Kvartuć, Zorić and Christian from CroatianSports talk about Croatia’s dominating 7-0 performance vs. Gibraltar and 5-1 victory over Czechia to begin 2026 World Cup qualifying.
-who was the best Croatian player this cycle?
-Dalić finally playing everyone in their native positions
-does Croatia play more attractive football without Kovačić?
what’s up Croianports.com nation ante Quart here with his two best buddies Mr Ante Zorich the number two the number two What do you got the little tino there action That’s right Little red wine after work Yep You got You guys all know Mr Zordic One of the biggest Croatian jersey collectors on planet Earth as you can see behind him A huge huge huge Haidukovatz here in Los Angeles We’ll talk about that season on another another pod but my condolences And then we got we got Mr Croatian Sports social media manager Christian Rasich What’s up buddy how’s it going doing great Couldn’t be better after today I mean I mean guys we always struggle in qualifying There’s always some excuses There’s always something dumb I hate these summer games like right before they go on summer break and they go hit the you know the yacht parties and everything It always makes me nervous But 7 nothing against Gibralar Okay Gibralar But second best team in the group a very respected Czech Republic Czecha Zordic what what was your biggest takeaway this week against Jialter and Czecha where it kind of went wow like what’s going on with this Croatia team i mean I think just we just put out a big statement saying this is our group you know i mean what 12 goals in two games i mean it was kind of expected to beat Gibralar but uh to beat this Czech team by four goals I think I read today was their second or third worst worst his worst loss in history So we we gave them a good beating I mean they’re they have always been a traditionally a strong you know strong team So uh checks are good I mean they they make they make almost every euro They’re always there in qualifying You know we play I do know I do know we played four games against them before and we had two wins and two ties So we we did have a good record against them coming in traditionally which is always nice You feel like you have a little edge but uh I mean we saw in the first half we started out really well the first 10 15 but then it the momentum kind of swung their way I mean they we’re the better team on paper we’re the better team on the field today but they were they were hitting us on those on those counterattacks and that’s something we need to figure out against the top 10 teams in the world I mean absolutely You know what I mean like had that had a nice save Uh Such had a great save off the line that that we’ll talk about but I mean that that that breakaway was pretty uh was a pretty clumsy situation I mean Levakovich should have done better Uh I don’t know It was just a little sloppy you know But uh I mean listen you’re going to have a couple mistakes in a game I I I still don’t know how we got beat on two headers for the goal either in the box you know I mean nothing nothing Viola could do back there Um Christian you you live in this in this age of Croatia can do no wrong on the international stage The the the first time I ever saw you get disappointed was uh Euro 2024 Croatia Italy that last second goal So we’re are are we back up to your standards you were born in this entry Are we back up to your standards of Croatian football after that check win today i mean I’m used to I’m used to the success in the World Cup Euro we know how that went but um you know I haven’t really seen us come into a qualifying matchup like this against a good team and play this well I know we had it against um Hungary and split a while ago but that’s Hungry This is a whole different checky aside Um I couldn’t be happier with how the boys played today Um following up a seven goal performance with a fivegoal performance Uh I saw a lot of comments beforehand saying “Oh no way Croch is going to score five plus today They never score five plus today It doesn’t matter the opponent.” And they did it twice You mean against Jialter yeah And they did it twice in the span of two games And I mean for a team that’s known for being defensive sat back all of that I think most of us thought that we’d come into this game and probably win but two to one 3-2 1 z but we blew him out of the water and it could have been eight It could have been eight So the floodgates open this week The thing is hey hey Jialter are we ever going to lose to Jialter knock on wood No They kept us scoreless for half an hour guys I was frustrated for half an hour But but before going into the games I I know what my answer is This is a clear answer for me Zoric who’s the best Croatian player on this team today June 2025 i mean my opinion I think over the two games it was Pesic That’s I mean we we were we were we we talked about it a little bit before we came on I mean uh when Pettes was out for that year however long he didn’t play uh we were we were missing him a lot on the wing And since now that he’s come back we we you know even in in those League of Nations game we saw we saw some glimpses but I mean this was like total domination these last two games He he was doing whatever he wanted out there assisting scoring I mean this guy’s incredible I just I honestly I doubted him Also I did not know or think he could come back to where he was before as a player And I mean you have to give him huge credit I mean his mentality his work rate to be able to come back at this age from an ACL injury it’s it’s very impressive I mean that just shows I think he’s better He’s he’s better now than he was five years ago Listen it shows it shows the type of class player and uh and I’m very happy for him I really am He’s I know he’s second right now in the Croatia alltime scoring list after Shuket and it’s pretty funny Kama’s two behind him So they have a a fun little race going there Yeah I mean I mean I’ I’ve said this for 10 years Modric gets all the love We know Modric gets all the love Bondo or Real Madrid whatever We go as Pettis goes And that showed in those in those two years that we didn’t have him on the on the pitch running at players one-on-one Uh he gives us width He whips in those balls in the in the box Um like he’s back better than ever And I I think he’s going to retire with Modric next year in North America at the World Cup I think he knows exactly how much is left in his gas tank But I can argue he’s been our best player for the past five six years along with with Modric You know what I mean like Modic can’t run this team He’s the he’s the engine Pedic is the transmission And look look he he makes everyone better on this team Absolutely I mean um it’s it’s it’s hard to just you know uh talk about how important he is because uh we see we see that when he’s on the field it’s a totally different Croatia team That’s just the reality And you know we we have criticized Dalich for playing without wingers and uh without pure wingers And I think we saw obviously we see with Pes how important it is to have a guy that could take people on one-on-one and we’ve been really really missing that Even I thought Marco Pashich as soon as he came on he cut in and took a good shot I mean he’s a natural winger I know he’s playing in the MLS He’s doing well here I’m very happy for him too But um you know he chooses to go with um I don’t know he likes uh more more of a like a midfield player a guy that can go up and down play both ways Obviously Marco Potic is going to be more of an offensive player So I don’t know if he does that because the balance of the team because it’s less risky but um I mean in the end you have to give Dalich huge credit The team the team that he chose I mean did did very very well I mean Gibralar’s that’s a must win But today was I hope so dude I hope I mean we have to say today was the key one if not the key ma match of the group You know it it was very important to get that six points I think if you do the math I think if you do the math because it goes to goal differential we’re crushing on goal differential plus 11 already We already beat the the the other best team in the in the group We can technically on gold differential I don’t think Czech’s going to beat us now We can lose to Czech in Czecha They’re going to take some points off of Montenegro We’ll probably take four points off of Montenegro and you call it a day Like today was I think if you look at the stats it’s 85% if we win today and it’s like 50% 56% we qualify if we if we draw It’s extra special for us because I mean the tournament is going to be here It’s going to be Modric’s last World Cup I mean I was looking at at the ages of our of our lineup today We have you look at Kama Budir Perish Ishimo just four guys over 34 I mean our youngest goal scorer today was 33 years old and we put five in the back of the net That’s crazy I mean both of our attackers are you know 34 plus And uh I mean I think I think we have to give credit to both [Music] Buddhus doesn’t agree with us Mark look Look I wish Marcus was here right now Marcus has been grilling you on the on the Buddhir thing for what like two years now why he doesn’t He doesn’t realize that I’m the president of the Buddhir fan club and I have been since 2018 Seven years I can v I can I can vouch for you I can vouch for you And look you’re right Zodich is right I mean he doesn’t he doesn’t play the most beautiful football We know that But he gets the job done and that’s why we need him there Yeah On paper he was a top top 10 striker in the entire world this season Real good watch him That’s incredible I mean you’re talking about a guy you’re talking about a guy that wasn’t playing much in Italy who I think bought him for a million euro I mean think about the return on that investment How many goals he got from he was budir budir was the third highest scoring striker in La Liga behind Umbbappe and Lua this year Just wrap your head around that That’s That’s nuts Wrap your head around that That That might be I’m gonna be careful what I say Just as amazing as Modric’s But honestly just think about if he played for a team like Atletico Madrid or one of these like top four teams How many goals would he have scored he wouldn’t be taking penalties then He listening 30 plus if he was playing for one of those top teams You know how many more chances taking penalties half his goals are penalty I think he had six or seven from the penalty spot Just throwing that out there Listen I’m just saying he would get more chances He would get the guy is amazing in the air I mean his his his uh his headers are Yeah he’s I mean he’s a great finisher in the air And I mean I got I have I have to say his his penalty today was very nice as well just like Modicious was but they were both very good penalties To your point as fans of the Croatian national team we should remember that penalties are very important Yes So you cannot knock Bir for that Absolutely He puts him away I’m saying I’m just saying if he went to a Barcelona Real Madrid and Atletico he would not be taking the penalty So his goal count would go down That’s all a little bit but he’ll probably score more open goals So we can debate that Look I want to go back I want to go back to the the wingers without Peshich We played basically a four a 460 for what two years right we had no wingers in in sight after Euro 2020 After Reich and Dali got into it we had absolutely no business Now we have Perisic a strong Perisic that’s healthy on the left side You gota you cannot play this is my only thing with D You can’t play Mario Pich on the right Play Monaco man Play Listen listen Mario did have the uh was it the he scored a goal well he also crossed that ball that led to a goal Yeah that was a beautiful cross opportunity Yeah I mean he he he just he he kept it in and then we ended up header back and we scored right mhm Yep So so u I mean you can’t Listen I I’m a I’m a fan of Bash He’s just not a winger I like I like his game I like I like when he plays as you know behind the striker He He makes his runs are uh are great behind getting in between the lines He’s really good at that When will Dalich ever play him behind the striker and the camera roll well I mean today you had today you listen Kama is the second striker I know So um I mean that’s basically where Pash kind of thrives but he’s got Poshic there as almost another attacker you know I just don’t love him I I just wish we had even half a pettic just on the right side A true natural winger And like you said Marco he’s having a good season in Orlando I know it’s MLS but he came in right away cut on the inside ripped a shot on goal I’m happy with that That’s what we need more of He’s a natural winger He can he can take people on and that and that’s what you want You want a guy to be able to beat somebody one-on-one and that’s where the game opens up And talk about his talk about his cross to Pettis at the end of the Gibralar game too across the entire pitch I mean flowers to Pisic for finishing that But that was a that was a beautiful ball Pedic looked like he was playing FIFA this week Oh I know And you you look at Pettis’s track record 2018 goal against England goal against France 2020 goal against Czecha 2022 Japan 2024 you still doing it 2025 Like I mean the guy the guy’s incredible after ACL Listen listen I I know we’re not talking about H&L but if Petty There it is Listen I’m just going to say Haiduk wins the league plus 10 points Easy Easy All they did was need to keep him on board had they had they had it they they haven’t won the league in 20 years and they had it they had it done this year All they had to do is convince him just convince him to stay Convince him He’s already there Come on Just give us one year Just give us one year I mean if you if you put Pettis Rakitic Levia on the same pitch in the HL and that’s that’s a super team I mean listen Rakitic I almost think Rakitic hurt more than he helped And I’ll tell you why Because he was always playing him and Kovino together and then they’re the same profile player Like those two cannot be on the same pitch together They were missing Pukash the whole year I don’t know why that guy didn’t play him but very strange decision that cost him leak Yeah same as Mo Shinkovich but we’ll get to that in a second Just gonna say that they It was written for Haiduk this year It was written and all they did is have to get along And where where’s Gatuso gonna be next season not in split Just like that Look at the turnover It’s crazy It’s crazy He should have been I don’t even know how he lasted the whole year cuz he he should have been gone a long time ago That’s just we’re That’s the reality But if if Haiduk picks up two more games then he’s the greatest Hiluk manager of the tour Listen in the last six games how many points did they win four guys They choked That that’s just what it comes down to They had the league They had it won We’re gonna do in the next two weeks we’re gonna do a Haiduk Haiduk Haiduk pod hour Three hours straight just H highuk That’s fine Listen I’m still frustrated Okay I’m still frustrated from the end of the season But God I’m I got to say Haiduk again If you’re if you’re in Torsca you’re Haidukov and you’re watching Perisic who you had on the team score ripping goals against Juventus in Champions League knockout you must just be going like I am a many Oh it hurts It hurts It hurts But like and the sad thing is is he can’t even go back to Split and live like normally enjoy the summer now Like he’s going to be yelled at screamed at Like it’s it’s a nightmare But but that’s what it is to be Croatian So it is what it is I know I I feel bad for him honestly Why he’s he’s I I wish I wish I honestly wish he would have just stay because he would have done the same thing that he did at PS He would have done the same thing in Hell Yeah he he would have he would have been an absolute legend for bringing Haiduk a title after 20 years Like no it’s just unfortunate That’s all He would have scored 15 goals in the league this year It’s unfortunate Let’s move on Let’s move on I’m going to stop I’m I’m starting to tear up here Let’s move on Look I’m I’m I’m a I’m a Croatia I’m an international guy I If it was up to me the players have to be Croatian The coach has to be Croatian The water boy has to be Croatian Like that’s that’s my thing I I want to just touch back on the strikers Like I I watched Spain Portugal I watched Nico Williams um uh Yamal uh Lao on on on Portugal Then you have your Brazils where you have your where you have Vinnie and all these guys Like these are guys that’ll run at you You know your Mbappé’s blah blah blah blah These are these are guys that’ll run at you Pedic is one guy that’ll run at you We we need someone on the other side to to to to balance him out That’s all Posich will run at you Marco Pashich will run at you and he’s going to rip a shot He rips it 10,000 miles per hour off of his left boot I mean I think he’s the guy Coach is gonna play you Coach got to put you in the on the field I Yeah I’m started him today from the bench The only way we’re going to find out guys is if Dolly puts him as a starter to see what he can actually do because seeing him in the last 15 20 minutes is just I don’t know That’s just the reality Oh yeah Of course you need to just see what this You need to give him a whole half and see what he can do But if you look at his if you look at his goal package dating back to when he was a young teenager toka to Orlando now I mean they’re goals that completely flip the momentum because they come out of nowhere You you hit him 30 yards outside the box he takes a few touches in and rips it top He’s got he’s got a rocket on the left foot man And a team like us who we struggle to find chances sometimes we just knock the ball around We need that guy who’s just going to take it Yeah And so what if he misses we we win a corner You hit the bar You a deflection No I agree I agree I I I I’ve been a proponent proponent of the natural wingers for many years now I I I don’t like this having three central midfielders and two central midfielders wide Like it it doesn’t do anything for us Yeah It’s too slow But two I’m going to praise I haven’t praised Aliage for a long time Not just because results but you got to play wingers on the left and right side He’s at least doing that Yes With Pedestri Mario Pasich on the right side whatever He finally against the Czech Republic Sorry I’m calling him Czech Republic Against Czecha he finally finally finally played Kamaric as a supporting striker behind the number nine And guess what how many goals did Kamaric score today against Czecha two Two right two goals played well because that’s where he plays in his career That’s where he plays for Hoffenheim And I remember Dollalich a couple years ago goes I’m going to play my players where I need to play him End of story I’m like no if I’m like a a good winger you’re not going to put me 5’8 in goal right it doesn’t make sense Play people where they’re strong their strong suit at So I want you guys I want you guys to tell me like coaches when we win they don’t get any love You the coaches only get hate when they lose But where do you rank Dali in his strategy with putting Kamic there um you know Perisic is healthy and then Kovichic is hurt We’ll talk about Kovichic in a second but where do you rank Dalich’s play this week and in his strategy i mean there are only two things that I would change about the entire week I think Jabbr whoever he started it didn’t matter All we needed was a result Um I would have liked to see Vushkovic there and I also would have liked to see Wkovich when we were up 3-1 or 4-1 or like in the 70th minute I think that would have been fun and good for him too And the only other change I would have made was putting Mico Pashich on the wing instead of Mario I love Mario as a super sub He’s proven time and time again against Spain against Denmark in the Nations League that he can score off the bench and you do need those guys And I’m glad we have Ivanovic now to do that too But outside of that I don’t think there’s a single other change I’m making today Listen Mario Partich is an amazing utility player You could put him anywhere and he’s going to do a solid job He’s just not a winger That’s all He’s your He’s your He’s your Kik Hernandez He’s the guy He could play any of the three midfield positions He could play wide if you need him to but uh you know before the issue was we would play Karamic himself up top and then you had Modric Kova in the middle and neither of them were were supporting the striker So you had like a huge gap there and that was always the issue but when you have Karama running off Buddhy it’s a totally different totally different scenario I I also always wondered why when we had our our Trident why Modric didn’t play as a true 10 because we didn’t need him to be playing in eight position when we had it’s almost like they had Kova up there but he would naturally just like always come back for the ball Yeah you put up there And that’s the good thing about even a guy like Lucasuch He he he gets between the lines like he finds that space between the defense and the midfield where Kova is always coming back for that ball and wanting to do those little touches Occasionally he does that run where he beats somebody and makes some space but he he does not do a great job getting between the lines offensively And then when he does get it he doesn’t have a shot He has no shot outside the box So he’s not a threat in in that way but he he can play a final pass Yeah And to be to be fair to Kov he’s very good at what he does and he’s very good at being kind of the the mediator in the middle but it it just doesn’t fit our system because we have too many guys who are just like that Yeah And and we talked a little bit about um Such in the midfield today He he he did a great job I mean the I feel like the the balance was just there It was just it it it worked you know Well yeah This summer marks a new beginning for our midfield We have Sushi going to enter We have Lucas winning MVP as Sociad maybe on the trade block Who knows and then you have Betina suiting up to make a $25 million move Those are three guys who are probably going to be starters in the future And I think this is great to have Moldri with them and maybe have Kovichic sit out a few games to give them some run I would have liked to see Batina a little more actually too I think I think the look unpopular opinion and and I get grilled for this but I’m right and you guys can all just suck it But look we played we played with the six with Brovich for so long He was at anchor CDM number six and then we played with Modric and Kovachic as that Trident eight for too long and that takes away a true 10 role Now what happened is Such played that six today Modric played that eight and who played that 10 who can help the the striker kmanich in his natural role And look look how much more fluid our our our offense looked here Here’s my hot take Here’s my hot take for the week While Modric is still on the field for our beloved Vatrene Kovacic takes away from our team and I’m going to always stand by that Kovacic is going to be our midfielder when Modric retires I’m fine with that But you don’t need to play them together I’ve been saying this for for 10 years now We’re a better team with Modric but minus Kovachic Yeah but once Kovachic is healthy that he’s gonna play That’s just what it is It’s a seniority thing If I was the coach Yeah but I’m just that’s just how that’s of course I know this that’s how works I know But then look are you gonna are you going to play Suicide in the middle then honestly it probably depends on the game because I remember like for different games would have a different strategy you know they they look at the weaknesses of their team Analytics goes a lot now into football So they look at where the weaknesses are where they can maybe expose but um I mean Kovichic listen he’s a good player He’s a great player He’s played for big clubs He’s got a lot of experience now But uh I don’t know I I’m just I just I just think that we have better balance when he’s not on the pitch That’s all I agree You have to remember he’s he’s hardly an eight He’s a 6.5 Cuz let’s say let’s say you have Koich on the pitch now right and let’s say he starts with Motoic Then one of those guys got to go that play Then you take you moved to the right Let’s say Yeah exactly So to the right and he’s not a winger So then again we did this Yeah I hated it You know why you have to look I looked at analytics and all that [ __ ] Whatever you in against good teams you have to figure out a way to score two goals in a game Two that’s the money That’s that’s the money You can’t score a goal and win one nil You can’t go behind one goal and then do all this Like we we got very lucky in infinite penalty kicks but it shouldn’t have gone that way for that many tournaments That’s that’s a different debate But you we have to score goals and we look good today We look fluid and we look hungry And that’s what I love I don’t know if you guys noticed that Pettisu started on the right hand side Did you guys notice that but then he kept flipping anyways He flipped It wasn’t working and then they pushed him cuz I think the thought was to push Vardial forward on the left and be that danger on the left side Right But it wasn’t working So then he switched pices to the left But he switched them quick though Yeah it wasn’t working It wasn’t switch them quick But what go I’m gonna leave this I’m gonna leave this here and don’t grill me but these are just the stats and I know years have passed but today we beat Czecha 5 to one right okay we have 61% possession and we double them in passes when we tied them in the Euro Kovichic was starting tied same amount of passes completed and we lost the possession battle we had 61% possession today without Kovichic on the field with a young such I love Kovichic I think he’s an amazing player I love watching him play for City But going back to Euro Euro 2020 21 21 and I know it’s a different team and everything but because we we played them Euro 2016 in France That was the 22 That was the the the the flare incident The flare game Yeah I’m talking about 2020 in wherever that was That was a draw We drew him Yeah we drew him 1-1 and we lost possession back Scored that game too Yeah Pedic goal that game Yeah you kept us in the EO pretty much I’m just look I’ve been I get grilled I think I get grilled by the average fans that don’t know what’s going on around here It’s like we have to play with the true 10 or that or that supporting striker to Budir and who’s a great supporting striker Andre Kamaric He he looked so good today He looked fluid He looked like he was at home today He’s not a right winger Don’t play him there I think Dalich is learning that that that he has to play with two wingers and that he knows he’s never going to play a 352 again Three in the back is gone And you have to you have to kind of figure out in world football like our weakness is getting caught on counters So it’s like you need to you need to we can’t just play possession ball all the time I think these these big teams have figured out just hit us on the counter and we there’s nothing for us to do and that’s why we haven’t been that great for the past couple years Well that’s what I think I mean that’s why you see us coming into the game so cautiously usually I mean today I felt like the first 10 told them “Go [ __ ] score You know we’re at home Go.” And you could you could you could feel that like we were pushing you know where usually it’s a very cautious first 10 15 minutes feeling each other out and and then usually we get scored on first and then we got to come back and then we start playing then we start playing I know but it’s like hey guys we’re down one nil it’s the first minute go I mean we see what we can do like I would rather have us just go and score as many goals as possible like we did today We we can do that and we have a good enough defense to to contain other teams usually I mean when you play against top top teams it’s difficult because they have several attacking uh dangers you know but uh and the key to going far in international football is breaking teams and that’s something that we don’t do because when we score we sit back but today we didn’t I mean you see reach up on the top of the box when he doesn’t have to be feeding Kovnich to make it 5-1 We broke check today Well that’s wide open That’s one thing that I haven’t seen from us is is after scoring like we kept pushing and kept trying to score We’re and we’re we’re even we’re I was watching the game We’re up 4-1 and we’re still pressing them in their own box I’m like this is this is what we need Who who got smarter though is that a dollarish thing going look we’re better than this team Go score three or four goals Go Normally normally we’d go up one goal and then we we’d sit back and we’d let the other team come at us and that that was kind of the norm But today I felt like we kept the possession We kept pushing forward you know and if if we did that against France in the League of Nations maybe we scored three or four against them in split Yeah We kept the possession while also putting 11 shots on target I feel like 11 shots on target is not pretty common for us And that’s a lot It’s a lot Yeah I’m glad I’m glad I’m glad we didn’t get past France I know people are going to hate me for that but I’m glad we got this group for World Cup qualifying because if we beat France we’re not beating Spain no chance in the Nations League semi-finals Agree or disagree guys I mean Spain would definitely be the favorite but uh yeah you’re you’re running for office my friend You’re running for office Spain Spain Look I mean I know Portugal won it in penalty kicks but this Spain team is wild And they’re playing with basically two two teenagers on on their wings which is amazing Two world class teenagers Like that’s that’s unreal No Spain Spain is spoiled right now I I could talk about that team all day long I hate playing them but I love watching them To your point for the record you put us against a good team you never know what’s going to happen But true I do like this group I do like this group Croatia can beat the best and we can lose to the worst Yeah we played our We played to level most of the time Spain’s been our Spain’s been our daddy We beat him in group stage at 2016 in Bordeaux We were there Besides that it’s been Spain Spain Spain Spain until until we had Tin Yedvi on that magical night in in Zagre with the two goals I remember that No the four the 4-3 game at that was a league of nations right league of stage game I’m talking about tournament ball I’m talking about tournament ball Look this is my thing I need to protect our World Cup This is the North American World Cup Canada US Mexico Get us in there No [ __ ] I don’t want to deal with Ukraine I don’t want to deal with Azar Bajan I don’t Give us this group We won today That’s huge Who i don’t care about a Nations League semi-final Get us to the promised land Rest our guys Res Modric Perisic Budir all those guys That’s all I give a [ __ ] about That’s all Ante Clark cares about I don’t care about Nations League Yep I agree Okay It’s going to be I mean these two games were like I said a statement game and if we can continue and finish first I mean it’s going to be exciting to see what what we could bring in the World Cup with this team We have a a very good defense in my opinion and it’s it’s hard it’s hard to believe but we we gained some international recognition today too I mean we had Pettis each player of the round 70 victory then a 5-1 victory while teams like Belgium Italy are struggling you know I mean this kind of puts us on the on the map And I saw in the I don’t really know how it works but the coefficient thing we I think we bumped over Italy for number 10 And we need to be in the top 11 right now I believe I I believe we bumped up to number I want to say number 10 10 10 I saw that Yeah we jumped We need to be in the top nine to be a pot one team And now the odds are heavily in our favor There’s going to be 12 groups of four Yeah So top 12 No Well US Mexico Canada I think we’ll get seeds I still don’t know why I still don’t know why they expanded to 48 Like how I mean mad that they expanded Euro from 16 to 24 It’s it’s in my opinion it’s it was perfect the way it was 32 two teams go through you go to 16 It just made sense I mean what are we going to do in two World Cups on 72 teams It’s like it’s getting crazy Do you do you guys know how it’s working with 48 teams are we doing top two advance plus a few third place teams yeah Go to a round of go to a round of 32 So you might see teams like Tunisia or like Sagal or just playing in the round of 16 Yeah It’s it’s weird man I don’t I don’t like it I don’t like it so watered down Are we shocked are we shocked by this nope I mean Saudi Arabia got the 2034 World Cup Are we shocked by that anymore not Nobody’s shocked The Wild Wild West it’s all it’s all [ __ ] Like give Australia a World Cup And the Europeans are probably just as pissed that the United States and Canada are getting a World Cup Like come on We’re do Mexico I think that’s that’s super fun We’re do one I’m You know where everyone’s pissed i was watching uh Sky the other day They’re like another World Cup where we can’t go and drink beer Thanks everybody Really really appreciate it It’s going to be a great fan experience You know what I mean like that’s part of bad I mean g giving those are not real football countries and you’re giving them two within what four World Cups That’s it’s such [ __ ] It’s such an eye roll It’s such I know It’s such an obvious eye roll It is such an obvious eye roll But I mean what are you gonna do listen as long as Croatia’s there we’re gonna we’re gonna we’re gonna cheer for them and hope they do the best And I’m I’m actually pumped for this team because we have a real pointman This is the first pointman striker that we had since Mjuk has left Can we agree on that yep I feel like we also have a good mix of youth and experience right now too Look at our back line with Shutoard Oanic I mean those are all young players Guys Yep They’re not even near their peaks yet No no Our backline’s very young And I almost want to say that our back n skill-wise is better than it was in 2018 Obviously not in terms of veteran status Va Vita was never skillful with the ball He was a hard worker He was a good defender but with the ball no Yeah but you look at like Ivon Strenich too Like he was a magician in the World Cup but can you name one one thing he did with his club no I mean he listen he was good with Haiduk He went he went to Ukraine for a while then he came to Napoli I mean he listen the guy didn’t have a great career but he was the best left back that we had Oh and he was and he was like he was amazing He was phenomenal in the World Cup He was great Perfect Yeah I mean a lot of people were saying that he shouldn’t start but listen Dolly went with him and he and and and it paid off Mhm He went to the World Cup final with Loen and Va as our center backs Like you know what I mean like if if you would have told me that in 2016 listen had an amazing World Cup Amazing Oh yeah You won a championship Yeah He was also he was also he was moving at that point in his career man He was playing good for Liverpool those few years calling himself the best center back in the world He he had a little bit a little bit of a reason to say that Look had a good career I mean he had some unfortunate bloopers at Liverpool but overall I mean you look at his you look at his uh the teams that he played for and what he did with the national team he had a great career Oh yeah Phenomenal I mean all of our guys have like Croatians are are a commodity on the world footballing market We we know that But like you you guys are talking about 2018 right now and it’s like it doesn’t matter if you have subpar players or average players like look we’ve all played competitive sports at different levels Momentum in a locker room and momentum with the team is a real thing and I think we’re catching real momentum right now and that’s why this game today against uh Czecha was a big deal People know it’s Pesich’s last song Yeah it’s Bodic’s last song and I think we have the right components at least people are playing in the right spots and I think once we qualify depending on the group and everything there’s going to be a lot of emotion with it And I think the US is it’s a sexy World Cup because people will come from Europe right it’s a whether you’re in New York or you know Miami or LA or whatever it is I think the Croatians will will come out for it And it’s like like I’ve said this from from three years for three years Christian you were with me at at the Rose Bowl three years ago And I’m like Modric see you back in LA in 2026 And he goes “Ah you know that was pretty amazing that you called that out cuz I would have said first like 99% There’s no way.” He said “I go pretty It’s pretty crazy.” Oh but it wasn’t it wasn’t just what he said It was his his body language the way he kind of smirked like we we walked out of the Rose Bowl and we we knew he was playing in I haven’t doubted that he was going to play in 2026 since that moment That was a great interview Classic if you even want to call it That was a run and gun like to the bus Like that was you don’t you don’t get time with him That’s really cool I mean you you got to give him credit That’s really cool that he stopped You know he’s magic That’s what I was going to say He’s magical because he’s not just a football player He knows who he is and he he made time with all the kids that ran on to Opus today taking pictures like Yeah he’s he’s ringing out every drop out of his you know out of his out of his you know his his rag right now And I think there’s something to be said for his his Yeah I’m wondering I mean we’re all wondering what what his next step’s going to be It’s going to be interesting to see movies You know is it is it gonna be MLS i know David Beckham’s been trying to get into Miami I thought Milan just about they’re gonna they’re going to announce it this week Yeah I mean Milan Milan’s what their president traveled to OAK to go Listen guys until he signs it’s all rumors That’s I’ve learned this a long time ago Until you see that guy holding the shirt at the press conference it’s all talk I’d bet you want to bet you want to bet a six-ack of spatan I think I think Valon’s done deal We’ll see We’ll see He’s going where which jersey does he put on in in in a month’s time what’s your prediction if it was a done deal he would have said “I’m going to Milan.” Why why didn’t he say it because he’s with the Croian Because he’s with the Croian team He has too He doesn’t want him to be uh uh to to distract him He could have said he could have said “I made my decision I’ll announce it later.” But he didn’t So he’s also He’s also He also has the Club World Cup ahead of him He He still has a few more games with Madrid He does What’s this it’s 32 teams Club World Cup Well well the first place he gets a lot of money Like they’re trying to make this uh a big deal I know but Barcelona is not playing in it Why why not you tell me I don’t know How do you not I don’t know Um Listen correct me if it Christian You’re my You’re my Tony Reality Check Chef I don’t think Barcelona’s playing in it Yeah let me double check Let’s check the teams Why Why wouldn’t they maybe did they win anything last year maybe Yeah they won La Liga They won La So So So why why wouldn’t they be here then they finished They went to the semis of Champions League Yeah they they are not there Meanwhile Meanwhile you have Dortmund Atletico I know Atletico Madrid Atletico Madrid Yeah Atletico is there Real is there This club World Cup will not have Barcelona in it And then and then you have and then you have the Seattle Sounders Imagine Seattle Sounders beats PSG for the Club World Cup in 2025 Yay Yeah we we we’ll see I I don’t know What am I missing see you guys didn’t even know that I saw that I did I I did not Honestly I didn’t know that Barcelona wasn’t in it I don’t know what the qualifications are Okay Google AI is telling me they failed to meet tournament qualification criteria Their performance in the UEFA Champions League between 2021 and 24 was insufficient to secure a spot and they didn’t rank high enough in the UEFA club coefficient Additionally FIFA’s rule limiting each company or each country to two reps Okay Yeah So they took Real Atletico because of which is insane given the season that Barcelon Bara that makes no sense Well done guys Well I’m gonna go watch Al Al Jihad and Pachuka play at the Rose Bowl Awesome I can’t wait Can’t wait Can’t wait Look guys I think um I think today was a a big game because it would if we tied or lost you know how the boards go Disaster fire dalic game over whatever We we played with offensive prowess I think we’re going to go in with good juju We have Pharaoh Islands and and Sinagora in Montenegro in September We we got to take those six points and secure the group That’s it secure the group and then you could play your young guys in November Let’s not get ahead of ourselves But I think like I said momentum is a real thing Remember that summer of 2018 that that that winter of 2022 it’s like uh Gary Yeah Just kind of scary Like [ __ ] you know like like like the like the Albanian the Italy game where like where we all feel we don’t say it but we just like god damn it just kick the [ __ ] ball into the into the 50th row But was there even when Czecha scored today did you I I didn’t feel worried like I normally do I I kind of had a feeling that that we were going to come back I mean we were playing way my my mind started my mind already started going well even if we tie 1-1 I mean it’s you know like you start thinking things but I mean thinking things literally two minutes after Bid got fouled We got the penalty and then then we’re back on track and it was great to see us just turn on that switch Let’s go get the goal right away Hey I’m sorry We should have had one or two penalties in the first half No I was just I was just going to say that refereeing was dog [ __ ] at best I mean it’s also the bar room right like Pash I think that was questionable Maybe he got pushed in the box on that cross like Yeah he picked he picked the guy offside or something like that But that was that was an unbelievable call Unbelievable I like when Guardiola scores it It makes me feel good about myself when he scores You know what I mean oh yeah I mean part of the old pound-for-pound is our best player and we’re not talking enough about him because we haven’t had to Who’s our best player on paper today take age out of the equation We have to We didn’t mention that Mo just did I mean that was magic He waited and waited I mean that was I had to watch it like five times like how did he he looked Brazilian on that play He just it was it was a great run from Kama but I mean just the timing of the pass was no perfect when he was making that turn it was like he was drawing up the play in his head before it happened It was like he’s a football like looking at all of a sudden Kamage has the ball I’m like how I know And also I mean we don’t also talk enough about how good of a finisher Kamarich has been for us Like I slack he’s so good for us He is so good for us You have to give him huge credit I mean the timing of the run was perfect but more than just executed that I mean you can’t play a better pass How how look we’ll [ __ ] and moan when we tie or lose We’re happy when we when we win How lucky are we the three of us and every other Croatian on planet Earth that Modic is 39 Pedeshuch is 36 u that we get to see these guys this late in their career They should have they should have retired in 2018 and called it and we still get these magical moments from them like like good for them and good for us Like everyone win wins on this one I thought I saw through that today that Mocha’s debut was in 2006 and Bushkovic was born in 2007 He’s the first player to debut for Croatia since that wasn’t born when Luka That’s just crazy that Modic played for Croatia before this guy was born Isn’t that nuts that’s it’s hard it’s hard to comprehend 2005 like and and then like these young guys when you’re in let’s say they’re you they’re in New York or Miami wherever in the locker room and and you have Bushkovic will come to the we’ll talk about Vushkovich in a second We we haven’t gi given him enough love And you’re you’re you know the such cousins your Burina you’re you’re Ivanovic You know that you’re in the locker room for Pisichers and Modric’s last tournament You think you’re not running through walls for them when you’re on the pitch You’re going to give 110 120% You’re going to give everything you know and that’s what I don’t know I just feel like when our national team gets together I honestly think like they all look forward to getting together and hanging out where other teams the club is first Yeah And that that’s part of the reason why I think that we’ve had the results that we have because because of that bond that the team has I don’t think there I don’t think there are any signs of bad blood on this roster right now And I think you could kind of feel it after World Cup 2018 but I I don’t feel any bad blood between any of these guys And they know they know their place A lot of these guys know their place Yeah No I I think Dollage has done a great job I mean uh I think the team morale is great I think the the energy is great I’m just look I’m really looking forward to seeing how we finish qualifying and obviously how we’re going to look in the World Cup You know it’s it’s exciting I mean I mean look can can we agree that we’ll uh we’ll beat Jialter one more time and we’ll beat the Pharaoh Islands but you know Haiduk played a club from the Pharaoh Islands and they didn’t they didn’t do too great Uh why you got to go there man it was brutal It’s not nice We were we said we were going past Haiduk I know I could It was a Pharaoh Islands reference There’s only so many things I can connect with the Pharaoh Islands What kind of datas are you man that was such a Marcus bad datina It’s a bad one Such a Marcus line right there Oh I can’t wait to bring Marcus on so you guys can just Buddha it up What’s his issue on on why does he not like Buddhir i don’t know man He asked him He wanted him off at the half You got to ask him I mean he says he says that he doesn’t play pretty football But that’s kind of part of knowing your role is you just sit there and you you tap it in Just like in hockey you sit in front of the crease and you tap tap pucks in To be the prettiest player to score Yeah He’s our bruiser He’s our aerial was okay I’m I’m not comparing Bulimir to Mjukich by any means but was Mukich a pretty football player no not really No he he he wasn’t great technically Mukich misplaced a lot of passes I mean he was a little bit acrobatic but he wasn’t he wasn’t going to dribble three guys No he he wasn’t a very skillful player but I mean the the pressing and the fighting and the I mean the guy all around was an amazing player and and that’s why he played for you know Bayern Atletico Madrid Juventus I mean you don’t just get to those clubs because you’re talented You get to those clubs because you’re a great player And I know that u Let me call Jordan Pikford and see what he thinks about Mandukich right now Uhuh Yeah Yeah He He scored that one with his foot not not with his head He scored that one with his foot to put us in the World Cup final Zordic god damn it You were there that you said what that week that week besides having your getting married and your kids meeting my wife It was it was it was it was I mean obviously and my children I mean it was it’s unforgettable I mean walking around Moscow knowing that you’re in a World Cup final that you have a chance to to win a World Cup I mean it was it was incredible just that feeling you know I mean it’s the greatest it’s the greatest achievement in all of sports and we had Domy vido and Mario Mjuk each propel propel us there so how lucky are we how lucky was an amazing I mean that game against England was was incredible to be at that game and to and to watch us come back from being down and to and to win in overtime you got you gota you got to remember I think it was peich that had the assist he subbed in for yeah Yeah everyone But when I talked to Shuka a few times a few years ago and and I never understood this I was like “Yeah that’s kind of a lazy response.” He goes “To win a tournament to win a Champions League to win a World Cup a Euro there is 10% luck Some stuff has to go your way as opposed to going away from it.” And that tournament things went our way Penalty kick shootouts I mean except for the referee in the final but that’s that’s not luck That’s like that’s that’s that’s something else Well that’s that’s uh that’s politics That’s that’s that’s that’s Vegas bookie politics right there But for for another day But look guys I’m Look we never get together on these calls where everyone’s happy I think this is the the first time ever Well I mean how you not going to be happy when you score 12 goals in two games i mean you’re going to be happy I Dude every every single comment you see flooding in right now is is just joy And I love days like this This is why we’re here This is what we do it for The thing is we have to keep it going You know something dumb happens and you lose to Sagod or something like that Then it then it all then it all just wipes away just like that That’s it You’re only as good as your last game That’s just that’s just the reality you know But Dolly said it best at the press conference today He’s like “Oh you guys are all happy with the result and everything I don’t get any praise The players get the praise but if we lose you guys all come and play me don’t you?” And it’s like that’s that’s the job It’s it’s it’s the truth But I mean look I this is definitely his his last tournament Yes I mean his I think so Yeah I think I think he’ll be moving on with Modric and Perisic and Well does Karama and Ble are they done as well i don’t know I don’t know I mean they’re 34 If they really want to push they could play one more tournament you know We’ll see I think I think Peshi should know that they should retiring That’s my opinion I mean I don’t see why they wouldn’t especially if we make it out of the group Unless Peshic wants to chase that shuket record you know Question for both Hot take question Yeah What are the chances give me the number percentage chance that Modric plays past the World Cup for us Listen I mean he’s not that far from the 200 caps right he’s really not that far So I mean I I honestly I think retired after 2018 and that was seven years ago and he’s still playing So are we counting are we counting a Nations League cap in Zagab just as like a goodbye or are we counting he he competes a full campaign oh I see what you’re saying That’s they probably will do that as a goodbye in Zagab How many How many caps is he at right now i think he’s at 175 180 because I mean how many more how many more games do we have in qualifying another what five six I don’t even know Uh we have six more Okay And then the World Cup that’s another plus friendlies We’ll have two friendlies He is 188 He he could get there with the World Cup Wow He’d have to make the He’d have to make like the round of 16 I think I’d love I’d love to see him get to 200 honestly No no no no He He does not need to make a round of 16 Yeah Look six more Six more Uh this we’re going to play after the qualifying We’re going to play a few also Yeah Oh if only we beat If only we beat France and played some more nations league games aren’t they maybe he with mic You just don’t know cuz I feel like as long as he feels good I think he’s going to be playing for Persian What if he goes to Milan and he has and he starts because they just sold one of their best midfielders I want to say to Man City What if he starts plays great and city and Milan does a Madrid and and signs him to another year then why why wouldn’t he play we all thought that Madrid was going to stop signing him in what 2021 22 four years ago which is one year one year One year one year and now look at where he is He scored the best goal of his Real Madrid career was that chess half volley from 30 yards out that happened four months ago was beautiful The pass today that pass like that’s a pass that’s that’s a pass that ordinary players don’t make No guys We’re talking about the most trophy player at the at the biggest club in the world We’re not talking about a regular player This guy is special Yeah I often wonder when when thinking about my favorite players and teams how people and bystanders view them And I almost think that because we look so closely at Modric we almost underappreciate his Madrid career and and everything that he did for them It’ll it’ll it’ll it’ll be sad when he goes “Hey this is my last tournament.” like I’ll I’ll definitely tear up because we’re so close in age and like that’s when I started the website and like he was our talisman and like it it’s definitely the end of an era But I knew he was special the first time we went to Rose Bowls Real Madrid ace Milan or something like that in the in the friendly where these Latino guys had Croatian checker Modric and I’m like that’s something you don’t see Only Croatians wear checkers You’re in now Los Angeles 100,000 people at the Rose Bowl and you have these these dudes that for Real Madrid wearing checkers That’s special You had non-Croatian six-year-olds with signs in Croatian asking him for his dress asking him for a picture I mean I I was like looking at that and I was like you’ve got to be kidding me That’s Listen those kids are smart They saw what works Those are opportunists True True It’s all business What do you What do you know about signatures and and uh and and game worn jerseys oh man you got a few behind you I’ve got a few I’ve got a few You got you got a great collection All right look Hey I don’t say this a lot but the consensus we’re all happy Uh plus 11 goal differential two wins one against Czecha They go into the summer break They’re all going to be ripping cigarettes on on the Stradun and you know next week And uh good for them good for us But uh Christian Zoric closing remarks Christian go ahead bud I mean I’m so happy after these two games When is it when is it that you get to see the Vine score 12 goals in two games you know how much I love these players I know how much you love these players I mean it’s just it’s just great to see your favorite players score and assist each other And you just got to soak in these moments man We’re only going to have Modric for so long on the pitch Hopefully he becomes a coach or a part of a part of the savas afterwards but you know you just got to soak it in and enjoy it I know it’s just checking I know it’s just Gibralar when we’re talking footy but you just got to soak it in and enjoy it and smile and yeah Pesich Modric all the old guys It’s a good way to go out the way that they’re playing right now And I hope that this continues throughout the World Cup So yeah So what are you always opinionated on i think I think this podcast has been long overdue my friend We could do one every week if you want Oh yeah I’m here I’m here I mean we should at least do them after the Croatia games you know All right See you guys in September [Music] See you guys in September We should we should do one about the Hanelo Oh yeah Am I allowed to say the the H word i mean we we have to give we have to give the a huge credit for having smaller budgets than both Dynamo and Haiduk and winning two trophies So uh congrats to sold sold Marco Pashalich They sold Ivanovic They sold they sold that defender Galashic I think to DO as well Galesic So they lost and and they just kept pumping players who were producing I mean we didn’t even get a chance to talk about Tony Fuk which I’m sure we will next episode when we talk about the Han Yeah I mean hopefully we’ll get to see him you know Let’s do an H&L episode Hanell episode Who we going Who we bringing on christian you got a you got a wild card up your sleeve Yeah Yeah We’re going to be bringing on Croatian footy Croatian football on Twitter Super super great page if you’re not following Where is uh I want to say I want to say Spleuth or I know somewhere somewhere in Croatia He’ll be he’ll be he’ll be super cool guy Great football knowledge Bring Bring him on Bring him on We’ll do We’ll do a Haiduk show It’ll be called Hideuk Haiduk Haiduk Oh yeah I’m I’m excited I’m excited We We’ll bring Mark We’ll bring uh We’ll bring Marcus on Well it’ll be a Saturday night show It’ll be a good time But all right guys Let’s get out of here Christian always a pleasure Zoric always a pleasure Apologies We didn’t have additional time for Marcus and Ant Buddhir But we’ll do better next time guys Uh a great week for Croatian uh football Two huge wins Jialter Czecha and uh everyone out there have a great summer break if you’re going back to the Domovina and uh we’ll see you guys soon for the for the Haiduk Haiduk Haiduk episode Right Zo let’s do it All right guys Good night Bring your popcorn for that one All right guys We’ll do better next time Adios
1 Comment
Česi su donijeli nogomet u Hrvatsku prije 100 i nešto godina.