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25 min: Corluka goes in for a two-footed tackle: it was well-timed but referees don't like that sort of thing and Ireland win the free-kick. "What is worse, vuvuzelas or the Whistle Man in the stands?" asks Chris Nemeh. Whistle Man with a vuvuzela-sized whistle.
23 min: I had this down as an extremely dull match but that early goal has forced Ireland to go for it and it's end to end at the moment. Perisic unleashes from 25-yards and Given saves well.
21 min: Croatia back into the attack. They win a corner, Whistle Man blows as it floats in everyone ignores him – we're learning – and a blistering shot from Croatia sails wide.
GOAL!!!!!! Croatia 1-1 Ireland (St Ledger 18 min) Superb free-kick and St Ledger creeps past Corluka creeps in to head home. I thought it was offside because the Whistle Man decided to blow just before the goal went in. Corluka gave the kick away too to complete a woeful double.
18 min: Dunne waits for 30 seconds wondering what to do with the ball – an opportune time for Jelavic to wrestle the ball off him. Dunne takes him down and Croatia win a corner off the resulting free-kick. Ireland get it away but some wag (no Wag) in the crowd has got hold of a whistle and is using it to their heart's content, confusing the bejesus our of everyone.
15 min: O'Shea's through ball for Andrews has too much through. "What is the Uefa rule that prevents a steward from popping onto the pitch for five seconds and picking up that annoying lump of toilet paper on the far touch line?" demands Marie Meyer. I think they have to wait until the third floor traps needs resupplying.
12 min: Free-kick for Ireland after Doyle is pushed just outside the area. The ball is tapped to Andrews and the shot slams into the wall. Ireland should go 1-0 more often, they're quite the attacking force like this.
10 min: Decent response from Ireland here. They've had a few forays into Croatia's half and O'Shea has a throw-in level with the six-yard box. Croatia get it away though. Ward then slashes the ball across the pitch and his dangerous cross is cleared. Just.
8 min: Doyle heads the ball down for Duff. He cuts inside and sends a shot goalward but it lacks the pace and direction to trouble Coratia. Not that that mattered with Mandzukic's shot ... "If the Croats were Greeks this would really be the Euro's Group of Debt, wouldn't it?" crackles Patrick Cullen.
5 min: Just as well Ireland have the attacking players to chase a game, eh? Oh. That really was a shocker of a goal to concede for such an organised team. Still, they have a long time to find the equaliser. Keane charges forward and goes down but the referee waves play on.
GOAL!!!!!! Ireland 0-1 Croatia (Mandzukic 2min) You know that famous Irish solidity? Well ... Mandzukic puts in a weak header – he has enough time to pick himself up before doing so and it trickles past 138-year-old Shay Given.
1 min: And we're off. Seconds it took Peter Drury to mention "the craic": 0.00034. "Is there no comments section?" says Cian O Suilleabhain because he can't say it in the comments section because there isn't one. "I want to write something sarcastic about 'the greatest fans in the world' sinking to the low levels normally reserved for their English counterparts in Poznan last night..." You've done it though, Cian! It's a sign of how low England have sunk in the world that we can't even throw plastic chairs at European riot police properly anymore.
"Shouldn't a preamble include predictions?" asks Thomas Krantz. "A friend of mine told me the Irish play like Italy except without any good players and with wooden legs? Any truth in this?" No, that is the Cartoon Pirates XI. I'm going for 1-1. Ireland to hold out until 60 minutes against Croatian artistry before Richard Dunne scores a late bullet header to rescue a point.
Oh go on then (part two)
Oh, go on then.
Croatia, even without the injured Olic, have brilliant attacking players and no defenders. Ireland have brilliant defensive players and Kevin Doyle up front. Seven-nil to Ireland then.
Team news:
Rep of Ireland: Given, O'Shea, St. Ledger, Dunne, Ward, McGeady, Whelan, Andrews, Duff, Doyle, Keane. Subs: Westwood, Kelly, McShane, Walters, Gibson, Hunt, O'Dea, Long, Cox, Green, McClean, Forde.
Croatia: Pletikosa, Srna, Corluka, Schildenfeld, Strinic, Vukojevic, Rakitic, Modric, Perisic, Mandzukic, Jelavic. Subs: Kelava, Simunic, Buljat, Pranjic, Badelj, Vrsaljko, Dujmovic, Kalinic, Kranjcar, Vida, Eduardo, Subasic.
Referee: Bjorn Kuipers (Holland)
"I'm excited. But more than that, I'm nervous," says the jauntiest of my colleagues, Ian McCourt. He should be nervous too – not only is he Irish, he also bears an uncanny resemblance to Luka Modric (and David Silva on a good day) meaning that if Modric does score tonight mcCourt will be beaten to a pulp by his friends. No change from normal then.
Evening and welcome to the most underwhelming preamble of all time. I was covering the French Open final, and due to a combination or rain, 44-shot rallies and Novak Djokovic's stubborn refusal to do the honourable thing and lose when he should so I have only just started coverage. Did Spain play today? Read More
انسخ الكود التالى و ضعه فى موقعك او مدونتك.
