That’s All Folks

And what a heartbreak it was. I can’t even begin to describe the contrast of emotions I think every Croat went through within those two dying minutes. Absolute, close to perfect joy followed by the shattering disbelief and sadness. Some would say this is football, other would reply no, this is life. Either way, it’s the end of the road for us.

A quick glance back to our matches:
Well we didn’t exactly set the world alight on our first match did we? Much of the reason for this lies with the stubborn co-host side Austria, who despite picking up only a point proved to be one of the more pleasant tournament surprises. Despite not impressing, we held on to the early lead and grabbed the vital 3 points. With these 3 points in our pockets, we had absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain in our second group match, one against EURO contenders Germany. We again proved to be the thorn in German’s back, as our side outwitted and outplayed theirs throughout the 90 minutes. Bilic was hailed as the mastermind, as the changes he had made to our side brought instant result. We gambled but it payed off, and the prize was a trip to quarterfinals in Vienna. On our last group match, we introduced a completely new outfit, and despite that still managed to grab all three points, outplaying the uninspired Poland in the process. Yesterday’s match against Turkey was a dull affair to the neutral I imagine, except the eventual plot twist at the end of course.

You could see we had more quality all throughout, but perhaps the lack of experience in some of our players proved to be a breeding ground for fear and doubt as to whether fully control the match or not. There were oscillations in our play throughout the for quarters of the match, and with them both sides eventually appeared to be running the show. But given all this, we were the ones creating and squandering chances. Speaking of creating and squandering, a lot of people questioned exactly how much of an impact Eduardo’s absence will have on Croatia in this tournament.

Well, I imagine we got our answer served like cold dishes yesterday. Olic, for all his heroics throughout this tournament, was never to be our new Eduardo.

Ups and downs: I’d like to name a few players here. Rakitic was fantastic, especially given his age and inexperience in our NT. Always smooth and confident in possession, he was a constant performer down our left side in all the matches he featured in. He also linked well with Pranjic, who despite lacking in defense against Austria managed to pull out some great performances in the remaining matches. We’ve been lacking a real flesh&bone fullback ever since Robert Jarni retired back in 2002, and it seems we’ve finally found his natural successor. Full of energy, clever when linking with his teammates, and a great deliverer of the ball. With these 2 around, our left side looks set for years to come. Our centreback duo, Kovac & Simunic, also deserves a handsome praise. Their consistency was only matched by their experience and confidence when handling their assignments. Flawless in air, both of them.

Well now that I think of it, I should probably heap praise on each of our players. They were all dedicated and provided in equal measure to this quarterfinal reaching result. Credit to all of you.

And a tribute to our “cool” coach of course. A football expert, lawyer, musician, and above all a passionate and caring individual who’s presence alone makes you care. Though it’s wishful thinking that he’ll be around our NT forever, I do hope he stays on board for at least another qualifying cycle.

Summary
Well it’s been a hell of ride, that’s for sure. Looking in retrospective, this was a good tournament from our behalf, and we’ve done absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, quite contrary. The only thing that’s left though, beside the figures and numbers written down in UEFA’s diaries, is that agonizing mix of emotions which preceded our elimination. It would’ve been so much easier if we hadn’t scored lived through all that joy just seconds prior to conceding. I guess fate had one last card up it’s sleeve, and it proved to be one devoid of Croatian joy and happiness. I just hope that whichever nation fails to go all the way in this tournament, is denied the kind of twister of emotions we went through yesterday, be it exciting for the neutral or not.

Tomorrow?
Well there’s always the next qualifying cycle to look forward to, and we’re kicking off as early as this September. A perfect time to make a fresh start and leave behind what’s certain to be a summer full of “What If”s and “Why”s. This is still a generation in making, and if we’re to believe what we’ve seen through these last couple of weeks, these players have what it takes to be at the very top of the football food chain. Time, as well as healing all wounds, will yield the necessary experience to make the best of them, and we may yet see a repeat (or an improvement) of our Bronze 98′ generation.

As for me, well I’m off to “find Jesus” or however you call one’s personal goal to reinstate his belief and find out what the big picture is all about. Or on a more serious note, due to some circumstances I cannot devote enough time to make & maintain this blog on a sufficient quality level I’d like. Therefore I’d like to ask those enthusiasts among you with a passion for Croatian to step up in my modest shoes and make this blog worthy of the title “Fiery”. I’m sure there’s plenty of you out there who fit the bill perfectly. And if you have any questions regarding this, please do contact Daryl through: daryl[at]theoffside.com.

That’s all folks!