!!
I don’t know the guy personally, but he was great player.
@Slavonac and Joey, why do you guys feel like that? He had a good career for the national team. Maybe it will be a good film?
Kalinic with another goal today! Not crazy about the guy…but he is at the best of his potential.
Me too Joey but we were all young once, some younger guys will probably feel honoured to meet him!
Slavonac I was jut joking brother! I’m surprised that there are people who will attend this event.
Sweden always gets screwed in the playoffs. lol.
Sweden is nowhere near what they once were, so that tie will be a close one.
Norway should beat out Hungary, but I don’t like either of those teams. Looks like a boring tie.
Ukraine should destroy Slovenia. But Slovenia always seems to punch above its weight in the playoffs, and Ukraine always seem to lose in the playoffs as well. They’ve met before in these playoffs with Slovenia pulling off a shocking upset. But I’d still be shocked if the Slovenci pull it off this time.
BiH and Ireland will be a very fun one to watch. Could go either way.
Euro playoff draw:
Norway vs. Hungary (11/12 & 11/15)
Bosnia-Herzegovina vs. Ireland (11/13 & 11/16)
Ukraine vs. Slovenia (11/14 & 11/17)
Sweden vs. Denmark (11/14 & 11/17)
The first team listed is the home team in the first game. Pretty good matchups. Very evenly matched up. I figure Slovenia got the worst of it. Bosnia/Ireland should be very good.
Not a chance…I couldn’t care less about the guy, it would be a waste of my time to drive down to the Croatian centre to meet him!
Slavonac are you going? Lol
Haha…this is pretty interesting. Veliki Joe is coming to Vancouver to promote his film?
http://www.croatiasc.com/2015/10/18/josip-simunic-visiting-vancouver-to-promote-film/
^^^ my post
Jurgen Klopic my point is if serbia won the u20 and Mali was a contender it is a shit watered down tournament. The u17 is the real young stars!
Soul champ thanks! From what I read our team on paper is as good as chile or maybe better…but the environment with them playing at home was insane…our boys were in the Lions den…Great result!
@ Lika Joey
Actually thought Chile dominated us in the first half, minus the sequence that led to Moro’s goal.
Our ability to compete was impressive and we had speed on both wings, especially Lovren.
Chile was tough and tenacious, credit to our boys who matched the physicality of the game.
2nd half was more even and we had 2-3 good chances.
This game proves that the Repka is for young hungry players.
Guy like Rakitic (not a natural runner) comes to us tired from winning everything with Barca. Sub his ass out when he stops competing and inject young legs.
The boys grinded put a point and I haven’t seen that in many a moon.
USA match should allow more flow on the ball, Chile disrupted flow and dictated proceedings for most of the match.
@ Poglavnik
Lmfao.
Nigerians look like 19 year olds across the board.
No worries. It would be an opportunity to advance into knock out round.
We looked great in that game against Chile!
As inspired as I’ve seen one of our national teams in a long time.
Chile were lucky to hang on for a point.
Who cares about Serbia and their Under 20s we don’t need to mention them here.
what kind of lipstick do you put on the soccer ball before tucking into bed at night, any good tips, may lip balm for soccer balls.
Nigeria and their old-ass “youngsters” will be a test!
Maybe they’ll throw the game against us like Cameroon did in Brazil?
Soul champ I’m out following the game on a app…how did the boys look?
Bravo dečki !
The boys competed against a tough team in a hostile atmosphere.
Lovren is energizer bunny.
All in Tuesday v US and A.
Should be able to dictate flow a bit.
Chile played like they haven’t eaten in a month!
Chile has it going on right now.
All our boys will grow from this experience.
Are they any other u17’s who are not from Dinamo?
1:1 81st cro vs chile
^ ^
Agreed!
U-17’s is the real world youth cup.
Much better than any other “U-” tourney.
Most major clubs won’t release u20 or 21 players to the tournaments…serbia won u20 that says it all…Mali was a strong contender etc…u17 is extremely important.
U17 is the most important…most of the great u20 players are already at big clubs if they are really talented…Kovacic is at real madrid at 21 etc…this u17 tournament is the real showing of the future.
@ Lika,
I can’t take the u-whatevers too seriously. There has to be a cutoff on what is important. And that cutoff for me is U20/21.
Anything else is just too much. Don’t we have a U15 team or something like that?
Jedvaj played today.
Ante, you forgot our u17 team plays Chile today! Wishing them the best of luck!
Who’s this Mateo Kovcic and is he a good prospect ??
😉