Croatians Around Europe *XI*

Germany

Photo: index.hr

Bayern Munich looked uninterested on Saturday in a 1-1 draw at Nurnberg. The Bavarian Giants look to have Valencia and Champions League on their minds and didn’t give their usual effort at Stadion Nürnberg. “Super” Mario Mandžukić started and played 77 minutes in the draw. The Croatian international scored another Ivica Olić-like goal in only the third minute and made all Croatians proud by saluting the generals after the opening goal.

After taking some heat from the German media, Mario said that he was saluting the fans and not the generals by saying, “Filled with emotion I ran towards our fans to celebrate with them. I rarely celebrate goals. I am a completely apolitical person and the celebration has nothing to do with the events about the generals.” However, Mandukić’ manager told Jutarnji List: “I’m proud of Mario and I’m delighted with the way he celebrated a goal, joining all Croats in the celebration and joy for the return of our generals.” You be the judge.

Mario Mandžukić scored his 9th goal of the season

Photo: REUTERS/Morris Mac Matzen

Wolfsburg have climbed out of the Bundesliga relegation zone after registering an impressive 3-1 win in Hoffenheim on Sunday. Former Dinamo Zagreb striker, Ivica Olić, started on the left wing and played 89 minutes in the win. Ivica assisted on the opening goal as his cross was mistimed by Wiese and Hasabe easily headed the ball into the back of the net. Srdjan Lakić looked on from the bench for Wolfsburg.

PHOTO: Bild

Hamburg continue to climb up the Bundesliga ladder after registering a 1-0 win over Mainz on Saturday. Former Dinamo Zagreb defensive midfielder, Milan Badelj, started and played the full 90 minutes in the win. Milan helped Hamburg to their third shutout in four games. Ivo Iličević was not on the roster sheet for HSV.

Just days after requesting a transfer out of Dortmund, Jürgen Klopp gifted Ivan Perišić with 90 minutes against Greuther Furth on Saturday in a 3-1 win. The 23-year-old Croatian international played well in the win but finished with only one shot. Dortmund will face Ajax on Wednesday in Champions League.

ENGLAND

With Fulham down 1-0 in the second half vs. Sunderland Sunday, and most importantly down a man with defender Brede Hangeland’s sending off in the 30th minute, Mladen Petrić came off the bench in the 60′ for striker Bryan Ruiz, and made it count. Two minutes after coming on, Petrić made a run into the box with teammate Damien Duff finding the Croatian from a sharp angle six yards out. Petrić slammed the ball into the back of the net to make it 1-1. But it wasn’t meant to be for 10-man Fulham as Sunderland would score two more goals in the second half to take all the spoils in a 3-1 victory.

Fulham now sit in 9th place with 16 points through 12 matches. Petrić will need another goal or two in the upcoming weeks to get the starting role back. This is the first time in over a month he has put Fulham on the board.

Petrić goal @ 0:09

 

 

Photo: WhoAteAllThePies.tv

It was supposed to be a walk in the park for Everton on Saturday, but in the end, Nikica Jelavić and company handed Reading their first win of the season. Jelavić played the full 90 minutes with little offensive impact on the game as he fired three shots (0 on goal) and was flagged offside four times. Everton took an early lead behind Steve Naismith’s 10′ goal but couldn’t contain Adam Le Fondre, who scored a second half brace to win it 2-1 for Reading. Everton now fall to fifth place in the Premier League table, with little consistency in the past few matches. A string of victories could very well see Everton make a Champions League push.

SPAIN

Ivan Rakitić played the full match in Sevilla’s 5-1 drubbing of Real Betis and notched his second goal of the year in added time. Ivan put curled in a free kick in the 11th minute which was headed in by Federico Fazio to give Sevilla a 2-0 lead and Rakitić his team high 3rd assist. He was played through by Jesus Navas in the 91st minute and placed it into the corner with his left foot to cap off Sevilla’s blowout. Ivan finished the game with two shots on target, four fouls drawn, a team high 46 passes completed (87% completion rate), and a game high three chances created. It’s matches like these that show Rakitić’s potential and why so many teams were interested in him during his time at Schalke. The win moves Sevilla up three spots in the table to 7th, one spot and one place out of the European placings. 

Rakitić goal at 5:43

Luka Modrić started and went the distance for Real Madrid as they routinely defeated Athletic Bilbao 5-1. Modrić assisted Karim Benzema for Real’s first goal with a sublime long ball that split the defense. He had a fairly quiet (yet effective) game after the assist, pulling the strings from deep as Ozil pushed forward from the midfield. He completed 87% of his 38 attempted passes and had a game high seven crosses and a game high six interceptions. Luka’s form continues to improve as he adjusts to the Madrid system and receives more playing time. Real remains in third after the win and go up against Manchester City on Wednesday in a crucial Champions League encounter. 

Modrić super assist to Benzema 

 

 

UKRAINE

Photo: Shakhtar

Were Shakhtar Donetsk looking forward to their Champions League match in Denmark vs. Nordsjaelland on Tuesday? After finishing the first half of the Ukrainian Premier League season with a perfect 15-0-0 record, Shakhtar lost their first match of the campaign Saturday vs. Arsenal, 2-0. Captain Darijo Srna played the full 90 minutes while Eduardo watched from the bench. Arsenal opened the scoring midway through the first half and never looked back as Shakhtar’s Rakitskiy was sent off three minutes after the restart. 

Still with an 11-point lead over Dnipro in Ukraine, Shakhtar look to make a major push towards a Champions League knockout round berth Tuesday vs. Nordsjaelland, while Juventus face Chelsea.

 Kalinić goal 1:35

 

 

Nikola Kalinić and Dnipro keep on rolling in Ukraine this season, this time with a 2-1 victory over Tavriya to take sole possession of second place. Tavriya scored the opening goal in the 61st minute but Kalinić would equalize in the 74′ with a weak shot from inside the box right at the keeper. It looked as if it would be a routine save but the goalie handcuffed himself and let the ball roll through his legs for the equalizer. It will be one of Kalinić’s softest goals of his career. Dnipro would take the lead through Giuliano in the 80th for the 2-1 win. Dnipro are on track for a Champions League qualifying berth if they keep this form throughout the campaign, now with a three-point lead over Dynamo Kiev. Ivan Strinić may still be injured as he was not listed for this match. 

 

 

Dynamo Kiev lost valuable ground on second place in Ukraine as they were beat by Metalurh Donetsk 1-0 on Saturday. Ognjen Vukojević started and played 80 minutes while Niko Kranjčar was left off the squad due to unknown reasons. Dynamo host bicycle wizard Zlatan Ibrahimović and PSG Wednesday in Champions League.  

 

 

RUSSIA

Stipe Pletikosa was in net for Rostov as they stood firm in Anzhi to deny the 2nd place club a victory. Anzhi was in firm control througout and it took some massive saves from Stipe for Rostov to steal a point. The 0-0 draw moves Rostov into a tie for 10th with Dinamo Moscow. 

Tomislav Dujmović was subbed on in the 83rd minute as Mordovya lost 3-0 to Kuban Krasnodar. Tomo has been gradually losing his place in the 11 for Mordovya and will now have to fight for playing time. He was not on the pitch for any of the goals, as Mordovya lost their 5th match in a row. 

Dario Krešić and Vedran Ćorluka (Lokomotiv Moscow) take on Kryliya Sovetov on Monday in a match Slaven Bilic’s men will be expected to win.  

France

 

PHOTO: facebook/DejanLovren

Dejan Lovren enjoyed another week off after receiving an automatic two game suspension for his red card against Bastia on November 4th.  The 23-year-old, Croatian international wasn’t needed for Lyon on Sunday as the Lions crushed Reims 3-0 at Stade de Gerland. With the win, Lyon find themselves atop the Ligue 1 table.

“Slobodni su napokon…!!!!!ponosan sam na njih i na sve ostale ljude koji su dali zivot za hrvatsku!bravooooooooooooo”

~Dejan had a very special message on his twitter

Italy

 

 

Pescara, the lowest scoring team in Serie A, continued to struggle to get the ball in the back of the net after coming up with another goose egg in a 1-0 loss at Siena on Sunday. Former Hajduk Split captain, Ante Vukušić, started and played 56 minutes for Pescara in the loss. The 21-year-old striker missed a penalty kick just seconds before the halftime whistle and finished with 11 touches on the ball. It went from bad to worse for the visitors as referee Massimiliano Irrati showed Pescara two red cards in the final five minutes of the match. After the match, Giovanni Stroppa resigned as manager of Pescara.

 Ante Vukušić misses equalizing penalty kick

Next Matches:

Tuesday, 11/20

Bayern München at Valencia(Champions League), Shakhtar Donetsk at Nordsjælland(Champions League)

Wednesday, 11/21

Borussia Dortmund at Ajax(Champions League), Real Madrid at Manchester City(Champions League), PSG at Dynamo Kyiv(Champions League)

Friday, 11/23

Hamburger SV at Fortuna Düsseldorf, Krasnodar at Lokomotiv Moskva

Saturday, 11/24

Fulham at Stoke City, Norwich City at Everton, Hannover 96 at Bayern München, Borussia Dortmund at Mainz 05, Werder Bremen at Wolfsburg, Real Madrid at Real Betis, Hoverla at Shakhtar Donetsk, Rostov at Krylya Sovetov, Dinamo Moskva at Spartak Moskva,

Sunday, 11/25

Roma at Pescara, Sevilla at Atlético Madrid, Olympique Lyonnais at Toulouse, Arsenal Kyiv at Dynamo Kyiv

~Ante Kvartuč and Denis Svirčić reporting from sunny Southern California, Zach Gilfix reporting from Minneapolis, MN