Blow to Croatia 2010 World Cup hopes

October 14, 2008

Match day three in the World Cup qualifiers, Croatia and the Ukraine held the score at a 0-0 draw, each team earning 1 point. Before the two teams battled it out on the pitch, Bilic said he wanted to mix things up a bit. His intentions were to put Vedran Runje in goal but, due to a broken pinkie finger, he was unable to take that responsibility. Croatia looked at the game from a more defensive perspective with Pletikosa in goal, Corluka, Krizanac, and Simunic in defense, a midfield of N. Kovac, Srna, Vukojevic, Modric, Rakitic, and Pranjic, and a lone striker Olic, they completely dominated the game from the start.

With 15 minutes gone from the clock, Luka Modric tested the keeper but Pyatov denied Croatia from the first goal. Several minutes later, a corner from Srna found the head of Olic but struck the crossbar. Minutes before the half time whistle, the Ukrainians found a free kick on the edge of the box but the ball was hit wide not even beginning to trouble Pletikosa. Throughout the second half, Croatia had numerous chances for a goal provided by Modric and Olic but Pyatov stood firmly between the ball and the net. In the end both teams came away sharing the points. Bilic said before, that they “would not be entirely disappointed with one point.” They gave a great performance and showed great form on the pitch.

For their next fixture, tomorrow, Croatia will face Andorra at home in Zagreb. The last time the two teams met was during Euro 2008 qualifying, when Andorra saw Croatia take a 7-0 and 6-0 victory. The captain of the Andorran squad, Sonejee, spoke to UEFA.com ahead of the game, “We know who and what we’re up against and what is certain is that this game is going to be a tough one.” On Croatia’s side of things, there will be a slight change in the lineup. Srna will be absent after a yellow card, Kovac has asked to sit this one out, and Pranjic picked up thigh injury in Saturday’s game. When asked about the game, Bilic replied, “It will be a game played on half of the field, given their numerous provocations. We will have to be aggressive. A win will be as important as any other, we take Andorra very seriously.”

Jill Guthrie

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