VATRENI MINUS KRANJČAR IN ZAGREB?

Today, Croatian manager Slaven Bilić announced that starting midfielder Niko Kranjčar will be sidelined for up to two weeks. The 24 year old Portsmouth midfielder, picked up the injury yesterday playing for Croatia in a friendly match with Slovenia.

"Luckily, there were no ligament damages, however, still is difficult to tell how long he will be out. Niko will have to rest for at least a week and I expect a quick return. This injury is the worst thing we got from the match with qualifiers around the corner," said Bilić.

With the excellent performance by Ivan Rakitić yesterday evening in Slovenia, I just don't see Niko starting for the Vatreni against the Brits. I like Niko and Petrić off the bench.

Here is my lineup for England

Pletikosa

Ćorluka, R. Kovač, Šimunić, Pranjić

Srna, N. Kovač, Modrić, Rakitić

Klasnić, Olić

Rob has already came through for us and gave us his lineup. Now its your turn!

Who should start against England?

~Denis Svirčić, reporting from the city of Angels

CROATIA VICTORIOUS IN SLOVENIA

While one Croatian made his first ever appearance for the 'Vatreni', another made his record 100th. Yes, Dario Šimić finally got his record 100th cap; making him the first ever Croatian to reach the century mark. I think it's a great way for Šimić to go out. I don't see him starting anymore games as World Cup qualifiers start within a month or getting any playing time coming off the bench. Šimić has been with Croatia since 2006; and a 12-year international career is seldom seen on the world level. Only the great can make it to 100. We praise you Dario for making it this far and sticking by your country through the highs of winning 3rd in '98 to the lows of not getting out of group stage in numerous tournaments thereafter.

As Šimić's career winds down, we say hello to a new Croatian defender, Ivica Križanac, who symbolically replaced Šimić at halftime. Križanac is a 29 year-old Split born defenseman who is currently playing for reigning UEFA Cup champions, Zenit St. Petersburg. He will be a good player to have in Croatia's arsenal for the upcoming qualifiers. It's still too early to know if he will have a starting gig with the national team, but you can count on him coming strong off the bench.

Dario Cvitanić was no where to be seen, but don't worry as that was in Bilić's plans from the beginning. Bilić has said that Cvitanić is not yet in the form he would like him to be as he now has to convert to a European style of football. Bilić has also been heard saying that Cvitanić will not be used for the Kazakhstan and England qualifiers in September. We'll see what happens as Bilić is known to be a cunning coach who knows how to play psychological games on his opponents.

With all that news, Croatia still had a friendly in Maribor, Slovenia today. It is their only friendly before qualifying starts against Kazakhstan on September 6th in Zagreb.

Here's a list of all the starters with the subs that replaced them:

HRVATSKA: Pletikosa (45' Runje), Ćorluka, Šimić (45' Križanac), R.Kovač, Pranjić, Srna (81' Pokrivač), Leko, Kranjčar (19' Vukojević), Rakitić, Petrić (45' Klasnić), Olić (85' Vejić)

It's all pretty basic stuff for our team except for the fact that Runje replaced Pletikosa at halftime. Sure it was only a friendly and Pletikosa had a fine Euro 2008 campaign, but the way he's been playing for his club team, Spartak Moscow, has been embarrassing as of late. If he continues this; and remember that he's never played bad for Croatia, I good see a changing of the guard in goal for the 'Vatreni' soon. Runje was lights out in the Poland match at Euro 2008 and showed he is also deserving of the job.

Off to the game!

Croatia was down to Slovenia at 2 different points in the game. Slovenia scored a quick goal out of the gates in the 4th minute only to be leveled by Ivan Rakitić in the 37'. Slovenia then scored again in the 59th minute just to have Darijo Srna convert a penalty one minute later. With another poor friendly result looming for Croatia, Ivan Rakitić put the game away in the 64th minute with his second goal of the game. Let's hope he can keep that going. Croatia ultimately won the game 3-2 and saw a new face in the making. (I apologize for the quick analysis as the game was unable to be seen in the States.)

Qualifiers coming up!!! Should be another fun one against the Brits!!!

GIRIČEK SIGNS FOR FENERBAHČE

Gordan Giriček, a six year NBA veteran, this morning, signed a two year contract with Turkish giants Fenerbahče. Turkish newspaper Tajansspor, has reported that the contract also has a clause, where Giriček can opt-out after next season if he wishes. Gordan, 31, had offers for more money, but the source said he would prefer playing somewhere closer to Zagreb.

"What I wished for has come true," said Gira. "I will play in the Euroleague and with this I am satisfied. I haven't met the team yet, however, I am familiar with coach Tanjević. On the financial side, I am very content," concluded Gordan.

Gordan, speaking as a Lakers fan, I am happy to see you leave the Suns. However, I wish you the absolute best and hope that you excel in Euroleague next season.

4TH ROUND HNL RESULTS

Dinamo Zagreb [6-0] Cibalia Vinkovci

HNK Šibenik [1-0] NK Zadar

Inter Zaprešić [3-2] Croatia Sesvete

NK Osijek [2-1] Varteks Varaždin

Slaven Belupo [2-0] NK Zagreb

NK Rijeka [3-1] Hajduk Split

Questions and Comments...

Mario Mandžukić had a hat trick for Dinamo as they bounced back with a nice win after the loss earlier in the week to Shakhtar Donetsk in Champion's League. The loss was Dinamo's first since Varteks defeated them on February 23rd.

Croatia Sesvete do not appear to be this year's 'bottom of the barrel' club as Međimurje was last year; who they replaced. This week Sesvete only lost by 1 goal again.

What is going on with Hajduk?!...It's their second loss in a row as they were caught up in a very physical and sloppy match with Rijeka. 9 yellows were given out in the game as well as 2 red cards, Sharbini (Rijeka) in the 67' for his second bookable offense and Buljat (Hajduk) in the 90' received a straight red. I know Hajduk is pumped about their UEFA Cup situation, but they can't lose their sights on the Prva Liga. Hajduk now sits 10th in the table with 4 points in as many games. I know it's still early, but Dinamo becomes an uncatchable juggernaut in the Prva Liga once they get going.

What do you guys think?

PETRIĆ NOW A 'DINO'

Mladen Petrić will be trading in his yellow and black of Borussia Dortmund to wear the 'red shorts' of Hamburger SV (nickname: The Dinosaur). At the same time, he leaves Robert Kovač while joining fellow Euro 2008 Croatian striker, Ivica Olić in Hamburg.

Petrić has scored 13 goals for Dortmund in 29 appearances since signing in 2007. He has shown his full potential while playing in the German BundesLiga; something we can't say about Petrić regarding his play for the Croatian national team. His lackluster performance at Euro 2008 showed us that he couldn't compete against the best of Europe. Now, both he and Ivica Olić can be on the same attack for one of the most prestigious teams in Europe.

Hamburg has one of the most fanatical groups of fans in the world; even rivaling the likes of Hajduk and Dinamo. Petrić should find his way again as Hamburg's next match is home against Karlsruhe on August 23rd. Hamburg drew against reigning champs, Bayern Munich, in the first game of the season.

UEFA CUP UPDATE

Slaven Belupo managed a respectable loss in Greece to Aris Thessaloniki today. With no score at halftime, Aris finally pulled away in the 55th minute with a goal by Spaniard, Sergio Koke. Slaven is going to have to score some goals in the return match if they want to extend their UEFA Cup run.

On the other side of Europe, Hajduk grinded out a 0-0 draw in Spain to Deportivo. I couldn't find any information online regarding these 2 games (so anything from the readers would be helpful) but it appears Hajduk is taking their UEFA Cup campaign very seriously. They lost to NK Zagreb earlier in the week 3-0, which is a rare result for Hajduk, and the only thing I can come up with is that they were already looking down the road to the tie with Deportivo.

Although both Croatian sides control their own destiny, Hajduk will need less help. A goal and some solid defense could see the 'Bili' move on; and we all know that Torcida will be rockin' the Poljud when the second leg comes to Split on August 24th.

Slaven also hosts Greek team, Aris, in 2 weeks time in Koprovnica.

CROATIAN 'IRON MAN' MOVING TO MONACO

Croatian international defender and yet to be crowned 'Century Man' Dario Šimić, has packed his bags and will be moving to France. The 32 year-old leaves AC Milan, where he hardly played the past few seasons, to join fellow Croatian teammates Nikola Pokrivač and Jerko Leko at Monaco. Šimić has signed a 2-year deal with his new French club. We'll see how much playing time he receives though as his career is dwindling down.

Šimić has been stuck on 99 Caps for the Croatian national team. Should he play in the Slovenia friendly on August 20th in Maribor, he will be the first Croatian to reach the 'century mark' in his career. It looks like Bilić will give Šimić a look at 100, but we all know he is only on the team for experience and leadership. His spot on the national team has been permanitely replaced by young phenom, Danijel Pranjić.

Šimić has had a worthy playing career, both internationally and with his clubs. His career highlight has to be playing alongside now coach, Slaven Bilić, as Croatia took 3rd place at the 1998 World Cup in France.

3RD ROUND HNL RESULTS

Croatia Sesvete [0-1]Dinamo Zagreb

Cibalia Vinkovci [2-0]HNK Šibenik

Inter Zaprešić [2-2] NK Rijeka

NK Zadar[2-2] NK Osijek

Varteks Varaždin [2-3] Slaven Belupo

NK Zagreb [3-0] Hajduk Split

31 DAYS UNTIL CROATIA-ENGLAND III

Well boys and girls, we are just about a month away from Croatia-England III. Most of us still have that bitter Turkey taste in our mouth from EURO 2008. However, this is just the beginning. Besides the Kovač brothers and Šimunič, we are all young and looking to stamp our names in the world cup history books.

With all do respect for Kazakhstan, World Cup Qualification starts on September 10th in Zagreb, where heavyweights Croatia and England will collide.

Today, the HNS has announced ticket prices for this 'American pay-per-view' event.

VIP - 1,500 kuna (roughly $300) This is where celebrities, former coaches and players will sit.

West side VIP - 600 kuna (roughly $120)

West side lower - 400 kuna (roughly $90)

West side upper - 300 kuna (roughly $60)

East side - 250 kuna (roughly $50)

South side - 300 kuna (roughly $60)

North side lower - 80 kuna (roughly $18)

North side upper - 80 kuna (roughly $18)

CroatianSoccerReport.com is in talks of acquiring a reporter for the match in Zagreb. We will keep you posted.

Also, for those of you dying to find out the kickoff time, Croatia-England will kick off at 21:00 (CET) Zagreb time. On September 6th, Croatia-Kazakhstan will kick off at 20:15 (CET) Zagreb time.

~Denis Svirčić, reporting from Šibenik

ĆORLUKA MOVING TO LONDON???

It has been rumored for the past few weeks, but today it just got a bit more serious. Tottenham has been after Croatian 'iron horse' defender Vedran Ćorluka as well as Villareal's David Villa and Zenit's Andrei Arshavin, which would be the largest transfer window signings ever in the Premiership if it happened.

The 'super signing' will not happen but Ćorluka might still end up teammates with his already good friend, Luka Modrić, at Tottenham. Ćorluka has been playing with his current club, Manchester City, since the beginning of the 2007 season. He was seen at the Tottenham hotel this week which makes the signing that much more probable.

Who knows what was said within those hotel walls, but it could bring a 3rd Croatian to the city of London as soon as next week. Stay tuned as the Premiership kicks off on August 16th.

CROATIA JUMPS SOUTH AMERICANS

FIFA released its world rankings for the month of August today, and to my surprise, Croatia is now ranked 5th! They have jumped South American powerhouses Brazil and Argentina who respectfully fell to 6th and 7th.

But I don't want you to think that my head's getting big. FIFA rankings are like a good looking married woman; they're fun to look at but there's not much you can do with them. The real fans know where teams should be ranked and FIFA usually gets that right within 5 spots or so. But in this edition there are definitely some abnormalities.

Scotland at #16. Sure they beat a (poor) France team twice in qualifying but the only thing they've qualified for lately is the annual Scotchtoberfest (Simpsons reference) festival. Sweden is getting snubbed at #26 as they are now the new Spain- great qualifying campaigns but never go deep in tournaments. Northern Ireland at 32. What a joke. England should just let the 6 counties free so the North can be horrible alongside Ireland in one big 'Emerald Isle' qualifying campaign.

Well enough of me on foreign policy and overrated soccer teams.

The only thing I pull away from the latest rankings concerning Croatia is that we're back on the map as a global threat. Sure Croatians have known this about this particular team for quite some time, but now I believe the whole world will know it. The England encounters will have a different mindset for both teams. With the addition of Dario Cvitanić and the comeback of Eduardo, Croatia will be a scary team to face- especially after that loss to Turkey in Euro. This is one hungry team that I would not want to face in their prime.

MALTA ARTICLE & REPLY FROM EDITOR

I managed to get ahold of the article from the Maltese Sports editor, and luckily receieved a very prompt and friendly response from the fellow.

First, here is the article..

'No More Croats Please'

Having witnessed what happened at the Valletta end of the national stadium's Enclosure last Thursday during the Birkirkara-Hajduk Split UEFA Cup match, I felt I must not only condemn such absolutely unprovoked incidents, but also appeal to the MFA and UEFA to ban Croat fans from visiting the island whenever a team from that country is drawn to play Malta or any of its clubs.

In two of the last three occasions Croatia was involved in a football match at Ta'Qali, fans from that country indulged in uncalled for incidents which have tarnished our reputation.

The first occasion was the Malta-Croatia World Cup Qualifier over two years ago. Those incidents were at a higher scale than last Thursday, but perhaps, this time, the gravity was on a larger scale. This is because this time, there was a violent attack on members of the Malta Police force, amongst whom was Assistant Commissioner Josie Brincat.

It had been quite a long time that we had similar incidents at Ta'Qali, especially in domestic matches. The maltese sporting public has proved itself very considerate in recent years and this has also been admitted by MFA president Dr. Joseph Mifsud, who, on more than one occasion, has praised Maltese football fans for their behavior at Ta'Qali.

But when such incidents occur, one cannot stop there as if nothing had happened.

I am sure that the UEFA delegate will be making a detailed report to the European governing body over what had happened. He must have seen everything, as we did from the press box-of course we were in advantegous position.

Those Croatian tough guys need to be given a lesson by their own government and association. Those are no real football fans. It was obvious they came here with a clear aim in mind. Because, as I said earlier, there was simply no justification for their action. There was no provocation whatsoever from the Maltese fans. Their team was winning 2-0 at the time of the incidents and their qualification was never in doubt, not even before the kickoff.

I only pitty the club who will now have to face sanctions which will be imposed by UEFA, possibly very heavy, after those incidents over two years ago.

~Here is the reply from the Maltese Independent, sports editor, Henry Brincat..

Dear Mr Svirčić,

I have gone through all your contribution and it is clear that you do not know who the policeman who was beaten up by the Croatian fans was.He was none other than Josie Brincat, an assistant commissioner, that is, the No. 2 of the police force in Malta. Being in such an exalted position, the crime here is considered to be of an extremely serious nature. I am sure he did not go among the fans to arrest anyone. He only went there to calm down the situation as flares are usually not allowed into our football stadiums. We know him quite well as he has been responsible for Stadium security since he was just a sergeant, that is for almost 20 years. He is a very respected person in Malta, especially at Ta' Qali Stadium and it is acknowledged by one and all that it is mainly through his interventions that there have been no major incidents during this period.

Apart from that, I was at the Stadium, at the far end where you were staying and could see what was happening right below me. For one thing, we could not hear what the few Birkirkara fans (on your side there must have been not more than 250 and only about 20 were chanting continuously). This is because the Croatia fans were singing loudly almost all the time, except at the interval.If the Birkirkara fans indulged in insults, I also do not agree. We should all go to the stadium to watch football being played in a pleasant atmosphere.What is really wrong and, I feel this should be made clear in the club's reply to the expected UEFA charges, is that those Croatian fans were charged excessively to watch that match in that part of the Stadium (under cover from the sun).

As for the real football fans item, I reiterate and insist that those (around 50) among the Croatian crowd, who caused the trouble, were not football fans. We in Malta are not accustomed to such behaviour at the Stadium. Our fans insult each other in one way or another, but rarely do they cause such trouble for the police. Seeing such a good number of policemen at the Stadium as was the case last Thursday, was only because when Croatia played Malta almost three years ago, there was more or less the same kind of trouble, but on a much larger scale. This time, the Malta police were prepared.I cannot agree with you that nothing would have occurred had the police not intervened. In actual fact, the police only intervened when some seats were set on fire and the Croatian fans started moving away from the scene. I saw this quite clearly.

When I said these fans with a clear aim in mind I and many others who were at the Stadium, quickly thought about what happened three years ago and the hefty fine imposed by UEFA on the Croatian FA apart from ordering the payment of damage to the stadium. At least one person said at the end of the match, that he had informed the local authorities that some of those fans had arrived in Malta by ferry from Sicily, and not by air. This, as he stated, was because the police at the airport had been given a list of persons by the Croatian authorities not to allow those persons to enter Malta. That was the reason behind the strong police presence at the Stadium.Uttering the words you heard on the Birkirkara side (insults) are common practice in Maltese football stadiums. Perhaps you may also visit some Italian or English stadium if you wish to hear them more loudly and clearly as if in a chorus of thousands, and not just by a score of people. But our fans never resort to violence in return and causing damage to other people's property.

I simply hope that Hajduk Split will be able to identify the culprits who might be putting the club in serious trouble. I sympathise with the club as they simply had nothing to do with the clashes between the fans and the police. Yet, quite unfortunately, they will have to reply to the charges which are now expected to be rbought against the club.

In any case, let me make myself more clear to you. When I said no more Croats please, I was obviously referring for fans at a football match. Otherwise I am more than convinced that the vast majority of the millions of Croats are educated and well behaved persons who will be more than welcome to this place if they ever decided to visit Malta.

Like we were given the best hospitality when we visited Split in 1979 on the occasion of The Mediterranean Games - then it was still part of the old Yugoslavia, however.

Once again thank you for your contribution and if you ever need anything from my part (any kind of information) please do not hesitate to contact me.

Best regards and may I wish you a safe return journey

Henry Brincat

Sports Editor

The Malta Independent

I will wait if anyone has anything to add before I reply to Mr. Brincat. On Wednesday or Thursday, I will respond to his reply.

Where are my Hajduk fans?

~Denis Svirčić, last day reporting from Malta

EARLY CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR EDUARDO???

Soccernet.com has just reported that Eduardo can be back in action as soon as Christmas, if not before. He has returned to London to continue his rehab after a summer long stint in his native country of Brazil. Eduardo has said that the hardest part of the whole incident is now behind him and that can only mean good things for Croatian and Gunner fans alike. There is finally light at the end of this arduous tunnel for Eduardo and he is eyeing an early December return.

This news doesn't immediately impact Croatian fans as qualifying for World Cup 2010 returns in April after a winter hiatus. But we're looking for Dudu to be in tip-top shape by then as well as having a great 2nd half for his club team, Arsenal. Time will tell and CroatianSoccerReport.com will keep you updated.

"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

UEFA SCHEDULE RELEASED

UEFA has has released the schedule for the Champion's League 3rd qualifying round games as well as the Uefa Cup 2nd qualifying round matches. Hajduk Split has been paired up with Deportivo, who last year finished 9th in the Spanish La Liga. Slaven Belupo will match wits with Aris Thessaloniki of the Greek Super League. Aris finished 4th last year in their respected league. Both of these UEFA Cup encounters start on the road for the Croatian clubs on August 14th before returning home for the second leg a fortnight later (2 weeks later or 14 days for those of you who are unfamiliar with the lingo) on August 28th. Hajduk and Slaven aren't expected to do much against these proven teams but it's always nice to see what they're made of and what kind of trouble Torcida can get into next.

On the other side of the spectrum, should Dinamo Zagreb move onto the next and final Champion's League qualifying round (and we all expect they should with an away 3-0 win), they would face off against Darijo Srna's club team, Shakhtar Donetsk, of the Ukranian Premier League which would be a fantastic test for the team from Zagreb.

More news is on the way as pre-season tournaments are on the brink and the major European leagues are almost ready to kick off the new season.

Stay tuned guys!

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

LUKA MODRIĆ: FIRST LOOK

New Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, Luka Modrić, made his debut with the club on Wednesday in a friendly vs. Leyton Orient. Tottenham won the game 5-1 and Modrić got off to a quick start with his new London club netting his first goal in the 52nd minute.

The goal can be found in the video found on this Index.hr page.

DINAMO DOMINATE DOMŽALE

Dinamo Zagreb and Domžale have a knack of meeting in the UEFA Champion's League 2nd qualifying round; and for the second straight year, Dinamo showed their superiority once again.

Dinamo started off hot and only needed one half of soccer to get the away result they were looking for. Ivica Vrdoljak opened up the scoring with a goal in the 11th minute. Shortly after, Brazilian born Sammir, tacked on another one in the 21'. Finishing off 1st half festivities for Dinamo, Josip Tadić stuck a fork in Domžale's hopes of reaching the next round with a goal in the 40th minute.

With a 3-0 lead at halftime, the rest of the game was merely a conservative training exercise for Dinamo. They succeeded as the score remained the same for the rest of the match. Only a disaster in Zagreb on August 6th would prevent Dinamo from reaching the final qualifying round, which contains some of the 'big boys' of European club soccer: Arsenal, Liverpool, Juventus, Marseille, Barcelona and Schalke 04 are some of the teams that Dinamo can face. They were eliminated by Werder Bremen last year.

Hajduk and Slaven Belupo play the second leg of their UEFA Cup 1st qualifying round games tomorrow, July 31st. Both teams should cruise as they have 4 goal aggregate leads on their Maltese foes.

...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.

DINAMO FACE-OFF VS. LINFIELD AT MAKSIMIR

Dinamo Zagreb play Linfield (Northern Ireland) today at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb in the return leg of their UEFA Champion's League 1st qualifying round affair. When the two teams clashed in Northern Ireland a week ago, Dinamo easily collected a 2-0 win with goals by Croatian international, Marijo Mandžukić, and Dino Drpić.

Dinamo will qualify for the next round as long as they don't lose by more than 1 goal. If Linfield wins 2-0, the match will go into overtime. However, Dinamo dominated the game on the 'emerald isle' and I don't see them having much trouble in Zagreb. The game will kick-off at 8:45 p.m. locally in Croatia.

Dinamo is expected to carry on and would play the winner of the F91 Dudelange (Netherlands)/Domžale (Slovenia) match. Domžale won 1-0 on Dutch soil last week. Should Dinamo and Domžale meet in the second qualifying round, it will be the second year in a row that these 2 teams have met as Dinamo eliminated the Slovenian club in 2007 on a 5-2 aggregate. That was of course with the likes of a Mr. Modrić on the 'blue boy' side.

The game cannot be seen live in America, but should you have Croatian satellite, I'm sure they will re-run it later in the day for all you BBB's.