"NO MORE CROATS PLEASE"

This was the title of an article written by Henry Brincat, a sports editor for the Malta Independent newspaper on Sunday August third.

I decided to write a letter to express my frustration. You can contact this fellow at hbrinkat@independent.com.mt

Here is my letter.... a little long, pull up a chair.

Hello Henry Brincat,

Yesterday, I happened to run across your article in the Sunday Malta Independent. for the most part, I was extremely disappointed in your opinion and reasoning of Croatian football fans.

First, I think its fair that I introduce myself. My name is Denis Svircic, an American born Croatian writer for CroatianSoccerReport.com. I have been on holiday in Malta since July 31st and will return to Croatia on Tuesday.

On July, 31st, I was lucky enough to be the only Hajduk Split supporter watching from the Birkirkara side of the stadium. Boarding a bus from Valletta, I realized that most people in Malta don't even know or care that there is a UEFA Cup football game kicking off in less than an hours time. Because of fan trouble two years ago at the Croatia-Malta qualifier match, I decided to play "incognito" and sit with the Maltese. I arrived at the ticketbox with ten or so Croats which didn't speak to me. For all they know, I was Maltese. The ticket guy asked who I supported. I replied, "I don't support anyone, just want to watch Football." He said, "No, you are Croatian, must go on the other side." At this point, he wouldn't sell me a ticket. Then luckily, I remembered my American passport in my left pocket. I whipped it out and flashed it to him confirming that I was American. The elderly gentleman was convinced and charged me five euro for the ticket.

Arriving ten minutes before kickoff, I took some pictures of Birkirkara fans, flags, and banners. Then I figured, maybe I should sit with the Croats. As I was about to exit the stadium, security stopped me, first in Maltese, then in English, "Where are you going?" I replied, "I want to sit in the Croatian section." The security guard checked my ticket and said, "No you can't, this ticket is only good for this section. If you want to sit in the Croatian section, you must pay thirty Euro." "Why so expensive," I asked. The officer hesitated and stumbled for words, "That side is exclusive and covered from the sun." I figured he was lying, however, I decided to stay put and watch from the Birkirkara side.

As the Torcida arrived for the match, Boos were heard from the Birkirkara 'Ultras', followed by "Fuck off Torcida." In the 58th minute, Torcida lit six to twelve flairs. Seconds later police were at the scene. However, only one of the officers went into the Torcida and tried to either arrest a fan or take away the flair. It was difficult to tell from across the stadium. After the match, I was informed that this officer was beat down by the Torcida, then 50 or so officers swarmed the torcida like bees and attacked with batons. As this was going on, the Ultras were chanting, "Torcida, Torcida, Va Fangulo..... Hrvatska, Hrvatska, Va Fangulo.." Down 2-0, Birkirkara supporters turned their attention to the North Stand, and were entertained as Torcida was getting beat down by Malta police.

The next day, I found out that 60 or so tickets were stolen from an outside ticket salesman that was beat down before the match. This is pretty much all I know about the incident and my eyewitness comments.

Here is my analysis:

First, I would like to say that Torcida was 100% wrong. However, there needs to be precautions taken in advance to prevent these incidents from happening. In example, at the European championships in Austria and Switzerland, which I attended four games, only non alcoholic beer was served. Also, flairs were lit, and only those that had thrown them were arrested.

Torcida paid hundreds of Euros just to fly to Malta only for a match. To charge them six times more thatn the maltese is mindboggling. Thirty Euros for entrence to a pointless match. Last week, I watched Liverpool play Hertha Berlin in a friendly for ten Euro. Both of these teams are in the top 50 in the world.Croatians are not stupid, Torcida felt taken advantage of and reacted in an uncalled for manner and stole 60 tickets. From what I hear, the Croatian football Federation has contacted the Maltese football federation and offered to pay for any damages, including the stolen tickets.

Flairs are an everyday life of football in Croatia. Hundreds are lit at games and no one gets hurt. The only trouble is when some idiots throw them on to the field.

Why would one police officer try to arrest one fan in the Torcida? Has he gone mad? Where is the logic behind this, of course he will get beat down by the Torcida. Why didn't ten or so officers go in at first?

In conclusion, I would like to say that because of the "ticket scam", lack of security, and failed security practice, the Maltese are at fault just as much as the Torcida.

What do you think of this? Charge Hajduk fans a reasonable five Euros, let them have flairs, and only arrest those that throw them. Then I will guarantee that nothing is going to happen. However, I don't want to sound biased or one-sided. Hajduk is at fault and needs to be punished.

Your Report

"Those are no real football fans."

--- You really need to educate yourself on football. Torcida started in 1950. Yes, there are the select few that cause trouble. However, this is not the Torcida philosophy. They come in peace, unless they are attacked. Also, they travel wherever Hajduk travels. No matter if the game is a friendly, or a second leg in Malta. They show up to sing and cheer, not to fight or insult (Ala Ultras) other team.

"It is obvious they came with a clear aim in mind."

-- Which is? Can you please clarify? If you think that days before the match the Torcida planned to steal 60 tickets, beat up an officer, and cause trouble, then you are rediculous.

"There was no provocation from the Maltese fans."

-- Were you at the stadium? As soon as Torcida entered the stadium, they were greeted with "Fuck off Torcida" form the Ultras.
I have videos....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D39NyTB7-WA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfGWLEuYFqQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLAk-Yffk1Y

Look at how many views and comments I recieved on the videos as well as on my website. Quite a few Maltese were upset at my post.

What I kindly ask from you is to please inform me on any information which I have not recieved. Give me feedback. Tell me if you agree or disagree in my analysis. I came to Malta in peace and befriended a few Birkirkara fans. Ultras are great when they are singing, "Bir-Kir-Kar-A, ale, ale, ale....ale, ale, ale....ale, ale, ale.", not, "Stand up if you hate Hajduk."

Thank you for taking your time in reading this, and I look forward to hearing from you,

Denis Svircic
CroatianSoccerReport.com

~Denis Svirčić, still reporting from Malta

HAJDUK FROM MALTA

Ante did an excellent job summarizing the Hajduk Split-Birkirkara UEFA CUP match, so there is no need for summary. I will just give you some exclusive footage from the match.

First, I would like say, that I was one of the lucky 200 or so in attendance in Malta for this UEFA Cup encounter. A seat in the Hajduk, or visitor section would run you thirty euros. However, a ticket in the home stands was five euros. since I had a gut feeling that Torcida would cause some problems, I decided to sit with the Birkirkara 'Ultras'.

The modern Birkinkara Stadium

The Maltese wouldn't sell me the home ticket, thinking I was a Hajduk supporter. However, after showing him my American passport, I was greeted with open arms.

A nice piece of dry bird shit on the 'modern' seats.

Overall, the match was pretty dull; a goal in the fifth minute, one just before halftime, and one at the final whistle.

Then in the 65th minute or so, all hell broke loose, as the Torcida lit up a few flares, and a hundred or so police officers rushed the Torcida and cornered them in the far left corner of the stadium. Four or five Hajduk supporters were cuffed and hit the showers early. A lucky select few were greeted by the club, and will remember Malta forever.

The Birkirkara Ultra chanted everything from, 'torcida, torcida, va fangulo' and 'Hrvatska, Hrvatska, va fangulo' and 'stand up if you hate Torcida.'

A block or so from the stadium, there was 'Torcida' spray painted on the wall in red, and in black right in front of it 'f@*k.' The Maltese move fast.

After the match, I had a chat with some of the 'Birkirkara Ultras.' I was incognito and pretended to be a dumb American football fan and have nothing to do with the 'Torcida'. In the end, they offered me a ride back to town, and gave me a Birkirkara sticker and pin.

And just for the record, there was no sign of the Vatican flag.

~Denis Svirčić, reporting from Malta

...AND THEY'RE OFF!!!

The 2008-2009 Croatian Prva Liga season kicked off Sunday without a hitch. Newly promoted club, Croatia Sesvete, showed promise with a 1-1 draw versus NK Osijek in their first ever 1st League (Prva Liga) game. Sesvete will be playing their home games at Kamen Ingrad Stadium in Velika this season due to their usual stadium, Stadion SRC Sesvete, not meeting Croatian Prva Liga stadium requirements.

This requirement policy of minimum conditions having to be met for stadiums was brought upon due to NK Zadar player, Hrvoje Ćustić's, freak accident last season at Stanovi Stadium in Zadar. Ćustić was running hard after a ball, got tangled up with an opposing player and went head first into a concrete retaining wall just 3 meters off the field. The player was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was put into an induced coma; only to be confirmed brain dead 4 days later.

Because of this tragic accident, 4 teams will not be playing at their hometown stadiums this season. Cibalia Vinkovci will be playing at Gradski Vrt in Osijek, Croatia Sesvete at Kamen Ingrad Stadium in Velika, NK Zagreb at Dinamo's Maksimir Stadium and NK Zadar at Šibenik's Šubićevac Stadium.

Here are the results for the first round of action:

Cibalia Vinkovci (0-0) Slaven Belupo

Croatia Sesvete (1-1) NK Osijek

Hajduk Split (1-0) NK Zadar

Inter Zaprešić (2-3) HNK Šibenik

Varteks Varaždin (2-1) NK Zagreb

Dinamo Zagreb (2-0) NK Rijeka

The league continues its games with the 2nd Round on August 3rd but not before Champion's League and UEFA Cup action picks up again. In their first leg, Dinamo Zagreb take on Domžale in Slovenia on July 30th in second qualifying round play while Hajduk takes on Birkirkara in Malta and Slaven Belupo plays Marsaxlokk (Malta) in the second leg of the UEFA Cup 1st qualifying round. Hajduk and Slaven Belupo both have comfortable 4-0 aggregate leads on their competition and should move on.

WHAT TO LOOK FORWARD TO...

The 2008-09 season is almost upon us and should be a great one for all our Croatian internationals; especially the ones that have recently found new homes. Soon-to-be Croatian squad member, Dario Cvitanić, will be playing for Ajax (Netherlands) after 5 successful seasons at Banfield (Argentina).

Superstar midfielder, Luka Modrić, will have plenty of critics to answer to this season as his expectations remain high after a fantastic Euro 2008 campaign. Tottenham (England) supporters couldn't be happier with the Modrić signing as they now have a legitimate chance of finishing top 5 in the English Premier League and challenging for a Champion's League spot for next season. Ognjen Vukojević signed a healthy deal in the off-season with Champion's League contenders, Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine), while promising star, Ante Rukavina, has left Hajduk and is heading south for Panathinaikos (Greece).

Dario Knežević is moving to Italian Serie A giants, Juventus, who are in contention for the Serie A title as well as a welcome back into Champion's League competition. Remember that Juventus was not able to qualify for Europe's elite club tournament last year because of a demotion to Serie B in 2006 due to match fixing scandals.

In a surprise move, Ivan Klasnić, has called it quits with Werder Bremen (Germany) and has moved on to newly promoted 1st Division French team, Nantes. If he's on his game he should tear up the league.

Here are the results for the recent poll: Who are you most interested in watching play for his new team?

Modrić for Tottenham (70%)

Cvitanić for Ajax (20%)

Knežević for Juventus (6%)

Vukojević for Dynamo Kyiv (4%)

(105 Total Votes)

My apologies for not putting Klasnić and Rukavina on the list as the news was confirmed after I had already started the poll. I once again would like to thank everyone who voted and look forward to hearing from all of you again in the future.

SO WHO IS DARIO CVITANIĆ???

If you don't know the name now, don't worry, you will very soon. In the next couple weeks, Mr. Cvitanić will make great coffee table conversation amongst us Croatian soccer fans. So let me tell you a bit about him before we delve further in.

Dario Cvitanich (we're going to drop that pesky 'H' for sake of being correct in Croatian) is a 24-year old striker who was born and raised in Argentina. Everything he knows and loves is in Argentina. He has played for Banfield of the Argentina Primera Division (1st Division) since 2003; scoring 41 goals in 100 matches. Cvitanić was just bought by Dutch club, Ajax. He will finally be playing in Europe and will now have the opportunity to wow us all and prove that he his for real.

So why should you care?

Cvitanić is eligible to be called upon from the Croatian Football Federation to join the national team since he has a full-blooded Croatian grandfather and holds a Croatian passport. He has been said to be the missing piece of the puzzle in Croatia's road to a World Cup championship.

With Cvitanić running up top with Eduardo and Modrić, Kranjčar, Rakitić and Srna controlling the midfield, Croatia could easily become one of the most feared teams in the world. Dario said he would gladly play for the country of his grandfather if he was given the chance.

Fans and I alike have waited for that special day when the front of the sports page would read, "Bilić calls on Cvitanić." But wait! In recent interviews with coach Slaven Bilić, he has said that Cvitanić is no 'Killer' or Dudu aka Klasnić and Eduardo. Bilić has said that he will be scouting Dario when the Dutch season starts up in August. Could this just be Bilić playing psychological games or is he not yet sure about this kid? Klasnić looked good at Euro 2008, Olić should get the boot back to the bench and we all know that Eduardo will be back in the starting 11 once healthy.

What would you do if you were Bilić?

Source: Net.hr

FINAL THOUGHTS.....

Well, this is it until world cup 2010 qualifiers in September. Hopefully, all of you have enjoyed the Euro and CroatianSoccerReport.com

Croatia-Turkey

After the victory over Poland, everyone in Zagreb pictured us fighting with Germany for a place in the final. Croatians were predicting scores of 2-0, 3-0, and even 4-0. Remember before the Austria game, many of you had the same thoughts.

I predicted 2-1 for Croatia before the match. On paper we are superior to Turkey and Austria, however no one wins without scoring.

If you would recall, on Monday, June 16th, under "Where is Eduardo???" post, I replied,

If Petrić wakes up, we make the final. However, Olić, Klasnić, and an inexperienced Kalinić, we wont score more than once. Igor Budan is also finished for the tournament.

Klasnić played well in the limited amount of time he recieved. However, a great striker would have scored three times against Poland. Klasnić had half a dozen scoring chances against Poland and didn't convert.

Before the game, I figured it would take 2 goals to come out victorious.

Who to hold responsible?

This is a dificult question. With a little luck, Croatia would be in Basel preparing for the Germans.

I would blame Petrić for not showing up. Olić gave 110% and fought every second he was on the pitch. However, it just was one of those days. I would blame Croatia for getting an offsides call the last second of the game. The ref, made the right call. Bottom line, if Croatia can't hold Turkey for a minute after the goal, they don't deserve to advance.

I feel for the Croatian defense and Niko Kovac. Once again, they were unbelievable.

Pictured is the future Davor Suker.

Hopefully, we don't have to wait that long.

CROATIA-TURKEY FROM MY EYES

Once again, I am over 24 hours late in bringing you time sensitive information. However, finding an internet cafe in Vienna at midnight is a difficult task. Also, for some reason, this computer won't allow me to upload pictures, so I guess photobucket is my only option. By clicking on the picture, you will be redirected to photobucket.

Where to start. So much to say, have to organize my thoughts.

Ante has done an excellent job with the preview, summary, and final thoughts on the game. I will try to fill you in on events that ESPN failed to catch.

Hours before the match, Croatian and Turkish fans got into it in front of the Cathedral on the main square. Chairs, beer, cups, and other objects were thrown at 'enemies.' Fortunately, Austrain police was quick to the scene, arresting a few suporters from both sides.

Thousands of Croatian fans flocked to the stadium. For some reason, my eyes are peeled for the women in attendance.

We sat in a neutral section, however, 10 meters from the Turkish section of the stadium.

For some reason, I was a nervous wreck for this game. As time went by, a little man sitting on my shoulder watching the match whispered "penalties." I couldn't see us breaking the Turkish stranglehold, and more importantly, I couldn't picture Ivica Olic putting one in the onion bag.

Fifty or so drunk Croatian fans sitting ten rows down and a bit closer to the Turkish section, gave the Turkish fans the bird, shouted Ustaske words, and gave the Naci salute. Turkish fans retaliated by throwing cups filled with beer. What are 50 Croatians going to do against 5000 Turkish fans. After watching a few Hooligan videos, I was afraid of a stampede. Security was quick to the scene and stood in the aisle to separate the two groups.

The venue is spectacular, gametime around sunset.

Croatian fans with balls..."Against Modern Football"

This game was more than just football. This banner was a shot at the European Union to stay out of Croatia. Also, religion and history played a major part. In the Turkish section, a Bosnian flag was seen. While in the Croatian section, a Vatican flag was waving during the entire match.

Turkey using monkey see monkey do technique

Turkish fans were chanting, "Ustaske Picke"...."Ustase Pussies" Croatian fans were chanting, "Ako san Turcin, ubija bi se." "If I am Turkish, I would kill myself."

Great free kick chance, unlucky

No goals, why we bring flairs?

Croatians are fighting for a ticket, and some clown three seats down falls asleep during extra time. Unbelieveable!

After the equalizer, the Euro was truly over for me. Flashes of World Cup 1998 Semifinal went through my head. As the whistle blew for penalty kicks, the entire stadium knew who would be victorious tonight.
View of the penalty kicks

Last chance by Petric

Croatian Euro Dream ends in tears.

LONGEST POST EVER.... TAKE A DEEP BREATHE

By now you all know that I am extremely late with the 'time sensitive' information. The next post will be mighty long, so those of you that rather prefer the 'short, get to the point, quick' story, I apologize as you will have to make an effort and spend a few extra minutes on this post.

Most of you have seen every picture on google and every video on youtube. I have looked through all of my pictures and decided to post only the rare or extraordinary footage that you wont find anywhere else. However, I will also post some videos that I'm sure is watched all over the world on youtube.

CROATIA****POLAND****KLAGENFURT

We took a 6am bus from Zagreb to klagenfurt. The atmosphere on the bus was terrible, however, a third of the bus was filled with beautiful Croatian girls.

Klagenfurt was full of Croatian and Poland fans. Once again, Croatians outnumbered the opposition 3 to 1. Klagenfurt locals fled like a Frenchman from a cap gun. The media in Klagenfurt brought Austrians such fear of Polish, German, and Croatian hooligans, that most of the locals left the country on vacation or locked themselves indoors. Women received free pepper spray.

A lone Klagenfurt Croatian welcomes the crowd outside his living room window..

What do you think? Comments?

A fellow Croatiansoccerreport.com supporter from L.A. and member of 'ludi ljudi' from the Croatian soccer tournament in L.A.

This is what we play for....

'Poljakine nisu kava prema Hrvatice'

Plenty of Austrian police on hand for this nonviolent event.

Tamburica before the match.

Croatian training...

Pregame video of Thompson...

Action from Corner

Where is England? A disappointed Leeds United fan hangs his flag. I feel for the lad.. a little...

Did I fail to mention the Croatian ladies in attendance?

Croatians are pyromaniacs... Niko stretching out... Niko, Niko, Niko..

Some of the players came out to take pictures with the fans after the match..

I will leave you with a chant...

Daj nam sise da se igramooooo...igramoooo...igramooo..

translates to... give us your tits so we can play...we can play...we can play...

The women didnt find this amusing.

Last last thing.. The fans were chanting Slaven Bilic... then chanting 'javi se...javi se' which translates to 'say hello..say hello.' After thirty seconds or so, Slaven waved to the crowd, during the match.... priceless.

EURO 2008 DREAM OVER FOR IGOR BUDAN

Croatia striker Igor Budan will miss the rest of Euro 2008 with a knee injury, coach Slaven Bilić said on Wednesday.

“He will undergo arthroscopic surgery in Italy and unfortunately he will not be able to help us for the remainder of the European Championship,” Bilić told Croatian media from team base.

“We will consider calling up a replacement but only after our quarter-final match with Turkey, should we progress to the semi-finals,” he said.

We have already lost defender Dario Knežević and midfielders Darijo Srna and Ivan Rakitić are banged up, but should be fit in time for the quarterfinal match with Turkey.

Who will replace Budan? Rukavina? Balaban? Mandžukić? Give us your thoughts.

ALWAYS LATE BUT WORTH THE WAIT

Ladies and Gentlemen, once again, I have to apologize for not being able to deliver this time sensitive information at an earlier time. After a diet consisting of Austrian wieners and beer, luckily, I have returned to Zagreb in one piece.

In the next few paragraphs I will try to summarize what I experienced in Klagenfurt, Austria during the Croatia-Germany game.

Luka and I left Bratislava, Slovakia at 3pm local time and arrived in Klagenfurt at 10pm local time. Our first objective was to find a hotel, hostel, or anything with a roof over our heads for the night. After a few hours of searching, we ended up at our last resort: fan camp. This organized convention like center, is the last call for fans without hotel reservations. As you can see by the picture, it wasn´t Holiday Inn. Just imagine 800 sweaty, stinky, drunk Europeans under one roof!

There were plenty of pre-night parties all over the city. However, due to fear, most Klagenfurt locals booked early vacations to France and Italy. Every Austrian woman received pepper spray in case the earth was coming to an end. This was a Bonanza ghost town, not an Austrian in sight. The very few Germans that would show up, partied with us throughout the night.

On June 12th, Klagenfurt was truly Croatian for the day. For some reason, Germans were a needle in a haystack. Croatian music was playing all day and night all over the town center, stadium, and throughout Klagenfurt.

After the match, everyone made their way down to the town center to sing the night away. What an incredible achievement for a small nation, but gigantic football nation. In my opinion, this result was third all time next to Germany-Croatia world cup 1998 and Holland-Croatia World Cup 1998.

As the national anthem played, Croatians around the world were singing as one!

Croatians from all over the world; Germany, USA, Argentina, Slovenia, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, were all on hand to support the vatreni in victory. We ended up watching the game in the town center at the fan zone. After every goal, Croatians were drenched with beer. "This is unbelievable. As a realist, I was hoping for a draw, but victory over a superpower like Germany is something that I will remember forever. We are going to the final," said Josip, a Dinamo Zagreb fan.

After a six hour train ride, Luka and I arrived in Zagreb without showering for three days, hair sticky from beer, malnourished, and fatigued. All of this just to watch Croatia play Germany with our people.

For some reason, the media is still bashing Slaven Bilić and his tactics. We should stop criticizing this genius and let him do his magic. The Poland game is pointless; win, lose or draw. Against the Czechs we will be ready, and a semifinal matchup with the Germans will be classic.

Here is a video from Vienna following the Croatia-Austria match. Tamburica was lighting up the rainy skies in front of St. Stephen's Cathedral.

~Denis Svirčić reporting from Zagreb

CROATIA=====GERMANY

update from klagenfurt......

We arrived to Klagenfurt the night before the game. For the most part it was pretty dead with only about a few hundred or so people out in the town center singing and dancing to Croatian music.

pregame

This morning, Croatians are rolling in by the thousands. Hundreds and maybe thousands of police from Germany, Croatia and Austria are here to make order.

A bus carrying 100s of German fans was stopped as a dozen Croatian fans laid down in the middle of the street preventing the bus to pass. Austrian police were called to the scene to beat on the Croats. A dozen helicopters are circling the rainy Klagenfurt skies.

Interviews

´´Both Croatia and Germany are very talented and great football teams, however Croatia will not beat Germany..... 2=1 Germany... Klaus from Klagenfurt`´

"The atmosphere is unbelievable. As a Croatian living in Klagenfurt, I never thought something like this was possible in a small city like Klagenfurt. Croatia didnt show up against Austria and will be ready for the elf....Croatia 2=0....." Ivan, a Croatian living in Klagenfurt, helped order us cold cuts in supermarket..

"Croatia will not lose. We are the best. Croatia only shows up against the best. 2=0 against Germany and then we lose to Poland." Mirko from Varazdin

chants

Here are some of the chants that can be heard from miles away. "bjezi te ljudi....jer ovdje igra Hrvatska".... "Deutchland, Deutchland, ...Aufedezen...Aufedezen " "U boj, U boj".... a half dozen Thompson songs..... "Mi Hrvati"..... "tj ne skoci provaslavac...hey. hey. hey."..... "ubi ubi ubi Srbina.....Srbina....ubi ubi ubi Srbinaaaaaa.."

Denis Svircic reporting from Klagenfurt for CroatianSoccerReport.com

EXPECTED LINEUP VS. GERMANY

This is the expected linup for the Germany game on Thursady. The game will be televised live in America on ESPN2 at 11:50AM (ET). Remember that coach Slaven Bilić still hasn't confirmed his starting 11, but based on reports and expert analysis he will make two changes from the Austria game.

Goalkeeper: Stipe Pletikosa

Defenders: Vedran Ćorluka,Robert Kovač,Dario Šimić,Josip Šimunić

Midfielders: Niko Kranjčar,Niko Kovač,Luka Modrić ,Darijo Srna

Strikers: Ivica Olić and Ivan Rakitić

So if this in fact is the lineup, Dario Šimić would gain his 99th CAP in place of Danijel Pranjić and Ivan Rakitić would replace the struggling Mladen Petrić .

I'm sure Bilić is dreaming of his starting 11 as I write this; let's just hope his decision doesn't turn into a nightmare for the Croatians later today!

KICKOFF IN KLAGENFURT,AUSTRIA IN LESS THAN 12 HOURS!!!

VIENNA OR BUST!!!

Here's the videos we promised you of Denis and friends. They consist of the pre-game train ride from Zagreb to Vienna and the after match celebrations in downtown Vienna. Enjoy!

THE BEST WE HAVE???

I can be optimistic right now and say Croatia got the 3 points they were looking for against Austria, but let's be real here for a second. Croatia played like garbage and didn't deserve the win if you ask me. Here's a couple things we learned from the Austria game today.

Croatia is indeed still in a post-party hangover mode from the England match. It now appears that in beating England at Wembley and sending Croatia to the top of all European headlines, we might have done more harm to ourselves than we know regarding ego and how good we really are.

All those people who said we'll be fine without Eduardo and will find other ways to score- WRONG! Eduardo's ability to find the back of the net will be truly missed this tournament. Olić and Petrić did nothing as strikers against Austria. I understand coach Slaven Bilić's reason for starting these two, but to substitute Budan in late instead of Klasnić has me confused. I would have liked to see him sub Klasnić and Rakitić in for Olić and Petrić around the 60th minute.

I'm content with the 1st half as Croatia dominated ball possession and tempo of the game. They however needed to pounce on the Austrians after the Modrić penalty and put the game away right there and then.

As much as I hate to go here, I now must because it was in fact a close 1-0 game. Just remember that we wouldn't be having this conversation if Croatia put the game away early. Dutch referee, Pieter Vink, was as inconsistent as I've seen a referee. After setting the bar of the 'foul calling' with the penalty shot and yellow card to Austrian defender, Emanuel Pogatetz in the 3' for arguing, Vink did not show Pogatetz a second yellow for an absolute mugging on Ivica Olić in the corner in the 29'. The thing I really hated about this is that Vink originally motioned towards his pocket for the yellow and then thought again about it when I believe he realized he had already given Pogatetz a yellow. This would have put Austria down to 10 men and absolutely destroyed their morale and composure. But once again, we wouldn't be talking about this if Croatia blew the game out like they should have.

The 2nd half was dreadful for Croatia. Bilić looked like he was throwing in the white flag midway through the half on any scoring attack plan. Croatia played a lot of kickball and didn't use Modrić and Kranjčar at all in the midfield. The Austrians had too many scoring chances in the last 20 minutes and the game could have easily ended in a draw. Let's all thank Stipe Pletikosa for being on his game and bailing Croatia out with some nice saves.

If Croatia shows up like that on Thursday, they will not have a chance against Germany who beat Poland 2-0. I can only pray that the same team that prevented England a Euro 2008 dance card shows up against the Germans. The Germans are looking for revenge as Croatia knocked them out in the 1998 World Cup quarterfinal round in a stunning 3-0 game.

You can call me crazy for demanding more from this team or even argue that Croatia got the 3 points they must have had against Austria- end of story, but if this team is going to legitimately challenge teams for the EuroCup, they're going to have to score goals, real goals, and not get away with robbery on a dicey penalty kick call against a 92nd ranked team who only qualified because they are hosting the tournament.

I know I promised you guys fan footage from the train ride from Zagreb to Vienna today but Denis had trouble uploading all the content in Austria. Apparently, internet cafes in Vienna don't have picture programs, or maybe they just knew Denis was Croatian. Who knows. They'll be on the site soon though.

PREDICTIONS ANYONE.......

Who is man enough (or woman enough) to put their predictions on paper for the world to see(As you might have guessed CroatianSoccerReport.com has gone worldwide, we are jammin in Bucharest, Italians sending us viruses, and fake CroatianSoccerReport Tshirts spotted on every street corner in China.

Here are my predictions for Croatia and the tournament.

Croatia 2 Austria 1

Croatia 1 Germany 1

Croatia 2 Poland 2

EURO2008

Group A

1. Portugal 2. Turkey 3. Czech 4. Swiss

Group B

1. Germany 2. Croatia 3. Austria 4. Poland

Group C

1. Netherlands 2. France 3. Romania 4. Italy

Group D

1. Spain 2. Sweden 3. Greece 4. Russia

Quarters

Portugal defeats Croatia in extra time controversial goal, 2+1

Germany defeats Turkey 1+0

Netherlands defeats Sweden 2+0 without any troubles

France defeats Spain in a shootout after a scoreless game 5+4

Semis

Germany defeats Portugal in shootout after 1+1 draw also 5+4

Netherlands defeats France 2+1

Final

Germany defeats Netherlands 1+0

Hopefully, I am 100% wrong and Croatia prove everyone wrong and repeat a 1998 performance. However, speaking with my mind not my heart, EURO 2008 is Germany's to lose.

Looking forward to all your predictions.

Hurry, only a few days left.

For those of you that choose to be silent, I dont want to hear any +I told you so, I said this, I said that+

I AM IN BAD BLUE BOYS WATERS

Just an update...........

I am in Zagreb right now at an internet Cafe. Zagreb has organized 3 trains, called "fan trains" that will be full of Croats for the 6 hour train ride to Vienna on Sunday for Austraia=Croatia EURO 2008 soccer match. This I will not miss..

Keep you posted...

Tune in to

CroatianSoccerReport. com

for up to the minute videos and pictures from EURO 2008. I will try to take as many pictures and video of the train ride, pregame, game, and after game parties in and around Klagenfurt and Vienna.

¨¨Denis Svirčić

EDUARDO BACK IN JULY???

Goal.com has reported that Eduardo can make a miraculous July return to football. This is of course as optimistic as one can be, but doctors have said that his rehab is going flawless. Even if Eduardo does make an early return, this still doesn't mean he gets to play in Euro 2008; but he would definitely be ready for World Cup qualifying starting in September versus Kazakhstan and for the much anticipated rematch with England in Zagreb.

This is fantastic news for Eduardo and should have the team in high spirits since an early return would be golden for the England match. We wish you the best 'Dudu'.

CROATIA-HUNGARY RECAP

Here are my thoughts on the game; and remember that I only saw various highlights of the game since it wasn't broadcast in America. Olić and Petrić looked promising up top and had some nice scoring chances, one of which included hitting the post. The chemistry looked OK on the scoring end and our defense solid. If this is things to come for Niko Kovač I can't wait to see more. The header off the corner was perfect.

Hungary got in a couple tricky crosses which didn't amount to much and their only goal came on a fluky play. Pletikosa didn't get a good punch on the ball like he should have resulting on the ball going off of Niko Kovać's leg and rolling back in the goal. There's nothing Pletikosa could have done after the lackluster clearing because his space was invaded by too many players. It's really not a big deal if you ask me.

I like this result. It will make us play hard in our opening match versus Austria and hopefully teach them not to underestimate any opponent. Remember that when we beat England in November; the vibe around the team was that of winning the World Cup when we had only prevented England from qualifying. Don't get me wrong, it was an incredible game and result for Croatia but not to that much hype. We are 1-1-2 since that game at Wembley.

I think it will fire up the squad for Sunday's game in Vienna. I'd like to see a 2-0 or 3-0 result for Croatia. That way if Germany does run the table and get the full 9 points in group play, we might only need a tie versus Poland and go onto the knockout round on goal differential. But it's too early to be talking about that.

Just a few sidenotes. Danijel Pranjić was wearing Eduardo's #22 in the Hungary game. Dario Šimić is still 2 caps away from being the first ever Croatian to reach 100 career caps. Ivan Ljubičić will be facing the unranked Gael Monfils in the 4th round of the French Open. The match can be seen after the Federer-Benneteau match on DirectTV channel 217,701 in America.

OFF TO AUSTRIA!

I would just like to take this chance to bid farewell to fellow CroatianSoccerReport.com writer and colleague of mine, Denis Svirčić, who will be leaving for Europe, and most importantly Euro 2008, tomorrow. Denis will be at the Croatian matches versus Austria and Poland in Vienna and Klagenfurt- and hopefully more!

CroatianSoccerReport.com will have photos and video up immediately after the games from inside the stadium and from various Croatian events in Europe. If you can't make it to