CROATIA AT EUROPEAN FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Three silhouettes in national colours on our commemorative postage stamp as if symbolising the three participations of Croatian football team at European championships so far. We can even identify them closer and match them with the three actual players: Davor Šuker, Dado Prša and Luka Modrić as leaders of their generations. Croats participated for the first time at EURO 1996 in England. They represented a real refreshment and enrichment of the “old” continental scene in football’s and player’s sense of the world, but also regarding their appearance and colours. The team led by the charismatic coach Miroslav Ćiro Blažević qualified for the quarter finals. The so called Vatreni (ardent, zealous and spirited) won in their group against Turkey (1: 0) and Denmark (3: 0), and lost from Portugal (0: 3). Especially resounded their triumph over at that time European champions, the Danes. It is also remembered by Šuker’s anthological goal, scored by lobbing the gigantic goal-keeper Peter Schmeichel. In quarter finals our team lost from the final winner – Germany (1: 2), partly due also to unfair judging of the Swedish judge. In the cradle of football the Croats gained sympathies because of their football skill and together with their fans also because of colourful red-white square clothing and other symbols. Especially in demand were the caps – had we brought instead of just about a hundred even 5000 all of them would have sold! The generation with the team captain Zvonimir Boban, known also under the nickname “Chilean“ and after the World championship in 1998 also as the „bronze team“, did not qualify for the EURO 2000 in Belgium and Netherlands. At EURO 2004 in Portugal the selector Otto Barić and his leading players, Dado Pršo, brothers Kovač, Igor Tudor..., stumbled in their group. A thin draw with Switzerland (0: 0) and a brilliant and promising one with France (2: 2) were followed however by the stunning defeat from the English (2: 4) with Wayne Rooney playing the major role. At EURO 2008 in Austria and Switzerland – sometimes it seemed we were playing in Zagreb or Split and not in Graz or Vienna – so many of our fans were there, overwhelming the host cities. The selector Slaven Bilić has led his enthusiastic „boys“ with maximum efficiency through the first phase. He cooled down the hosts – Austrians (1: 0), let down the triple European champions, the Germans (2: 1) and won easily with his reserve team the formal play with the Poles (2: 0). And then, there was that famous, unparalleled quarter-final match with Turkey. There were seconds dividing Stipe Pletikosa, Luka Modrić, Darijo Srna, Vedran Čorluka, Ivica Olić and other Vatreni from the semi-final. However, the Turks aned the leading goal by Klasnić from minute 119 in the very last moments of the extra-time and then won our shocked heroes on penalties (1: 3). It was with Turkey that this generation unluckily terminated the EURO four years ago and it was with Turkey that it successfully ended the qualifications for EURO 2012 in playoff (3: 0) in Istanbul and 0: 0 in Zagreb. These were the qualifications with many oscillations and many downs – 0: 1 with Georgia in Tbilisi and 0: 2 with Greece in Athens. And now we are at the EURO 2012 in Poland and Ukraine, in the final phase of the tournament that the experts with reason consider better in quality than the world Championship. Here there are no weak or “strayed” teams. The rivals in the group are Ireland, Italy and Spain. With the ambitious Irish led by the experienced Italian strategist Giovanni Trapattoni, the game can be even harder than with Azzuri or Furia since, as we know from experience, Vatreni play better against expensive “brands” like Gianluigi Buffon, Andrea Pirlo and Antonio Cassano in redesigned Italian selection or against Iker Casillas, Carles Puyol, Xavi and Iniesta - Spanish aces satiated with trophies. The Bilić-boys, reinforced also through bitter experiences and on wings of the captain Darijo Srna and the phantasist Luka Modrić love such challenges. The Spaniards are title defenders and main favourites and the Germans rightfully aspire toward their fourth trophy from EURO. And Croatia? Can it reach the medal or even go to the end? It would be less of a surprise than Danish crown in 1992 or Greek in 2004. However, it is important for us to justify our reputation as a football nation and to present ourselves through bold and clever, skilful play. This is what we can and must do. Miroslav Rede