Euro 2008 LIVEBLOG: Croatia vs Germany

GROUP B	June 12th, 1800, CET, Klagenfurt (Austria)
Croatia 2 VS Germany 1 Srna 24′; Olic 62′   Podolski 79;

90+4 And that’s the game! 2-1 Croatia!! What a shock. They are ecstatic. Bilic is on the field and man-hugs are everywhere.

90+3 And now Modric sees yellow for taking down…um…a German player. (Sorry, I’m still typing up all the cards and didn’t see it.)

90+2 Our first red card of the tournament!!! Schweinsteiger is outta here! Retaliation on Leko. It was a bad, from-behind tackle from Leko that took down Schweinsteiger. And then Schweinsteiger flattens him. (Although it probably wasn’t as bad as Leko made it look.) Yellow for Leko, and then for Lehmann for the protest.

90+1 Three minutes of stoppage time. Croatia almost picks off another one! Petric up the left, sends it in to Modric who can’t get there. Lahm sends it out for a corner in what, if a couple of feet to the left, could have been a very painful own goal

90′ Free kick for Croatia for a foul I didn’t see. Modric sends it into the box, but Germany gets there first.

89′ Lahm tries for a give and go with Ballack, but it’s all give and no go as Ballack misses the pass.

The Podolski goal:

86′ Nervous moments in the Croatian box as Schweinsteiger goes down. No foul, no call. Croatia immediately takes it back up the field, where Odonkor and a Croatian player battle around the corner flag. It goes out for a Croatian throw. Then almost immediately out for a Germany throw.

84′ Germany has come alive at last. They’re in attack mode and could actually pull out a draw. Croatia is looking a bit rattled. Kuranyi sends a ball on the ground up the middle, and Pletikosa has to come off his like to collect it. Knezevic on, Kranjcar off for Croatia.

82′ Another sweaty palms moment for Lehmann. Pranjic comes charging up the left, dodges into the box and looks dangerous. But Lehman and the defender handle it well, and Lehmann’s able to snatch the ball away from his feet.

81′ Game on! Kuranyi on, Fritz off for Germany.

79′ GOAL!!!!! Podolski!!! Germany grabs one back. They’ve dominated possession in the past couple of minutes, and this was starting to look inevitable. Srna off, Leko on for Croatia.

77′ Germany gets another good chance, coming up the left, but Croatia clears it.

Here’s the video of the Olic goal.

76′ Kranjcar takes the free kick low and hard, and Lehmann has to dive for it, but gets to it.

75′ Ballack gets yellow for taking out Rakitic at the ankles with his studs. Rakitic is down and hurting.

74′ Germany gets a chance, but the whistle blows. Didn’t see the foul.

73′ Schweinsteiger sends a pretty ball just across the face of the goal, maybe foot or two in front of the line. One little tap and it would have gone in, but nobody there. Out for a corner, which goes nowhere, as has everything for Germany today.

72′ Petric on, Olic off for Croatia.

70′ Metzelder has to scramble to get down the field as Croatia charges up on a counter, and has to concede a corner for safety’s sake. Srna delivers right into the box. Lehmann bats it up and over for another corner. This one looks dangerous and Germany doesn’t fully clear it, giving Pranjic a shot, which goes wide.

69′ Klose takes a half-hearted shot that bounces off a Croatian defender.

68′ More nervous moments in the box for Germany, who seem to have given up. Schweinsteiger is on the field, but I didn’t see who came off. Sorry!

66′ Croatia is fired up. Nice run by Kranjcar up the middle. He’s fouled by Frings for a free kick just outside the box. Srna sends it right into the wall.

65′ Germany look dazed. Schweinsteiger is coming on for Germany soon.

62′ GOAL!!!!!!!! Olic for Croatia! Lehmann screwed up royally. Rakitic takes the shot, it deflects off Podolski. Lehmann goes out for it but misses the ball, and it bounces off the post and directly to Olic’s feet. NO defenders anywhere nearby, Lehmann on the ground, and Olic taps it in.

61′ Gomez has a gorgeous run, but can’t find Klose and it’s send down the field by Croatia. And a bit of a dustup between Corluka and Podolski on the touchline that the ref has to come break up.

60′ Srna is down and in pain, holding his hamstring. More magic spray, so perhaps just that he landed on a boot. Hope so, because that would be a huge loss for Croatia. The man has been everywhere today. He hobbles off the field.

58′ Nice cross from the left (Fritz?) that Odonkor can’t quite get to, and it rolls out for a goal kick.

56′ Did somebody slip Xanax into the German team dinner? Just wondering. They’re not particularly concerned about anything, including play on the field. Germany gets a corner, which we learn is their 93rd corner without a goal. Sounds like France.

55′ Modric is making an appearance this half. A speedy run up the middle, followed by a long spell of Croatian possession, similar to what they did right before they scored. In the end Kovac sends it out for a German throw.

54′ Croatia looks dangers on the right. Eventually Corluka gets the shot, but Lehmann comes off his line and grabs it out of the air.

51′ Germany’s looking a little more lively this half, but they’re going to have to pay attention to the counters. Ballack has a good chance, but in the end Ballack sends it to Croatia. And on the other end, Modric sends in a shot that Lehmann bobbles and lets it slip through his hands. He was lucky that there was nobody nearby.

50′ Simunic whacks down Klose and is lucky not to see a second yellow.

49′ Good chance for Germany. Long shot from the left, which Pletikosa bats away, but only as far as Ballack. Unfortunately for Germany, Ballack send it high over the bar.

47′ Odonkor gets a chance, but Pranjic shuts him down, but the ball bounces off him for a German corner. Croatia doesn’t deal well with it, and it bounces around the box for awhile. Eventually Srna blasts it down the field.

46′ All right. We’re underway. Jansen is off, Lahm is on the left. And I think I heard the name Odonkor? Yup, there he is. Odonkor on.

They just showed a replay of the Croatian goal. Amazingly nice team effort in exploiting German laxness. They saw precisely where the hole were, and the entire team used them to take the lead. Also, have they even called Modric’s name today, at all? He’s been essentially invisible.

And here’s the Srna goal:

45+2 The yellow was for Simunic, for time-wasting. Bilic is NOT happy about this.

45+1 Yellow card for…?? I was trying to get the video of the goal and missed it.

45′ Gomez is offside again. What’s this? Three? Four? The replay shows the call is a bit iffy.

44′ It looked like Klose had one! Pletikosa dropped the ball and Klose volleyed it in, but the whistle had already blown.

41′ Lahm sends a long cross into the box. Pletikosa comes off his line and grabs it out of the air. He sends it down the field and Croatia almost scores another one! Germany’s defense is napping. Kranjcar? shoots and Lehmann bats it away.

39′ Germany get a corner off an unlucky long deflection. Frings sends it into the box, but the whistle has blown. It’s sent back for another corner. The ref still doesn’t like what’s going on in the box and delays it again. When he finally takes the corner, Metzelder gets a great chance but heads it just over the bar.

38′ Hopeful long ball from Frings that Ballack can’t get to. Croatian throw down by the byline.

37′ Jansen sends a cross into the box, but Klose can’t get to it and it goes out for a goal kick.

35′ Germany gets a chance, but the players tangle up in the box and it goes out for a goal kick. I’m loving Bilic, btw. He makes me smile.

34′ Croatia is asleep at the switch on defense and almost lets one in for Germany, but in the end they’re able to send it down the field.

32′ Germany’s playing like they were up partying all night. R. Kovac takes down Klose for a free maybe fifteen yards outside of the box. Ballack blasts it in toward goal and Pletikosa has to whack it away.

30′ almost another for Croatia! The ball coming up the left, again, Kranjcar gets the ball on the edge of the box but blasts it into the stands.

29′ Podolski is taken down, but Germany keeps the ball and are not too happy when the ref calls the foul. Gomez sends a ball to the Croatian keeper, Pletikosa.

28′ Rakitic is looking sharp up the right. Ball is in Germany’s half for awhile — a couple of throw-ins, etc. More Croatian movement up the left. Lahm isn’t having a great game.

27′ Srna chops down Podolski by the left corner flag and gets yellow for his trouble. Frings sends it straight into the wall.

26′ And on the other end, Jansen sends in a gorgeous cross to Gomez, who heads it over the top.

24′ GOAL!!!!!! Out of nowhere, Croatia in their first real spell of possession. The ball comes up the left. Beautiful cross from Pranjic to Srna after some gorgeous team play across the entire field. Srna had slipped away from Jansen, and he blasts it by Lehmann into goal.

22′ Podolski send it to Gomez in the box, but Gomez is offside again. Nice ball from Podolcki to Frings on the left. Frings crosses, but R Kovac sends it out.

22′ Slow-paced games are easier to liveblog, but damn, they’re boring.

21′ Metzelder makes a good tackle in the box in a one-on-one with Olic(?). Out for a corner. Ball eventually goes to Lehmann.

20′ Jansen goes down dramatically, but the ref isn’t buying.

19′ Gomez makes a run but is offside.

18′ Ball is traveling back and forth around the midfield without much happening except changes in possession.

16′ Corner heads across the goal face without anybody able to get on the end of it. Tommy Smyth: “The main close was served, but nobody there.” Is this game feeling like it’s being played in molasses, or is it just me?

15′ Croatia sends a hopeful throughball up the field and into the box, and Germany just watches it go through to Lehmann, who comes off his line and picks it up. Mertesacker collides with a Croatian player and Croatia gets an iffy free kick. Free kick is sent along the ground to the left touchline, then Germany deflects it out for a corner.

13′ Lehmann is called into service again. Punches the ball away.

12′ Jansen took down somebody maybe ten yards outside and to the right of the box. Whoever it was went down easily. The free kick goes to a German head, but stays in the German end for awhile. Then Klose gets it, charges up the field, switches it… Germany looks composed and dangerous, but Croatia defends well.

– Gomez looks a tiny bit dangerous, but Croatia steals it away too easily. The commentators are saying that Gomez lacks confidence. This is his first big tournament, so they may be right.

11′ More play up the left, then going to Gomez in the box. He and Podolski battle the Croatians for it, but it’s then sent back down the field without looking too dangerous.

9′ Jansen comes up the left, and Croatia seems to have a bit of misunderstanding. they eventually send it out for a corner. Germany threatens for a second in the box, but in the end Croatia sends it away. On the counter, Srna sends it straight to Lehmann.

8′ My computer just locked up, but I don’t think I missed much. Rakitic does a nice run up the left touchline and delivers a cross into the box. It eventually goes out for a goal kick, but Croatia looked a tiny bit threatening for the first time. This game is really slow so far.

5′ A tangle of legs at midfield and a Croatian player is down receiving the magic spray. Looks like Srna. Looks like he took a boot to the thigh. He’s better now. Has anybody else noticed that there’s much less magic spray than in World Cup?

4′ Now it’s Croatia’s turn to pass it around the back, but Fritz grabs it away, sends it to Klose, who comes up the right and crosses it on the ground to Gomez. But Gomez sends it to a defender.

3′ Slow pace so far, Germany passing the ball around in their own half. The crowd doesnt’ like this and is whistling.

1′ And we’re off. German starts with a longball to a Croatian head. A clumsy tackle by Pranjic and the first foul of the game. First longball, first foul, first minute. We’re truly underway.

-1′ Tommy Smyths says it’s “a powerful, good-looking attacking team for Germany.” Yup.

-3′ Shaking hands now. I was just checking the team roster, and Croatia has two Nikos and two Nikolas. (Why am I thinking of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”?) Rakitic is the new add for this game, and Modric’s ankle is apparently fine.

-5′ Not the Croatian national anthem. Isn’t this the one that got botched in a way that referred to male anatomy in England? They must be doing it right here, because all I’m seeing on their faces is national pride.

-7′ Boys are coming out of the tunnel now. Germany in white, Croatia in blue. My favorite time coming up. (Do you have to ask? I say this every day. I love national anthems.) Currently Germany’s. Jogi Low looks like he should be a dad on a sitcom.

-8′ Oh boy. Tommy Smyth again.

-10′ We have TV coverage! Thirty percent chance of rain! Woohoo! More rain! Let’s hope we can see another giant slip-N-Slide field again (as in Switzerland-Turkey yesterday) because those are so much fun!

-18′ I think everybody is expecting a good game here. Croatia is probably Germany’s most difficult opponent in Group B. And nobody really believes they played their best game on Sunday. Expect them to step it up and try to exploit the Germans’ Achilles heel: Jens Lehmann. And meanwhile, on the other end, German strikers are going to be trying to put the ball in the net today, rather than letting their midfield buddy Podolski get all the glory.

-20′ Are we ready? TV working? Check. Coffee at the ready? (But not too close to the laptop?) Check. ESPN2? Check. I think we’re good to go.

-30′ Okay, according to BBC, here are the lineups:

Croatia
01 Pletikosa
05 Corluka
04 Kovac
03 Simunic
22 Pranjic
11 Srna
14 Modric
10 Kovac
07 Rakitic
19 Kranjcar
18 Olic

Germany
01 Lehmann
16 Lahm
21 Metzelder
17 Mertesacker
02 Jansen
04 Fritz
08 Frings
13 Ballack
20 Podolski
09 Gomez
11 Klose

-40′ Welcome to our liveblog of Croatia vs. Germany. Should be an excellent game. Starting lineups to follow soon.