Cup Finals Galore

Besides the Russian flavored UEFA cup final, the second leg of Croatian Cup final was also played today, albeit with much more discretion and a lot less overall quality involved.

As Dinamo went into the match with a 3:0 advantage, it was pretty much a routine 90 minutes of football. “Enriched” of course by three red cards and ugly scenes aplenty, but one comes to expect this kind of “entertainment” when these 2 sides meet. Of course, with all these fights and cards sprawling around, no one actually had time to go and score a single goal. Also, with a farewell to Maksimir last week, Luka Modric has officially played his last game in a Dinamo shirt. His farewell scenario? Winning a domestic double and celebrating it in your arch rivals back yard. He should’ve played the lottery today to cap it all off.

Our rebel with a cause, Ivica Krizanac, played a solid match in his club’s historic victory over Rangers in this night’s UEFA Cup final.

His performance aside, there was perhaps something symbolic in the way Krizanac wielded the Croatian flag after the final whistle had been blown. A gesture to Bilic or simply a display of one man’s passion for his country? I’ll go for the latter, there’s plenty of mind games tossed around on this side of the Balkans anyway. A big congratulations to Ivica, and hopefully we’ll see him in our NT jersey soon enough. Credit of course to team Zenit as well, a victory well deserved.

Russia on the other hand, owes Croatia another one. Besides beating that one special country and booking them the trip to EURO’s, we’ve also provided them with a solid and reliable centre-back in the shape of Ivica Krizanac. I expect an oil rig named “Ivica” or “Slaven” making the headlines sooner or later.