Croatia coach Slaven Bilic wrote the theme song for the squad for their Euro 2008 campaign and today he will be hoping that they will sing in tune for their opening clash with co-hosts Austria.
It would be wholly appropriate that the 39-year-old songwriter-guitarist should see his belief that Croatia can be real contenders for the title begin in a winning fashion against a country better known for its alpine prowess and the setting for the classic musical The Sound of Music.
The Croats certainly looked impressive in qualifying, beating England twice, and it is a tribute to Bilic — who was already a favorite with the Croat fans after playing with a fractured hip in the 1998 World Cup finals through to the semi-final defeat by eventual champions France — that having injected a tired looking squad with youthful potential, that it has borne fruit.
PHOTO: AP
No wonder that the unorthodox coach — who prefers sneakers and jeans to the usual suited attire of coaches — is brimming with confidence.
“I believe that we are strong enough to take the title,” said Bilic, who recently signed a two-year extension to his contract, dispelling the belief that he would be snapped up by a foreign club. “The team is both good and solid, we qualified for Euro from one of the more difficult groups and we most notably of all beat England on two occasions during the qualifiers.”
Bilic has in Nico Kranjcar — his father Zlatko was coach for the unsuccessful 2006 World Cup finals campaign — a creative playmaker who has enjoyed a good season for Portsmouth and it should be a delight to watch him teaming up with recent Tottenham Hotspur signing Luka Modric.
Certainly Kranjcar is looking forward to the possibility of shining on the international stage after playing for the less than glamorous Premiership side — albeit they won the FA Cup last term — and should he produce the goods then the reality of a move to known admirers Arsenal could well come true.
“I am excited and looking forward to the tournament because it is one of the major international trophies in the world,” said the 23-year-old, who has indicated, nonetheless, that he will stay with Pompey as they embark on an all too rare European adventure. “We, as a team, are always improving and have a great chance of going all the way. We showed against England in the qualifiers how good we can be and we aim to show that again in the finals. A lot of things have to happen and there is always an element of luck involved, but we have the players and the ability to make history.”
Austria have literally nothing to lose because nothing is expected of them as the lowest FIFA ranked team ever to appear in the finals — and they will need all the inspiration of memories past to get them a point against the Croats.
Their coach Josef Hickersberger has been present for both the highest moment and the lowest in Austrian soccer history — he was a player in the Austrian side that beat the then West Germany, the defending world champions in the 1978 World Cup and as a coach when Austria lost to the Faroe Islands in a Euro 1992 qualifier — and Bilic perhaps put it best when it came to assessing the Austrian team.
“The style in which the Austrians play is always the same,” Bilic said. “We have watched them as much as possible. They have changed their line-ups a lot, but that is for a simple reason — there are only three or four players who merit being selected the whole time.”
Hickersberger may well feel that he would be better calling up Sound of Music star Julie Andrews by the end of the tournament — there again, with Bilic’s musical background she would probably sing for him instead such is the luck of the Austrians at the moment.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Alex Michelsen on Thursday rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 upset victory over third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s singles, converting his seventh match point to reach the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Michelsen reached the last 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time with his second win over a top-10 player in eight attempts. The 20-year-old American survived nearly 50 unforced errors and converted just two of nine break chances, but it was enough to vanquish Italy’s Musetti, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist ranked 10th in the world. “It feels really good,” the 26th-ranked Michelsen said. “I’ve put
RSS