BILIĆ MAKES CHANGES FOR UKRAINE

Croatia coach Slaven Bilić has called on uncapped goalkeeper Danijel Subasić and midfielder Ivo Ilicević in a 23-man squad for 2010 World Cup qualifiers at Ukraine on October 11th and four days later at home to Andorra.

Bilić said that 21-year-old Ilicević, has shined for Greuther Fuerth in the German second division, and deserves a call up.

"Ilicević has undoubtedly been one of the main players in our under-21 team in the last few years," Bilić said on Monday.

Hajduk Split keeper Subasić, 23, has done well this season following a transfer from Zadar last summer.

Bilić said the Ukraine game had become a key qualifier following the humiliating 4-1 defeat at home by England earlier this month.

"The game in Ukraine is particularly important as Ukraine are our direct rivals for qualifying. The defeat against England has somewhat upset us but we are not giving up our goal to qualify," Bilić told reporters.

Croatia, looking to bounce back after last months humiliating 4-1 defeat at home to England, will be without suspended defender Robert Kovač for both games. Robert's suspension opened the door for Dinamo Zagreb hitman Dino Drpić for a possible first cap.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Stipe Pletikosa (Spartak Moscow), Vedran Runje (RC Lens), Danijel Subašić (Hajduk Split)

Defenders: Vedran Ćorluka (Tottenham), Josip Šimunić (Hertha Berlin), Dario Knežević (Juventus), Hrvoje Vejić (Tom Tomsk), Ivica Križanac (Zenit St. Petersburg), Dino Drpić (Dinamo Zagreb)

Midfielders: Danijel Pranjić (Heerenveen), Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk), Niko Kovač (Salzburg), Luka Modrić (Tottenham), Jerko Leko (AS Monaco), Ivan Rakitić (Schalke 04), Ognjen Vukojević (Dynamo Kiev), Nikola Pokrivač (AS Monaco), Ivo Ilicević (Greuther Fuerth)

Forwards: Mladen Petrić (Hamburg SV), Ivica Olić (Hamburg SV), Ivan Klasnić (Nantes), Nikola Kalinić (Hajduk Split), Mario Mandžukić (Dinamo Zagreb)

2 questions for you: How do you like the squad? Who should start?

~Denis Svirčić, reporting from Lakerville

9TH ROUND HNL RESULTS

Here are the results for September 26th and 28th...

Slaven Belupo[2-0]Dinamo Zagreb

Hajduk Split[3-3]Inter Zaprešić

NK Osijek [1-3]HNK Šibenik

NK Zadar[0-3]NK Rijeka

NK Zagreb[1-1]Croatia Sesvete

Varteks Varaždin[3-1] Cibalia Vinkovci

So we have now learned that Dinamo is in fact human after all; suffering their 2nd straight 2-0 loss this week letting some other teams catch up. Although Hajduk only mustered up a draw against Inter, Hajduk was down by 2 at one point and a double by Kalinić helped the 'Bili' get that all important point. Zadar fell once again and only has 1 point through their first 9 games. Their coach resigned in what has been a horrible start to the season, which inevitability will lead to relegation if they don't start putting points up on the board. Well it's definitely a season this year! Hopeully it continues like this so the games at the end will matter.

IS THIS THE END FOR ROBERT KOVAČ?

After fining the Croatian Football Federation 30,000 Franks following monkey chanting directed at Emile Heskey during Croatia's 4-1 defeat to England in the World Cup qualifier, FIFA decided to suspend Robert Kovač four matches for an elbow at Joe Cole.

Robert received a straight red card by Slovakian referee Lubos Michel for his "accidental" elbow that hit England's Joe Cole and required 10 stitches to close up the head wound.

"I looked at the TV replay and I'm sure that the referee's decision was based on the blood on Joe Cole's head and pressure from England bench," said Niko Kovač after the match.

Robert, was in total shock after the announced suspension. "It is true, I am aware of the extended suspension, which is unbelievable. This news is shocking, and I am speechless. Srebrić promised me that HNS will protest, and hopefully, the disciplinary committee will realize that I didn't intentionally elbow that English player. If the suspension stays the same, then this match with England at Maksimir will be my final match for Croatia. All of this saddens me, however, this is life."

Now, the question is: Is this the end for Robert Kovač?

Hopefully, Robert changes his mind. A Croatian legend shouldn't be remembered for a red card causing him to retire.

Source : Sportske Novosti

What should Robi do?

~Denis Svirčić, reporting from Lakerville

KERUM TO BUY HAJDUK???

An anonymous Croatian newspaper reporter has revealed that Zeljko Kerum, Croatia's retail king and owner of the Kerum supermarket chain, is interested in buying Hajduk Split. He is a very wealthy and popular man in Croatia, especially in Dalmacija.

Kerum is thinking about running for mayor of Split and just purchased a $17 million private jet. That's the kind of year he is having. The only thing that could make it any sweeter for him is if he could lock up the deal for Hajduk. Stay tuned.

CROATIAN FA FINED

FIFA ended their investigation on the racist 'monkey' chants that came from a group of Croatian fans during the England match earlier this month. The chants were geared at England midfielder, Emile Heskey, who is a black man.

The Croatian FA was fined 30,000 Swiss Francs for the incident which is definitely something they should be happy with. I thought for sure that FIFA would make Croatia play one game behind closed doors (possibly vs. Ukraine) or not allow their fans a chance at tickets for the England rematch at Wembley next year.

There's almost an investigation for Croatia every year because of our fans. So it's either that we're doing something really wrong in the stands and FIFA should slam the door on us so we learn or they're just after us for whatever reason. But these little slaps on the wrist will not work, I assure you.

VLADE DIVAC 'FLOPS' IN ZAGREB

The undisputed king of flopping, former Serbian basketball player Vlade Divac made a surprise visit to Zagreb today. Vlade was in the Croatian capital for the first time in 19 years and promised himself that he would pay special tribute to the late Croatian basketball legend, Dražen Petrović. Vlade Divac visited the new Drazen Petrović museum next to the Cibona stadium in Zagreb.

Vlade signed the guest book:

'Kako vrijeme ide, prijatelju moj. Vratio sam uspomene na nešto najbolje što je Europa ikad imala u košarci'

'Oh how the time flies my friend. I remind myself wit memories of Europe's greatest ever in basketball.'

Living in Los Angeles, most Croats developed a strong hate for the Lakers with the arrival of Vlade Divac in 1989. Los Angeles Croats jumped ship and became "overnight" Celtic fans, because Boston signed Croat Stojko Vranković the same year.

Vlade Divac will forever be remembered as the Croatian "flag torcher." During his rookie season with the Lakers, Vlade was seen burning a Croatian flag that a fan gifted him. Later Vlade apologized and claimed that he has nothing against Croatia and its people, that he didn't mean to do any harm, and that we are all one people. He didn't want a lone Serbia, but instead a united Yugoslavia.

I am a huge believer in "forgive but don't forget." Vlade came to Zagreb to pay his respects to a great friend. The end. Serbia this, Serbia that, shouldn't be brought up. Politics and sports shouldn't be used in the same sentence. The war had separated the two way before the flag burning incident. In 1990, Petrović and Divac were great friends on the world champion Yugoslav basketball team. The war and politics separated them.

Last summer, I had the privilege of attending the Drazen Petrović museum. Words could not describe what I felt. Maybe a few pictures would help me out:

Joze, took me a second, hopefully I answered your question.

"How is that Drazen Petrovic museum?
I walked past it when I was in Zagreb but didn't go inside."

Vlade still holds the NBA record with the most flops in a single season, career, single game, and all star game.

comments?
Comments Please?

~Denis Svirčić, reporting from Lakerville

KALINIĆ ON THE WAY OUT????

A day after assisting on both "bili" goals in Hajduk's 2-0 victory over Dinamo in Zagreb, Nikola Kalinić might be on his way out. Sportske Novosti has confirmed that Atletico Madrid scouts were at the game match courting Nikola Kalinic.

Last summer Hajduk rejected all bids for Kalinić, however, with the winter transfer window right around the corner, scouts are busy searching for new talent months before the negotiations start.

I don't see Nikola continuing at Hajduk next year. Any reasonable offer for the HNL leading goal scorer and he is gone. Hajduk can not afford to pass by a 12-15 million Euro bid for the young prospect.

On January 27th, CroatianSoccerReport.com wrote about a 12 million euro bid for Nikola:

DNIPRO DNIPROPETROVSK OFFER 12 MILLION EUROS FOR KALINIĆ?

Hopefully, Kalinić at least finishes out this season, preferably with a Hajduk championship. I don't see Hajduk winning without him.

Source : Sportske Novosti

What should Hajduk do?

~Denis Svirčić, reporting from Lakerville

HAJDUK COMES THROUGH IN STATEMENT GAME

First off, I'd just like to apologize for getting this post up so late. I just finished watching the game on Croatian satellite in America as the match was shown on tape delay.

So as we all already know, Hajduk beat Dinamo yesterday 2-0. To the normal fan it could only be seen as one game in a long season between two hated rivals. But it was much more than that. This was a statement game for Hajduk that they had to play in the 'lion's den'. This game would justify the lackluster start they had to their Croatian season and early Uefa Cup exit. Well, it was justified and may have just saved the Prva Liga from another horrible season.

Yes, the Eternal Derby has returned with this Hajduk win. The first half posed chances for both sides; none of which resulted in a goal. There was definitely a lot of foul play by Dinamo on the Hajduk players. Cheap shots to the knees and ankles of the 'Bili' as well as cleats up slide tackles. I'm surprised there wasn't more yellow cards in the game.

The video below shows you absolutely everything you need to know from the game. From the goals to the fouls and even a firework display from Torcida that would even make Michael Bay (an American director who likes to blow everything up in his movies) proud.

The only thing you can't see in the video is how terrible this Hajduk team is at celebrating. After the first goal was scored by Gabrić, the whole team started chasing him across the field in excitement. When he had nowhere left to go he ran into one of the larger Hajduk players and fell straight to the ground playing it off as a slide. At the end of the game, an unknown Hajduk player tried throwing his jersey to a section of the Torcida crowd. The player tried throwing the jersey 3 times over the 15- foot wall but just couldn't make it. When he finally figured out that the plan wasn't going to work, he just grabbed his shirt and went back to celebrating with teammates. I won't hold this against them, but it's still funny.

Here's the video. I hope you enjoy. And I give much praise to whoever edited it and hope we can work together in the future on some projects. Please contact me.

HAJDUK OUTCLASSES DINAMO IN ZAGREB

Hajduk 2 Dinamo 0

Hajduk Split, with goals from Drago Gabrić and Ibričić, celebrate a 2-0 victory over hated rivals Dinamo Zagreb.

Unfortunately, this match wasn't shown live anywhere in the United States. The game will be shown on replay on "slika hrvatska" Croatian satellite here in the United States at 8pm pacific standard time.

CroatianSoccerReport.com will have an in depth game summary following the replay.

8TH ROUND HNL RESULTS

Here are the results for September 21st...

HNK Šibenik [3 - 0] Slaven Belupo

Croatia Sesvete [4 - 0] Varteks Varaždin

Cibalia Vinkovci [1 - 0] NK Zadar

NK Rijeka [0 - 0] NK Osijek

Dinamo Zagreb [0 - 2] Hajduk Split

Inter Zaprešić [1 - 1] NK Zagreb

HAJDUK- DINAMO DERBY

The classic Croatian derby returns as Hajduk Split travels north to visit 'good' friends Dinamo in Zagreb. And the only thing I can guarantee is that the stands will look like the picture above.

So what will we learn this time around? Has Hajduk matured? How will Mirko Hrgović react playing against his former team? Will Dinamo remain the Croatian Prva Liga 'Daddy'?

All this will be answered tomorrow, maybe not in full, but it will definitely give us an indication of how the Prva Liga will be played out.

But the ultimate question is, How much do you really care?

TONI KUKOC TURNS 40

Happy Birthday Toni Kukoc

As you all know, CroatianSoccerReport.com is here to report on soccer. However, once in a blue moon, we will throw in some Basketball, Olympics, American football, Ping Pong and anything else making Croatian news.

Today one of the most reliable sixth men to ever play the game turns another year older. Three-time NBA champion Toni Kukoc is 40. In celebration of his birthday, here is a look at a few highlights from his career:

- Three-time NBA Champion ('96, '97, '98 Chicago Bulls)
- Won the 1996 Sixth Man Award
- Ranked third in scoring behind Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in three championship seasons
- Led the Bulls in three-pointers during 1998 title-winning season
- Three-time European Basketball Player of the Year
- Two-time Olympic silver medal winner

He has been nicknamed "the white Magic", "the spider from Split", "the Pink Panther", "the waiter","the European Jordan", and was known as "the Croatian Sensation" when he played in the NBA.

Toni Kukoc interview March, 2008

Toni Kukoc Stats

Toni, I followed you since the day you signed for the Bulls. Even though I never had the pleasure to meet you, I watched you play at the Staples Center in Los Angeles half a dozen times. You have done wonders for the sport and will forever be remembered not only by Croatians, but basketball fans worldwide.

~Denis Svirčić, reporting from Lakerville

HAJDURABIA??????

Hajduk Split president Mate Peroš reported yesterday in the Slobodna Dalmacija that an "Arab interest" has offered 50 million Euros for the rights to Hajduk Split.

Last week, everyone is Split was contemplating a possible Mamic Hajduk Split takeover. Today, a new unthinkable power has emerged as a possible possessor: The Arabs

Will Hajduk sell out before its 100th birthday?

Slobodna Dalmacija story

Looking forward to reading your opinions on this. Where are my Hajduk fans?

~Denis Svirčić, reporting from Lakerville

SLAVEN FALLS ASLEEP FOR FINAL 10 MINUTES

Slaven Belupo turned a one-nil lead into a two-one defeat at the hands of CSKA Moskow in Koprivnica. With 3,500 on hand at the Gradski stadium for this UEFA cup encounter, Mario Jurić put Slaven ahead just before half-time scoring off a Kaja Rogulj corner in the the 43rd minute. Slaven was the better team in the first 75 minutes, however, fell asleep for the final fifteen minutes which led to defeat.

Vagner Love was the star of the night, as his two goals in the final 10 minutes secured victory for the Russians. 150 Russian fans were on hand to witness CSKA Moscow get the result.

CSKA Moskow trainer Valery Gazajev had this to say:

"I have to say that Slaven Belupo was very motivated for the match. This was clear at the whistle. However, we had to win and that was the difference between the two sides. Tonight, our football players were better and this was shown in the second half and ultimately in the final fifteen minutes."

Slaven Belupo trainer Mile Petković had this to say:

"We played with the same energy that we have played with in the HNL this year. The first 75 minutes we were the better side. With quite a few chances, it was a shame that we couldn't have scored another goal during the first 75 minutes. However, the match lasts 90 minutes and we fell asleep the last fifteen or so minutes and paid with the result. CSKA pressured us and our young defenders made some silly errors."

Now Slaven travel to Moscow, knowing that they must put at least two in the onion bag to progress.

~Denis Svirčić, reporting from Lakerville

LUKA MODRIĆ INJURED AGAINST VILLA

Tottenham's worst start in 34 years continued today going down to a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa at White Hart Lane. After four matches, the North Londoners find themselves at the bottom of the table with one point.

Things got worse for the struggling Spurs when Croatian international playmaker Luka Modrić was forced off through injury on the half hour mark. Jermaine Jenas replaced Luka in the 26th minute, as a Martin Laursen challenge was too much to handle for the 23 year old Croatian midfielder. Modrić was down for several minutes holding his left knee. A bit of good news is that he managed to walk off on his own, didn't show any signs of a limp, and will be reevaluated tomorrow morning.

Vedran Ćorluka made the start and played a brilliant 90 minutes for the Spurs.

Hopefully, this is just a minor knock and Luka will be back in action within a few days. However, Luka has had some history with that left knee. We will bring you more on this as the story develops.

7TH ROUND HNL RESULTS

Here are the results for September 14th...

Hajduk Split [1 - 0] HNK Šibenik

NK Zadar [1 - 2] Croatia Sesvete

Cibalia Vinkovci [3 - 1] NK Rijeka

Slaven Belupo [4 - 2] NK Osijek

NK Zagreb [2 - 2] Dinamo Zagreb

Varteks Varaždin [1 - 0] Inter Zaprešić

OLIĆ & PETRIĆ GIVE HAMBURG THE WIN

The Ivan Klasnić 'can't buy a goal for Croatia but owns the BundesLiga' syndrome is back! However, it's not Mr. Klasnić this time as he has moved on over to France to play for Nantes this season. Fellow compatriots, Ivica Olić and Mladen Petrić, who both now play for Hamburg of the German BundesLiga, seem to have been bitten by the bug that turns Croatian strikers into superstars when playing in Germany while turning their international game into garbage.

Hamburg defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-2 on Saturday. Olić tied the game up in the 51' for Hamburg and Petrić put in the game winner 20 minutes later. As you can see in the video below, neither goal was all that impressive but at least they're putting the ball in the back of the net. So why do Klasnić, Olić and Petrić score with ease in Germany and then falter on the international level?

I thought about it for awhile. I just couldn't comprehend how our strikers were doing so well and scoring game-winners week in and week out. But after watching Luca Toni, who plays for Italy and absolutely tears it up for club team Bayern Munich, struggle to score at Euro 2008; it all made perfect sense to me.

The German BundesLiga is not all that great!

Sure they are considered the 4th best league in Europe, but they are far, far away from the skill level that plays in England, Spain and Italy. I'm sure if our strikers were playing in these leagues they wouldn't be scoring so easily; with the exception of Eduardo of course.

I'm just sick of hearing Olić and Petrić play so well for their club teams. Then, when they get the chance to start for Croatia, they look like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off.

Petrić has only scored one relevant goal for Croatia- the one that sent England packing early for their 2008 summer vacation. He has scored 10 goals for Croatia in 30 appearances, but 6 have been against Andorra.

Olić also has 10 goals for Croatia; but in 60 appearances. His goals are a bit more valuable but always easy nonetheless. What I mean by easy is that Olić never scores skillful goals where he is blasting the ball by the keeper or taking on defenders with speed. In recent time, the last goal he scored against Germany at Euro 2008, was an easy tap in where the ball came right to him after hitting the post. Eduardo did all the work for Olić's goal against England last November at Wembley. He just needed to tap it into an empty net, and even then he had to look back to make sure it went in after he started to celebrate pre-maturely.

Bottomline: These two make me nervous. I don't enjoy watching them play striker for Croatia and I can't wait for Eduardo to get back to full form and an official call-up for Cvitanić. We can only pray that these '2 peas in a pod' can play well against Ukraine next month.

CAN POLJUD BECOME THE NEW MAKSIMIR?

Slobodna Dalmacija is reporting that many Croatians in Dalmacija, especially Split, want Croatian qualifiers played at the Poljud now that the undefeated competitive streak has been broken at Maksimir in Zagreb. This is really the only opportunity that Split has to lure Croatian FA representatives into making a switch of home grounds for the team- even if it's only a few matches to start off with.

The saying goes, "If it isn't broken, then don't fix it." Now that the 'Croatian Wembley' (Maksimir) has been infiltrated; and the streak broken, I think a change would be good for the Croatian FA, as well as the entire country. Anyone would be called crazy and checked into a mental institution if they dared to recommend a change from Maksimir in the past few years. But Croatian football is now starting off with a clean slate with their next home game against a pretty bad Andorra side in Zagreb on October 15th.

So why might the Croatian FA and fans alike not want games played in Split?- well maybe because Croatia has never won a game at the Poljud, ever! Croatia has 3 losses and 3 draws at the Poljud in six friendly matches. And in the only three qualification games Split has ever hosted (the last one was played in April of 1997 against Slovenia in a World Cup 1998 qualifier), Croatia has posted 3 draws.

So if it was up to you, would you move any qualifiers to Split? I mean the city is the central hub of the Croatian coastline and hasn't hosted a 'real' Croatian international in over 11 years. I think it's time. And I also think the fans in Split would even be better; as long as they behaved themselves- not to take anything away from fans in Zagreb as they are always great.

ŠIMIĆ WAVES GOODBYE TO CROATIA

Dario Šimić has decided to retire from the Croatian national team. The 33 year old defender will leave as the only 100 cap Croatian international and only Croatian player to appear in all four major tournaments. Most importantly, he will be remembered for winning a bronze medal in World Cup 1998 France.

Dario made his decision after the England game, where he watched on the bench as Slaven Bilić has decided to put faith in the younger Darijo Knežević and Ivica Križanac as alternates to Robert Kovač and Josip Šimunić.

He will also be remembered for scoring three international goals. On October 10, 1998 Šimić scored his first international goal against Malta ironically in the "Birkirkara" Stadium during Euro 2000 qualifying. During the Euro 2004 qualifying, on September 10, 2003, he put one past the Belgians in Brussels. His third and final goal came in the final seconds of a 3-2 Friendly victory over Argentina in Basel on March 1, 2006. (Agent Argentina liked this one)

What an excellent time to call it a career. Great to see a legend call it a day with still something left in the tank. Hopefully, Darijo Knežević and Ivica Križanac have picked up a few things from a true master of defense.

Dario Šimić will be remembered as one of the greatest Croatian Representatives of all time. Go with the wind my friend.

CROATIAN FANS IN TROUBLE...AGAIN!

Numerous Croatian papers and media have confirmed that the English FA have filed a formal complaint to FIFA regarding racist chants coming from Croatian fans during the Croatia-English clash Wednesday night in Zagreb. The chants were geared towards England Forward, Emile Heskey, who is a black man.

I didn't hear anything out of the ordinary as I was watching the game on the television and the exact things that were said have not been released. This is a preliminary report but it sounds like the English FA are pretty sure of themselves on this one.

If FIFA does in fact fine and punish the Croatian FA for this, I can foresee Croatian fans not being given tickets next year for the Wembley rematch and even a lock out of one game at Maksimir this qualifying campaign.

FIFA's number one slogan is "SAY NO TO RACISM." For this to keep happening to Croatian fans after all the warnings and fines they recieve is beyond me. Torcida just got banned from two Europe games by UEFA only a month ago. I can see FIFA really dropping down the hammer on the situation if Croatian fans were indeed chanting derogatory remarks.

Croatia has been playing good ball internationally and always has a few club teams in the UEFA Cup mix. Croatia was also very close to receiving the Euro 2012 joint bid with Hungary. With fingers always being pointed toward Croatians, whether we were guilty or not, the fans have given the whole association a horrible reputation that is singlehandedly counter-acting everything our players are doing on the field.

More will follow as FIFA decides on the matter.

MAKSIMIR REIGN OVER

So the undefeated streak at Maksimir is over. England definitely got their payback from last year with a 4-1 revenge smashing of #5 Croatia. And frankly, the Vatreni never really showed up for the game tonight in Zagreb.

From what I saw, the game revolved around two key plays that gave England all the momentum and killed all chances that Croatia would have. Pranjić's inability to clear the ball in the first and Robert Kovač's disputable red card right after half time was basically the whole game; why?- because England capitalized on both of these Croatian blunders.

First off, you can't make silly little mistakes like Pranjić did in the first half when he tried to clear the ball but kicked it right into Robert Kovač's back, resulting in a fantastic opportunity for Theo Walcott- which he put in the back of the net using a low shot that just got under Pletikosa's fingertips. It was just one of those plays that don't go your way. It happens all the time, you can't crucify anyone for it. But at the same time, England made the best of it.

(Above) Fans at the Gaffe Pub in Dubrovnik are stunned by England's third goal Wednesday against Croatia. (Photo by Branimir Kvartuč)

Robert Kovač was then caught up in another unorthodox play right have the restart. He and Joe Cole both went up for a header and Kovač caught the Englishman in the head with his elbow. It did not appear intentional or malice in anyway; just one of those defensive elbows when you're going up for a 50-50 ball. The referee called a foul on Kovač; but it wasn't until Joe Cole stood back up, stumbled a few times and fell back to the ground with a huge gash in his head that Slovakian referee, Lubos Michel, decided the foul was worthy up a straight red. Walcott then added a second goal, almost identical to the one he had in the 1st, only minutes later for England which gave them all the control they needed for the win in Zagreb. Pletikosa didn't look sharp as Walcott knew exactly where to put the ball- low and far. 'Pleti' just can't get low fast enough to get those far post shots from an angle. I'm finally with Denis on this one- look out for a possible Runje start soon! The only chance he got, Runje was spectacular against Poland at Euro.

Rooney added one more goal for the 'Three Lions' in the 63' with a shot from the middle of the box. Second half substitute, Mario Mandžukić, felt right at home as he scored his first goal for Croatia in the 78'. It brushed aside the clean sheet England had in the works on a play that should have never happened. Darijo Srna clearly had a high kick on John Terry that should have been called as he took the ball by himself down the line before dishing it to a wide open Mandžukić.

It was nice to see Croatia score a goal but it was ultimately England's night. Even more, it was teenager's, Theo Walcott's night as he ended his game with a hat trick only 8 minutes from the final whistle.

I thought Croatia played well in the first 20 minutes. They had some good chances on net and kept knocking on the door. I thought a goal was inevitable for Croatia in the first half hour. But it never came. And when the Pranjić mistake occured in the 26', Croatia could not put on the same attack they had been planning to as the air was slowly being sucked out of Maksimir Stadium.

Don't get me wrong, we still had our opportunities as Rakitić and Srna both had beautiful chances on free kicks. But just as the rest of the night went for Croatia, Srna crushed the ball into the wall while Rakitić sent the kick into the seventh row. Missed opportunities, calls that don't go your way along with England capitalizing on every mistake you make is not a winning formula- for any soccer team.

I can't wait to see how Bilić justifies this loss and what his plans are for the future. The whole team didn't show up but our strike force was unseen. They barely got any touches, and it's unfair to put Olić and Petrić on the spot but I have to say it- Eduardo would have changed the game. He singlehandedly beat England in 2006 and set up that beautiful pass to Olić at Wembley for the second goal.

If Croatia can grab the 6 points from Ukraine and Andorra in October and get healthy over the winter break, I think we'll see an entirely different and more electric Croatian side with Eduardo and Kranjčar back and the possibility of a Cvitanić call up.

EVEN SNOOP DOGG IS FOR CROATIA

How do you like Snoop Dogg in the checkers?

Less than an hour away..... tic toc tic toc tic toc tic toc tic toc tic toc tic toc

ONLY CARLSBERG CAN SAVE ENGLAND

If Carlsberg did Results.....hahahahahahahaha

CROATIA-ENGLAND PREDICTION TIME

The match that will decide 'big daddy' in Europe qualifying group 6 is finally upon us. And many questions will finally be answered after these 90 minutes.

Is Capello really worth all the hype and can he turn this England side around? Will Croatia maintain their good form and prove they are deserving of being called a top 5 team in the world? Can Olić, Petrić, and Klasnić score goals aginst the 'Three Lions' without help from Eduardo?

Wednesday we find out.

So Round 2 of CSR Pick'em has officially started.

I have a 1-1 draw at Maksimir that will set up an interesting game next year at Wembley with automatic qualification on the line. Srna scores one of his patented free kicks for the Vatreni in this one.

What do you think?

AN EASY 3 POINTS FOR CROATIA

So before I get to the game, I'd just like to share with you my little adventure on what I had to do to actually watch the game. Denis and I decided to watch the Croatia-Kazakhstan match at Croatian Hall in San Pedro,Ca. It's something we never do because of exactly what happened today.

So we show up 15 minutes before kick-off and pay the $10 cover, that's fine. And then it all goes to hell from there. We find out that they are only showing the game in the bar area instead of the large ballroom which has a projector and screen. So there's about 75 angry people watching a 22" TV. Then we find out that there is absolutely no satellite feed at the Hall; meaning no game. A couple rowdy, arrogant older Croatian guys start running their mouths off, so we decide to make other arrangements for the game.

We finally end up at Agent Argentina's house to catch the 2nd half of the game on the internet. As me and Denis are watching the Croatia game with our noses 4 inches away from the computer screen, our good friend Ben (Agent Argentina) is having a meltdown watching the Argentina-Paraguay game because his team let in an early own goal in the 1st half. So between Croatians not having their stuff together on game day and our friend losing his mind watching his team implode; I only got to see about the last 30 minutes of the game plus the highlights, so please forgive me.

From what I saw, Croatia was in total control of the game. There was even some showboating going on as fans were given a 'curtain call' from Olić when he was subbed out for Leko and when Pletikosa made a nice clear and started waving to fans after they were cheering "Pleti, Pleti, Pleti...!!!" It was a successful win for Croatia as they scored 3 goals against Kazakhstan. It looks good on paper as England could only muster up a 2-0 win in Barcelona against poor Andorra.

Captain Niko Kovač started off the scoring as he put in a beautiful cross off a corner in the 12'. Luka Modrić then absolutely crushed a ball into the top left corner of the net for a 2-0 Croatian lead. Only a few minutes after Petrić was brought in for Ivan Klasnić late in the game, he received a nice pass in the box, which his Hamburg teammate, Ivica Olić, beautifully 'dummied' for him as he struck the ball high but just below the crossbar to beat the Kazak goalkeeper.

All I wanted from this game was 3 points and no injuries; and that's what happened so I'm happy. I didn't catch the whole game so if there is anything else worth mentioning please let us know. The England game is now only 4 days away and can be seen in America on Setanta Pay-Per-View. You can count on me NOT being at Croatian Hall for that game, or any other game after that for what they pulled today.

As for CSR Pick'em, Joze and Denis (the guy with that 'other' Croatian soccer website) got their picks correct with 3-0 results. So they're one up on everybody else right now. The England post will be up shortly for a new round of picks.

Let me know what you guys thought about today's game.

CROATIA-KAZAKHSTAN PREDICTIONS

Alright boys and girls, it's time to put in your predictions for the game tomorrow. As qualifying goes on, we will see which CSR reader really knows their stuff by keeping tabs on everybody's picks. By the end of qualifying, whoever has the best tally between all the Croatian matches will receive a free shirt from CSR, and I promise you will love the ones we are designing right now.

If enough people get into it, we can start a little scoreboard on the site. Having a sweet free shirt is nice, but nothing is as good as having the 'know' above the rest of your friends and being able to talk a little trash along the way.

So let "FANTASY CROATIANSOCCERREPORT.COM PICK'EM" BEGIN!!!

Here's my picks:

CROATIA 2-0 KAZAKHSTAN

Srna and Rakitić score the 2 goals for the 'Vatreni'.

AND SO IT BEGINS...

After one of the most surprising and climactic exits (to say the least) at Euro 2008, Croatia is finally back in action and on a mission to repeat as qualifying group winners on their way to South Africa. In their way- an embarrassed England squad with revenge on their mind.

With only the group winner receiving an automatic bid to World Cup 2010, picking up points early and winning on home turf will be crucial. Croatia opens up their qualifying campaign with 2 games at Maksimir in Zagreb. Kazakhstan, ranked 120th in the world, face off with Croatia this Saturday (September 6th) at 20:15 local time (2:15 pm ET). I have Croatia winning 2-0, but Kazakhstan should not be underestimated. They can play the role of spoiler, as they did to Serbia, beating them 2-1 in Euro 2008 qualifiers.

Four days later, the 'Lions' come to Zagreb where 6,000 of their fans will be on hand to cheer them on. The England-Croatia match will set precedent for the rest of the qualifying campaign for group 6. But that's not till Wednesday. I'll be happy with 3 points and no injuries from the Kazakhstan game.

Here's how I expect the group to play out when all is done 14 months from now:

1. Croatia

2. England

3. Ukraine

4. Kazakhstan

5. Belarus

6. Andorra

So how will Croatia's group turn out? Let us know now or forever hold your peace.

WHO WILL KEEP THE TORCIDA OUT?

Hajduk Split is forced to pay a 30,000 Swiss Franks fine because of a trouble caused by the Torcida at Birkirkara - Hajduk game in Malta a little over a month ago.

Hajduk has also been told it will have to play without its fans during the next two games because fans were at fault and needed to be punished for the disturbance.

Torcida clashed with local police at the Ta'Qali national stadium after the UEFA Cup qualifying football match between Hajduk Split and Maltese side Birkirkara on July 31, 2008. Seven Croatian supporters were beaten, arrested, and booked.

Hajduk were very fortunate to avoid a year international suspension. UEFA has warned the Torcida several times over the last five years and has threatened the most famous Croatian club with a year suspension if fan trouble persisted.

Even Hajduk Sports Director Fredi Fiorentini is not sure how Hajduk will keep the Torcida from traveling. In the last UEFA Cup match with Birkirkara, Maltese media reported, that banned Hajduk hooligans made it to Malta by boat from Sicily.

Here is a link from the July 31st Hajduk-Birkirkara match:

Hajduk From Malta

Where are my Birkirkara friends? Has justice been served, or was this just another slap on the wrist?

Where are my Torcida friends? Will you be in Malta next year for a UEFA Cup Qualifier?

~Denis Svirčić, reporting from Lakerville

LONDON INVASION

First off, I would like to thank Joze for bringing us the Tottenham Ćorluka story a few days back. Rumors had been circling around the premiership for weeks regarding Vedran, however, there was only speculation that Ćarli wasn't happy in Manchester. Ante and I here at CSR will only publish a story that is confirmed by a reliable source, everything else will go into the "rumormill."

How does Ćarli look in the Spurs Home Kit? I am happy and relieved at the same time to see Vedran leave the sinking ship of City.

A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN

It is now official ladies and gentlemen, Vedran Ćorluka is headed to London to team up with Luka Modrić and the Tottenham Hotspur. After much speculation if the move would ever be made, Tottenham has finally made it official that 'Ćarli' is theirs.

As I've stated before, based on Ćorluka's behavior while playing for Manchester City; he simply seemed miserable. He played hard as always but didn't have that same flair he held when playing for the Croatian national team. Ćorluka pleaded for City to sell him to Tottenham when the deal was first brought up- and now his dream has finally come true. Playing for a top 5 contender in the Premiership alongside Modrić should definitely lift Ćorluka's spirits; and I'm sure living in London won't hurt compared to the exile he was used to in Manchester.

It should be fun for Croatian fans to watch the two ex-Dinamo players team up while playing together on such a large stage in England. Much is expected of Tottenham this season with all the recent signings they have made. Let's just hope it lives up to the hype.

I thank Joze and the few 'Anonymous' readers around the site for breaking the story. I appreciate everyone being on their 'A' game since the new season has started. I was just waiting for more news media to make the story official- and now it is!