Croatia Overthrows Norwegians 2-1

Croatian football representation beat Norway 2-1 in a friendly game in Rijeka.

Bilic boys proved once again all talent splendour they possess and in a game of cat and mouse completely overmastered the Norwegians. If there was not for the easy relaxation at the very end of the match when we received a goal, this performance of the “Firey ones” might be called perfect.

Regardless of the fact he was ten players whom he usually invites short, Croatian selector Slaven Bilic excellently organised the team with available personnel. For the first time in this formation, the following ran out on the court: Pletikosa, Corluka, Simic, Vejic, Babic, Srna, Leko, Kranjcar, Modric, Balaban and Petric.

The Kantrida grass pitch was taken into a solid state, no matter of the rain soaking it. The Norwegians managed to breathe only during the opening of the match, therefore the first prospecting chance went to Carew who in the third minute from the right hand side dangerously hits near the goal. We strike back right away, through the best among the excellent, in the first half, Mladen Petric, who looses Kranjcar and pushes him into a prospecting chance, but he muffed and strikes the Norwegian block.

The Norwegians tried to squeeze us until the tenth minute, when our team`s real show begins. Chance pile up one after another. Srna in the eleventh minute passes an excellent ball for Modric, who breaks through the right hand side but launches poorly. Six minutes later Petric passes next three Norwegians and takes a shot from 17 metres, but the block recoiled ball is defended by Opdal.

Carew runs away from Simic in the eighteenth minute and shoots too high. Two minutes later, Petric is in a prospecting chance when he gets the ball in the penalty area, but in a key moment he slipped and took a bad shot. The next poor attack was only an announcement of what was to follow. Namely, Corluka shows phenomenal combinatory and a fast pass, which not even the experienced Riise could not follow, he breaks through the middle with the ball, passes it to Balaban on the right, who throws him back the ball into the penalty area but Corluka demonstrates why it was not working out for him to be Dinamo`s centre-forward, and launches high over the goal.

What sort of a talented generation we have was visible in the action for a shot in the 26^th minute. Kranjcar looses Babic on the left, he kicks in a brusque ball to eleven metres and hits Petric in his shoe, while the Basel striker the same goal Simao scored to Brasil yesterday last night.

Pletikosa in the next Norwegian attack shows insecurity in a jump and the ball enters our goal. Luckily the French referee, with right, whistled a foul on our goalkeeper.

We keep on pressing ruthlessly and Modric breaks through on the right side in the 34^th minute, crushes his guard with a false move and serves Petric, who launches from the penalty area border – the ball passes right next to the goalpost. The reformatory exam was much better, only two minutes after. Srna performs a corner shot, passes to Kranjcar, who takes on a Norwegian duo and hires Mordic, and he scores in the lower right angle with surgical precision from 16 metres for 2-0.

Until the end of the first half we saw another excellent free kick from 16 metres by Marko Babic, but Opdal keeps his goal with a phenomenal parade.

During the second half, in stead of the brilliant Petric enters Eduardo, while in the 62^nd minute Budan entered the game to substitute for Balaban. Zivkovic and Pranjic in the 80^th minute substituted the excellent debutant Vejic and the returnee Leko, who confirmed his phenomenal performance from Monaco and played one of his best matches at in the chequered kit at Kantrida stadium.

Croatia continues its domination from the first half, creates actions, while the Norwegians defend themselves with many difficulties. In an excellent team game Niko Kranjcar fitted in as well, who showed he has to run much more in Portsmouth, he was in the mood and passed around ten accurate balls with his heel.

Our action in the 67^th minute also deserves admiration, Srna ran down, who knows for which time, on the right side. He passes the ball to Kranjcar on the left, Niko hits Budan in the head with a high ball in the penalty area. Budan hires Eduardo who stops the ball with his chest and fires in a prospecting chance next to the goal.

Bilic boys literally start toying with the guests and in the 74^th minute Srna throws in for Eduardo who shoots from ten metres at an angle, the goalkeeper is overcome, but in the last moment, Norway`s defender player strikes out the ball from the line. In the continuation of this attack Modric shoots right next to the goalpost, then Budan misses from close range.

About a ten minutes before the end another counter action flashes, led by Srna. He hits Budan in the five metre area, but Opdal again reacts excellently and defends. Our team relaxes, which the guests still use in the 86^th minute when after a failed offside setting the Norwegian striker breaks through in front of Pletikosa. Our goalkeeper defends in a situation one on one, but the ball recoiled to Moen, who did not find it difficult to overcome Pletikosa, who was already on the floor.

Wit 2-1 they entered the final moments and a slight case of nerves prowls into our lines. The Norwegians attack with five players even, but the concentration did not weaken more and after three minutes of compensation, the Rijeka match ends with Croatia`s victory.

Slaven Bilic can be more than satisfied in the eve of our next duel with Macedonia in the European Championship qualifications.

- talked with Solskjaer. We go way back from when I was playing in England, and he told me we have a fantastic team. Tonight we were missing key players, this should not be forgotten, and you saw the kind of match we played. Leko was excellent, if he disciplines himself, he will be outstanding. The audience could enjoy tonight in a Croatian representation performance, while 2-1 in the end is a good score- said Bilic after the game.