Pre-match: Greece - Croatia, Qualifications for EURO 2012 - List of Croatian players

This could be probably very attractive match, but wet court can disturb everything. Croatian match is for 3 hours, 20.45, Central European Time. Chile plays in 1.10 AM European Time.

 

Yes, tonight many interesting matches, European matches are mostly in the same time I think. Hoping to see highlights of these good matches.

Turkey will win I think, Croatia, Serbia, England, Spain, Uruguay, Venezuela, Chile and Paraguay. Guests could play on good level I think.

Azerbaijan 0 - 1 Austria, Half Time. Austrian player of Croatian origins scored for Austria (Andreas Ivanschitz). His family is from Burgenland in Austria. Croats live there because they escaped in front of Ottoman Empire, this means 200, 300 and maybe more years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andreas_Ivanschitz

Eisenstadt is Zeljezno in Croatian.

Armenia - Macedonia 4-1.
Finland - Sweden 0 -1, 43 minute.

Armenia could qualify on EURO, big surprise.

 

Armenia now has several good players, one is playing in Shakhtar Donetsk:
Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

Complicated last names.

Marcos Pizzelli is Brazilian. He just played in Armenia, doesn't have Armenian heritage.

Some things are changing, nobody can't win against any European team 7-0, like before. But I think that they didn't became better, these good teams became bad, like Croatia now.

We lost 2-0 against Greece. Terrible edition of Croatia and Bilic said: "We had domination, ball control", we had maybe 2,3 silly chances, our RB player Corluka had 2 shots and they went in corner.

Croatia will probably play in extra qualifications, Sweden will be second best team I think. We need to win against Latvia, ow I suspect in this match.

The match was interrupted because of fireworks, Croatian fan lost fingers and he is in hospital now, Greeks threw fireworks in Croatian small part of stadium, they threw bottles, stones, Serbian flags ere visible on the stadium, they came also.

Our coach watched totally opposite match, he is saying about domination, controll, I fell like I have stone in my stomach after Croatian matches, so desperate, we say that our players play in some elite clubs, but they suck all in national team.

Everything went so slow, boring, Howard Webb was for them i several occasions. After their ruff fouls he just warned them.

Croatian player entered in 60, 70 minute, he made one foul and he got direct yellow card, he broke his ankle, very ugly.

I don't know how long will they keep Niko Kranjcar in the game, he is useless, Perisic, Rakitic on the bench. Kranjcar can't make good corner, free kick, the ball just slides above the ground.

Ognjen Vukojevic is so destructive, he just walks there and makes fouls, Eduardo da Silva nothing, Corluka played correct, both Greek goals were after foul or corner, nobody jumped, they are lower than us, but they just stand.

There as a incident between Croatian Jelavic and their goalkeeper and their goalkeeper got only yellow card, also Webb needed to show on 11 meters in one situation.

Greeks are playing so boring, but we showed that we can play even more boring, no chemistry, no passes, velocity, desire.

They had more desire, after their goals they ran like crazy to each other, we just stood there, fans interrupted our players with lasers.

Good luck against Argentina!

 

When I see Bilic, he makes me sick, he justifies his decisions, he couldn't talk after the match, voice interruptions, all green, pail, we all saw that he didn't demonstrated nothing, so BILIC ODLAZI (Go Away).

We are just losing our reputation against these teams: Greece, Georgia...etc.

http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro2012/ma...171/match=2002252/postmatch/report/index.html

Greek tragedy finished now. On these pictures they look that they don't care about national team, they just sit, laugh.

Players didn't wanted to talk with media at all, same like national basketball team.

Greek fans hit Croatian children on the stadium, 10, 11 years. Idiots.

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They threw fireworks and our fans returned them, chairs flied, bottles, stones, Greek fans are insane. Whole Balkan sucks, everything southern and eastern of Croatia is violent, insane and radical.

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Lineups:

Greece:

Tzorvas, Zaradoukas, Tziolis (from 62.' Fotakis), Samaras, Papadopoulos, Karagounis (from 87.' Makos), Salpingidis, Torossidis (from 45.' Vyntra), Gekas, Papastathopoulos, Katsouranis.

Croatia:

Pletikosa, Ćorluka (from 75.' Vida), Lovren, Šimunić, Strinić, Mandžukić, Vukojević, Modrić, Kranjčar, Jelavić (from 62.' Kalinić), Eduardo (from 56.' Perišič).

Greek hospitality - euharisto!

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77uFUAhz_YQ&feature=player_embedded"]grc - hrv 2:0 - YouTube[/ame]​

 

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Greeks made problems with tickets, they sold only 1000 tickets maybe.
Croatia will play probably in extra qualifications, Greece is playing against Georgia as guests and they just only need one point for the first place. Croatia had more luck in this qualifications, we could finish worse.

Croatia could play against:
A: Belgium, Turkey
B: Russia, Ireland, Armenia
C: Estonia, Serbia, but probably Serbia.
D: France, Bosnia and Herzegovina
E: Netherlands, Sweden direct participants probably
F: Croatia
G: Montenegro
H: Portugal, Denmark, Norway
I: Czech Republic, Scotland

These teams aren't so strong but in two matches they can destroy us. I would choose Czech Republic or Scotland. Others sound better, even Armenia is good now. Hard feeling before sleeping. Now we must play against Latvia, before we didn't knew any of Latvia players, now we must discuss about their potential.

Most dangerous Latvian player is ex-Hajduk Split player Verpakovskis. They mostly have Latvian Russians in their team. They helped us against Greece, they played 1-1 and we couldn't use this.

Latvia national football team: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latvia_national_football_team

Good night to all.

 

First of all, our fans didn't had any HUMAN conditions on the stadium. You threw bottles, stones, fireworks. One Croatian fan lost his finger.

Greek football is boring, during the match I mostly eat chips, it was my only amusement during the 90 minutes.

You talk to referee, you use provocations, Karagounis goes on the other part of the court even though he knows that he will go out of the game.

Your goalkeeper should got the red card because of that savage attack on Jelavic. Referee protected your team, after ruff fouls he used only warnings, you should have at least 6,7 yellow cards.

Your football is boring and destructive. You call this football? Nobody respects your EURO 2004 triumph. Maybe you won this but on really boring style, one or two opportunities. Greece plays mostly in formation 5-4-1.

Greece can't score more than one goal. You did this only twice, against Malta and Croatia. How many times we scored more than one goal, at least 6,7 times.

Greece also underrated Latvia. 1-1. Now Georgia will probably let you win this match, one point is enough for you.

Our federation asked more, but they had problems in getting more tickets. You putted us in violent environment on the stadium, you hit women and children, very heroic and brave. Gods of war.

I accept only that you won because of your pathos, but nothing more.

 

Yes, they follow us on every guest match so that they can support our opponents. Serbian flags were visible.
Howard Webb should interrupt the match and after they could declare 0-3 for Croatia, because of safety standards who weren't satisfied during the whole match. Chairs, bottles, fireworks and stones flew almost whole match.

Somebody also wants to see Greece on Euro, very desperately though.

 

http://sportski.net.hr/nogomet/reprezentacija/page/2011/10/08/0351006.html

"Greek" fan with Serbian flag:

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They threw Molotov cocktails.

http://sportski.net.hr/nogomet/reprezentacija/page/2011/10/08/0351006.html

Google Translator:

On the way from Greece to Croatia, told us one of the Croatian fans who had been on the podium at the time when the attackers with Serbian flags and motorcycle jackets perform a real bomb attack on the stands with our people. He told us that the situation was dramatic, and that they shared centimeters from a disaster.

"That was incredible. The thirty Serbs, or Greeks with Serbian flags in motorcycle jackets, they were down to us without them even the police tried to stop them. Out of cannon strikes which were thrown, one guy was blown away by the finger, he exploded is close to hand. And then they threw the 'Molotov cocktail'. Luckily the fence was hooked, otherwise it would kill five people. For the first time, our hooligans have done something good because they are set up between the attacker and our women and children. Literally they were defending the bodies, "says our fans who wished to remain anonymous.

He said this:

"It all seemed a bit unreal because the attackers walked up to us and also walked without them the police and looked. It does them no harm."

Catastrophic tragedy in Piraeus stadium 'Georgios Karaiskakis' was averted only by sheer luck. Let us remember, but on the way to the stadium Croatian fans pelt with stones by local hoodlums. No, they did not know that they will continue to happen at the stadium, where apparently they had no protection of Greek officers.

They were flying flares and chairs from all sides, the cannon strikes one fan lost his finger, and the real drama came when the Greek hooligans threw threw 'Molotov cocktail'.

How does something like that could pass the checkpoints on the stadiums is a question that must respond to the organizer of the meeting, but leaders of the UEFA? So are at least bound to that injured fans who will visit this lifetime, unfortunately, lost the finger.

 

So, you are saying that Greece plays exciting football? First corner happened i the second half, Croatian corner. I almost fall in a sleep. Both teams played boring. You fouled a lot when we came in your sensitive area. Webb only talked with them: "No more, last warning", Karagounis came, a little bit of Balcanic gestures, smiles, spreading hands and move on.

Who threw dangerous items on Croatian fans? People could die because of these cocktails. Serbs follow us on every match, Croats don't even know who is their opponent.

Like we love our coach and have sorrow for him, we don't like him since 2009, when he didn't achieved South Africa entrance. But he was protected, this defeat didn't sacked him, he plays bad since 2008 and that EURO when we lost against Turkey.

Bilic will be fired because we have one month until extra qualifications, someone needs to introduce these players with order and discipline. Jelavic did foul on Tzorvas but his reaction was also brutal.

Better worry about the match against Georgia. We will win against Latvia.

It's boring to see usual Croatian stalkers on the stadiums, with their flags and dangerous items, uncivilized tribe. You have also some personal issues against Croats, caps lock, hatred.

On Balkan Peninsula everyone expects to see violence on stadiums, people laugh against these violent countries, people just wave with hand when someone mentions Balkan.

Serbs can't accept that we won in recent war, because of this, they stalk us on stadiums and hit our children, insane nation. Similar thing is in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Muslims attack Croats.

You are all taking football to serious. It's a game, not a battlefield. I have seen many violence between Olympiakos, PAOK, Panathinaikos, AEK fans. But Olympiakos wins always.

Samaras scored his first goal in this season. Gekas plays in the second German league. Fine class of attackers.

 

I remember Greece from EURO 2008 against Sweden I think, they used passes in the back line, Swedes just stood there and wait until the end of their show.
Every reporter said: Greece is playing anti football. Similar style use many other European countries: Sweden, Norway, Czech Republic, Ireland, Denmark, etc.

Because of this we have only three great teams in Europe: Spain, Netherlands and Germany, all others play anti-football. But Greece is on the bottom of any football measurement in Europe. They aren't so weak that they need to play like Luxembourg, Malta, San Marino, but their style is boring.

We have today several respectful national teams from Europe and few from South America, others have boring style. It's not football anymore. Last World Cup demonstrated this, first round was very boring to watch.

Against bunker it's hard to play, Argentina had problems with Greece in South Africa, they scored maybe around 60 minute, Portugal had problems against them in two matches in Euro 2004, Bilic should be more careful, we fall in the trap like many others.

Now Bilic doesn't want to resign, because he thinks that with resigning he is running away from responsibility. Run, just run.

First training finished in Rovinj. They look so sad. Maybe this match is in Rijeka, because nobody wanted to see "boos" in Split or Zagreb. Rijeka is more tolerant city, filled with minorities.

But they also expected to see done business in Greece.

 

Ranking of second-placed teams:

The highest ranked second placed team from the groups will qualify automatically for the tournament. The remainder will enter the playoffs. Because some groups contain six teams and some five, matches against the sixth-placed team in each group are not included in this ranking. As a result, eight matches played by each team will count for the purposes of the second-placed table.

Tiebreakers:

The following criteria are applied to determine the rankings.
Higher number of points obtained in these matches
Superior goal difference from these matches
Higher number of goals scored in these matches
Higher number of away goals scored in these matches
Position in the UEFA national team coefficient ranking system
Fair play ranking in these matches
Drawing of lots

Pld W D L GF GA GD AG Pts Notes Rating
H Denmark 7 5 1 1 13 5 +8 8 16 1 12
E Sweden 7 5 0 2 17 9 +8 8 15 10
F Croatia 7 4 1 2 10 6 +4 5 13 1 8
C Estonia 8 4 1 3 13 11 +2 7 13 3,E 38
D Bosnia and Herzegovina 7 4 1 2 8 7 +1 3 13 1,E 16
B Republic of Ireland 7 3 3 1 8 5 +3 4 12 1,3,E 15
G Montenegro 7 3 3 1 7 5 +2 2 12 E 33
I Scotland 7 3 2 2 8 7 +1 1 11 3,E 24
A Belgium 7 2 3 2 14 11 +3 5 9 3,E 32

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_2012_qualifying

 

Yes, people respect more Croatian NT than Greece NT. We have individual quality, you can't accomplish 3,4 clean passes. Karagounis shots from 40 meters, under the clouds.

Who attacked us yesterday than? Nobody stopped them. They were probably Serbs. Some say fans of PAOK, because they have brotherhood with Partizan Belgrade. This match was similar like Italy - Serbia in Genoa. This match should also be stopped. Imagine how is to stand in some small space and people are throwing in that box flames, sharp items, bottles, etc. It's a horror. Everyone just watched like in some theater.

There is no such thing as "Other things". Truth is only one.

Serbs follow us on every club or national team match, especially in these countries which are closer geographically or even they come as diaspora members: in Malmo for example. Our fans are tired of this, they payed this trips, hotels, they deserve to watch the game in peace, not losing their fingers or worrying what will happen with their children.

Greece should achieve good conditions on the stadium. When you do this on your stadiums, everyone say: "They are Greeks, they are temperament people, they are a happy nation", when others do something bad, they become savages, violent people. We must fear because any small incident, empty stadiums we can get, losing points, etc.

Greek forces of order didn't do much, we couldn't see what was happening, but online everyone writes that this was during large period: chairs, Molotov cocktails, bottles. How can anyone bring such arsenal in EU country on stadium?

We haven't been beaten for 14, 15 years in Croatia, in all qualification matches since 1996, we lost only against England in 2008. Nobody brags with this.

Whole European football became boring, we worry more because of violence, high risk, politics, racism, all about non-football themes.

This FIFA Ranking doesn't represent anything, we are in TOP 10 for 10, 15 years. This means nothing to us, because we don't have results on Euros or World Cups, to us 27, 28 place doesn't mean anything on World Cup.

You won, but this type of football is terrible. Every team played defensive against us, bunkers, Georgia, Malta, Greece, Israel played a little bit opened, but also nothing to see.

Football will lose spectators, I noticed that Greeks do not support national team as Olympiakos or Panathinaikos.

These "big" countries can't win against weaker teams, like Italy, England, Portugal, because of bunkers, rood fouls.

This foul against Corluka is madness, blood was visible on his head. I saw some videos online, some players can't walk normally, Kalinic. We don't do fouls like this, we don't steal minutes, we don't simulate on the ground, last night medicine people entered, to much conversation with Webb, who was confused and he didn't had equal criteria. Greece should got 6,7 yellow cards, maybe someone would collect two yellows. Referee decided directly about the match.

This match against Latvia is meaningless, we won against them 3-0 in Riga, we will win against them in Croatia, but we are going in extra qualifications anyway. We thought that we will get 0-0 in Athens and come in Croatia and play against Latvia with victory.

Croatia has deeper problems, not just bad style of game, many players won't speak with media about this, they just say: "I can't talk, I might get some negative consequences". We have problems since September, 2008.

Looking forward to another bunker. Hoping to see 7-3-0 in Latvian team. Haven't seen that long time.