LiveBlog: Croatia-Australia

We’re LiveBlogging for the full 90 of the Croatia-Australia match. Come in and join us by leaving your thoughts and comments while the match happens.

Final: Croatia 2-2 Australia

Final: Australia wins 2-2 in a game that they needed to tie to advance. A physical, frantic game was kept mostly under control until the final few minutes when rules were basically ignored and the ref started handing out cards like they were candy. Croatia went up 1-0 in the first minute of the game off a free kick by Kovac, and Cahill buried a penalty to bring the Aussies even at the half. Croatia went up 2-1 in the 56th minute when Kovac got his ball to hop over the goalie that had dropped to the ground. Australia tied it in the 78th minute when Harry Kewell controlled a deflected ball and put it next to the far post. My hat is off to the referee, who kept a physical game frantic but under control until the end.

To end the game, after Croatia nearly took the lead at the other end off of a corner, Australia took the ball to the corner to run the time out, kicking it out. The ref called it Aussie ball though and after Kovac pouted about it for a few mins the Aussies scored after a scrum in front of the goal. The ref had already sounded the end of the game though, (this was at 3:20 after 3 mins of announced injury time) so the goal didn’t count. Viduka gave the ref a hug and on his way off the field, Simunic stopped to say something to the ref and picked up his second yellow card. Pandemonium broke out on the Aussie bench as they celebrated their advancing, Croatian players collapsed on the field.

93:00 Simunic picks up another yellow after the end in a sequence it may take me a few minutes to describe.

91:32 Croatia corner and the goalie falls down, leaving the net basically open and Croatia with a decent shot.

89:00 Croatia keeping the ball in Australia’s third and putting pressure on the defense. Australia fans still look solemn as aaussie defense likes to clear the ball with acrobatic aerial kicks. Josip Simunic picks up a yellow and exchanges words with the ref. 3 min extra time.

87:12 Somewhere in all of those cards, Croatia VERY nearly scored a goal when the keeper came out of the net. Another player came in behind him and cleared the next shot.

86:00 Emerton picks up his second yellow and he’s out.

83:22 Simic out with a red card, he grabbed the ref as he went to blow the whistle, pulling his arm down. One could clearly read “Don’t touch me” on the refs lips and he brought out the red.

82:04 Croatia passing over the top of Aussies puts it over the endline.

81:25 Update from the other game, Ronaldo has tied the all time World Cup Scoring record.

80:21 Brett Emerton gets a yellowcard.

78:43 Harry Kewell controls a ball deflected by a croatian players head, lets it drop to the ground then puts it in by the far post. They have to hold on for 10 more minutes to advance.

78:09 Goal Australia!

77:10 Time is running out for the Aussies to tie this up and move on to the next round. They’ve had nothing but opportunities this half.

76:01 Prso all alone on the right side gets nothing out of it.

74:08 Hand ball by Croatia as a player is lying on the ground. Josh kennedy in for Scott Chipperfield, free kick for australia. On the kick, it looks like thomas got the ball with his hand but it’s just another corner for the aussies.

72:23 Almost a goal for the aussies, off the corner the Croatian goalie stops a shot and gets knocked so he lands with part of the ball on the line. No goal but I was cheering when I saw it.

70:05 Aussie subs Bresciano for Sterjovski. Ausie corner after a great shot, they’re getting closer and closer.

68:35 Stipe Pletikoska gets a yellow card. He was complaining like C3-Po.

67:00 Nice no call as both players go down. At the other end an Aussie back heel doesn’t have enough behind it. Racing back, Prso gets a cross off but nothing else. It’s tiring just watching this.

65:35 Aussies called offsides on a good looking one touch pass succession.

63:30 If I were playing in this game, I would want this ref. He’s letting players play to a point, he’s not going crazy with the cards and he’s not taking any pleading or complainging from either side in a game that is decidedly physical. It’s fun to watch and I’m guessing it’s fun to play. Jerko Leko in for Niko Kranjcar.

60:30 Haven’t seen much malicions jersey grabbing. Prso goes down in Australia’s box after tripping on the ball. Simunic gets a yellow card after meeting Cahill’s face with his hand on a run. Free kick for Aussie’s just outside the box taken by Chipperfield. Kewell and Kovac forced to shake hands by the ref after some shoving.

59:00 Corner for Australia. The Croat height advantage again comes into play.

58:00 Camera work while Prso walks off a stepped on foot shows lots of somber Aussies.

56:18 Goal CROATIA! Kovac weeves and strikes, keeping th ball on the ground. The keeper drops to his side to block it but the ball just hops over him.

55:17 My hat is really off to the referee though, not that he’s getting every call right, but in that he’s keeping total anarchy from breaking out on the pitch.

53:53 We have seen more shots of the ref asserting himself than of the coaches contemplating on the sidelines. This may be a World Cup viewing first.

52:19 Free kick from an Aussie handball. Kovac thinks he was fouled and the replay shows he was hit hard but only after he got the ball.

51:13 I get distracted by a cry of “That was almost beautiful!” from in front of the other TV in the room and Aussies have a free kick and nothing to show for it.

49:00 Shot after the free kick is just high but eerily similar in location to the first goal of the game, although that one came directly off the free kick.

47:41 Srna trying some fancy dancing and Croatia putting more pressure on Aussies than last half. Aussies are getting good looks at goal without taking too long to do it. Prso gets free kick after an Aussie drags himself along for the ride.

46:11 Croatia shreds Aussie defense then Aussies get a good look at the goal on the counterattack. Everytime I look up from the screen the ball is at the other end of the field.

45:23 After a few minutes in their corners both teams look rejuvenated. Looking forward to another breakneck half.

45:00 Ref delays 2nd half: “I want a clean, fair fight.”

Halftime: Both teams look like they’ve gone 15 rounds against the defending heavyweight after one half of play. Two yellowcards in the half but a lot of rough play. Croatia took the lead 1:35 into the game off a free kick that Kovac put straight in, Australia equalized off a penalty by Tim Cahill. Very entertaining game so far.

46:21 Cahill gets in one more bicycle attempt before half and it’s done.

45:00 2 minutes extra time. Aussies keeping the ball at midfield until a pass to Viduka is taken from him. Both teams kind of jogging now.

44:00 Croatia winning balls in the air at midfield tests the Aussie defense. Some really first rate defense on two consecutive possessions.

42:34 Prso nearly gets another one as he’s all alone downfield after a replay. This premiere cable package really likes their replays.

41:19 Attempted Cahill bicycle kick is a whiff and the pace seems to have slowed just a bit.

39:18 It will be interesting to see if Australia keeps up the frantic attack with the score tied and if they can manage to pull ahead. Corner for Croatia. Aussie keeper bobbles the ball and nearly knocks it into the goal. (Sudden, involuntary intake of breath at World Cup Blog HQ)

37:18 Tim Cahill gets a penalty kick after a croatian player palms his neck for a ball in the air. Igor Tudor gets the card. KICK IS IN!

35:38 And by that I mean the worn out patch where the goalie stands.

34:48 Cahill goes after a cross and either stumbles or gets shoved in the neck. Either way he finishes the play face down in the only part of the field that’s dirt and not grass.

33:25 Jason Culina puts one just high of the net. (Update from the other game: Japan 1 Brazil 0)

31:59 Dario Simic gets the first Yellow of the match. This channel seems to be slightly replay happy and between the replays and the typing and having the sound on the Brazil game, I missed what it was for.

30:56 Chipperfield shown getting a two arms extended shove in.

29:35 Viduka drags a player down and Australia gets a shot that is deflected but not controlled by the keeper. Corner for Australia taken in by Hrvatska’s goalie.

28:13 Hrvatska may be criticized in their attack but Australia’s defense is none too assertive either.

27:26 And by “controlling the ball” I mean “roughing Croatia up.”

26:00 Australia will enter the half tied. Mark my words, they’re controlling the ball too well to stay behind for long.

24:50 Goal kick Aussies.

23:17 Australia has the slight advantage in this game so far in terms of energy and shots, but Croatia has the lead in that “having the lead” statistic.

22:21 Australia going for it every time and connecting on their long passes and runs. Corner for Australia.

20:09 This game is brutally beautiful and frantic so far. Both teams wasting little time and rarely taking the ball downfield without getting a shot at the goal or forcing the goalie to come out of the box.
18:33 These poor refs, both teams lower their shoulders going for the ball, then both teams throw up their hands like the’re being eaten by a shark.

17:05 Corner for Australia bounces out to a waiting Aussie player, Aussies proceed to get 3 shots as the ball just keeps bouncing back to them.

15:15 Perhaps Australia is feeling the pressure to score, down 1-0 with a scarce 75 minutes left. This is “Kamikaze soccer.”

14:12 Both teams showing very little of this thing called “patience” and making very little use of the “pass back.”

13:26 Tim “2 goals in 5 minutes” Cahill taken down from behind.

12:20 Croatia putting on a ball control clinic in Australia’s left corner, Australia finally trips them up and takes the ball.

10:40 Australia almost caught off guard by croatia counter attack.

9:00 Socceroos keeping the ball in the final third of Croatia’s side, but can’t seem to get a good cross. No outright violence in over 2 minutes

7:43 Ball is stuck in Australian territory in the right corner. Ball keeps getting sent out, thrown in, sent out.. etc

6:51 Replay shows Simunic with a bear hug around Viduka. No call.

5:37 This game is living up to the billing as part wrestling match and the ref looks like he’s just trying to maintain order. Throw a couple of em out ref, that’ll slow em down.

4:02 Well the ref has demonstrated that he’s not afraid to blow the whistle and Croatia seems to be taking full advantage. Srna down and I’d know if he was off the field if we hadn’t just seen the first minute goal replay four times.

3:00 That was perfect placement in the top left corner and the keeper just couldn’t keep it. No warm up time when it’s win or go home.

1:35 Kovac taken down and given a free kick, and he PUTS IT IN! Just below the cross bar!

00:00 Australia Croatia gets off to a fake start about 8 seconds before Japan Brazil, then restarts and we’re about four seconds behind.

Australia’s midfield is heavier on the penalties.

Looks like Croatia’s midfield is heavy on the penalties.

I think I saw about half of Croatia’s team singing along to the Australian national anthem. Whoops.

Croatia sure does look good in their picnic blanket kits.

As someone watching both games on two tv’s in the same room, I can tell you without a doubt that the national anthems are being played simultaneously in cities hundreds of miles apart.

I’d like to thank both of you tuning in to this liveblog. It seems everyone else has been hooked by Ronaldhino’s smile and shifted over to watch that game. I’ll take the rugby/football of Australia over the “Joga Bonito”ing Brazil any day.

2o mins to kick off. The blond german Kommentator on the free tv in Berlin has had a consistent five o’clock shadow for two weeks today. Is that even possible? Can you get stubble makeup?

45 minutes to kick off, it’s too even to predict a winner, but I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that this game will be so rough that it makes USA vs Italy look like a first date.

Pregame: This is a huge, huge game. Who do you think will win?