LiveBlog: Japan-Croatia

June 18th, 2006 | by: Sean Keener | View Comments

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

Final Score: Japan 0-0 Croatia

Fulltime: Nil all draw. A well played game and somewhat entertaining for a no goal contest. Japan will have to beat Brazil to move on. Croatia didn’t do itself any favors either – but does stand a chance vs Australia. Stay tuned for our #1 LiveBlogger Bob, and he breaks down the Australia vs Brazil game and shares his drinking habit.

93:00Japan player hurt – playing on anyway. He ran into the ref. That’s it. Nil all. Australia is smiling. The moons are aligning for the land down under.

91:00Both teams pressing but neither can control for more than a few passes. Japan working it up the field and runs into issues in the last 1/4. Croatia counters – 3 on 3 – nothing doing. 1 minutes left.

90:00Nil all. 3 mintes extra time.

89:00Alex for Japan with a cross through the 6 yard box. Croatia kick away. Bosniac looks like Nedved, who looks like an 80’s rocker. I loved the 80s, and Bon Jovi, and Whitesnake. Come on Bozniac!

86:00Bosniac(sp?) for Srna. Srna is useless at this point. Bosniac draw corner and a foul again screws up any chance for Croatia.

85:00Oguro for Takahara. Takahara was dying out there. Offensive move…forward for forward.

83:30Both teams pressing, neither wants a draw. A lot of possession changing with no good chances.

81:00Olic with a left foot daisy cutter that just went wide. Croatia presses again after the goal kick but just can’t get anything productive off the crosses.

80:00Japan – push up – useless cross, Croatia, push ball up, useless cross, repeat. Story of most of this game. Modric with a weak shot…dribbler. Croatia does appear a bit more determined all of a sudden. 9.5 minutes left

78:00Modric on for coach’s son, Niko. No father’s day presents this year.

77:00We can all change are predictions. I predict Croatia will score 2 before this game is over. Japan will wilt like 2 day old sushi.

75:00About 15 minutes left. Not boring, both teams playing fair…no finishing is the word so far. I predict that neither Japan or Croatia will with the World Cup this year. Yes, shocking predictions…but I will stick by them.

73:00Bob says, “Remember how Japan fell apart against the Aussies…will they wilt again in the last 10 minutes? Meahwhile, Croatia is putting some balls into the box for some chances…

71:00As our commenters comment, I agree…Japan moves the ball up to about the last 1/4 of the field and can’t do much with it from there. They look hopeless. Yellow card on Japan’s Alex.

69:00Srna with a Yellow card and Olic on for Tudor. Extra forward on for a defender. Offensive move for Croatia.

68:00Prso fouls outside the Japan box. Good chance for Japan.. Can they conver a set piece? No, they can’t. Keeper safely retrieves it.

65:00About 25 minutes left. Japan appears to have majority of possession but can’t do anything with it. In case this is a nil all draw, just out this World Cup fan. That way you know you even if it is nil all, you know you left with something worthwhile. Good chances for both teams continues, but no conversion.

62:00 Croatian header just misses. Someone will break through this game. Who will 1st?

61:00Tamada on for Yanagisawa. Forward for a Forward. Offensive minded move I suppose. Japan needs victory with Brazil looming.

60:00Japan free kick. Nakamura takes it. Field goal over the bar. I reckon a lot of these players could be a great field goal kickers in the NFL.

58:00Prso dribbles himselfinto the corner, tries to center it, and draw a Croatia corner. The corner hits a Croatina head, a Japanese foot, and the Japanese keeper.

57:00Prso falls on a Croatia counter. Looked like a flop to me. A night at the Oscars…

55:00Nill all draw, or will we see a goal(s). Please share in the comments. Currently, the score is 0 – 0 . Nakata with a screamer that Croatina keeper saves from about 27 meters out.

54:00Japan with a series of possession and not gr8, but chances, Croatia just counters and Niko (coaches son) can’t deliver a Father’s Day present. Come on son!

52:00Japan misses an open chance in front of Croatian goal. Yanagisawa misses point blank one-timer. German commentator is on his own here. Only one of them. Unlike EPSN and England who use 2 commentators. Play by play and commentator. We are the next generation of this. Liveblog: Play-by-play and commentary by blogger and comments. Thanks for your help.

50:00Japan works to a cross that Croatia easily picks off at 49′. Croatia counters and draws a corner. Again, Croatia is more aggressive this half.

46:45Srna with the Free kick, bounces off the wall and out of bounds. Croatian controls it and looks to be more assertive this half. Japan counters but kicks it out of bounds. Touch…my Japanese friends…gotta have it or else the opposition will get it.

46:00Japan takes the ball at mid field and continues to control. Croatia get is back and draws a foul just outside the penalty area. Great chance for Croatia to start this half.

45:00Getting ready to start again here: 1/2 time on German TV…shows the Berlin Mini-stadium and 3 female Japanese fans on the couch on the pitch enjoying the match. Will they leave this game happy with a victory? The teams are walking back out on the pitch. Fitness could be a key in this 2nd half as there is no hiding from the shade. A 1/2 step slower can mean goals and mistakes.

HalftimeAn even 1st half. 1 or 2 good chances for each team with each tam hitting the crossbar. Japan looks to have a bit of possession advantage, but not firmly in control. See comments for more color commentary and please add your thoughts on what happened and what will. One thing that will happen for sure, I am getting another liter of beer.

45:00Japan counters and gets a cross in, Croatia does the same as the ref blows the 1/2 time whistle.

44:00Croatian with control and about 1 minute to go. They seem content with a nil all score and 1/2 time. Free kick to Croatia, crossed to the far sideline and kicked away by Japan.

42:00Read comments below for other details about Kovac the hothead and Zico should be playing for Japan. Meanwhil Prso down in the box on a corner after heading it over the goal. Goal kick to Japan. Can we see a goal b4 1/2 time? Will someone seize control? Doesn’t look like it.

40:00Croatia/Klanic steals ball near Japan goal and shots and draws a corner that turns into nothing again. All corners for Croatia have been for naught. No momentum building or anthing.

37:30Croatia draws a corner but fouls Japan on the corner kick. A chances, down the drain. Speaking of drain, I need to drain another bottle of beer. 6 minutes till 1/2 time.

35:30Japan controlling again at midfield. As soon ad Croatia gets it, Japan fights for it back. Japan has more to lose today? Are they playing more desperate today. At 35:50 Nakata has a screamer that Croatian keeper entends and saves. Nice shot Japan.

33:00Funny moment, ball is rolling towards Japan keeper and it takes an odd bounce…kinda like a pitch that is uneven. Ball rolls harmlessly over endline. Turf is a bit chewed up in front of Japan goal.

32:00Japan free kick bounces off it’s own player and out of bounds. Goal kick to Croatia.

31:00Kovac yellow card. He kinda dragged a Japan guy down. If this was the USA – Italy game, he would of had a red card.

29:40Japan just not looking to o dangerous. As I say that, Ogasawara unleashes a shot that Croatiaan keeper saves. Croatian counters. No good chance comes of it.

28:00Coaches son Niko has a nice shot, hits the crossbar and goes out of bounds. Croatia building confidence and getting chances. I sense the momentum is moving Croatia’s way.

26:00Some more back and forth with Croatia and Japan. I can’t fault Srna on that kick, it was low, hard and at the corner. Japan meanwhile controls, centers the ball, but no one is there.

24:30 Croatia corner: gets kick out of bounds. No chance – Showing replays of the penalty – gr8 save. Word is that Chelsea want to buy him.

24:00Finally starting to see some penalties in this tournament. That’s 1 yesterday and 1 today already. Bob says the referree’s are starting to rear their ugly heads.

21:50Japan foul in the box. Prso dragged down/kicked by Miyamoto. Penalty kick. Srna took the penalty and stoned by the Japanese keeper! Great save by Kawaguchi. He guessed right and got it. Not a bad shot by Srna – it was low and hard and in the corner. Keeper was just there. Wow! Japan 0 – Croatia 0

18:00Croatia corner: Foul on the corner and it’s goal kick for Japan. The potential for something to happen is here, just thing happens. As I write this, Croatia has a chance on through ball to Klasnic. About a foot too long.

17:00Kaji of Japan got a nice through ball and centered it, but nothing happened. It looked promising as the Japanese fans got excited. But it never materialized.

16:30Still 0 – 0. A lot of mid field back and forth. Pass, Pass – lose ball to other team. Pass, pass, lose ball to other team. Back pass.

14:00Croatia gaining some possession. Which led to a chance and a free kick for Croatia. Neither team looks especially dangerous. I am almost done with my1st half beer. I can become dangerous if I don’t get another one soon.

12:30Prso limping after a foul/flop. Hard to tell these days. Sometimes football is being played, sometimes it looks like acting class. I am hoping for moire footie than flopping today.

10:30 Comments below favor Croatia to win. I agree, but even match so far. No one with the obvious edge. Feeling each other out.

8:00Japan counter attack get the crowd going, but nothing threatening comes of it. Despite being the underdawg, Japan look confident and is controlling the ball. I went to look for a suchi restaurant for lunch today, they were all closed since it is sunday in berlin. I imagine the fans in Japan can still buy suchi on a sunday.

7:00Japan builds up to a shot, put together about 10+ passes. Nothing doing though as Croatian keeper, Pletikosa makes the save look easy.

4:00Kovac a shot right at the Japan keeper! Save.

2:30Fukunishi down with an injury…he’s up now – looks to be ok and these teams feel each other out. Japan quickly draws a foul outside the penalty box. No goal from the free kick and but Japan draws a corner that nothing happens on.

1:00Japan in blue, Croatia in trademark red and white checkerboard tablecloth. Sunny day, but no shadows on the pitch….yet.

0:00 Nuremburg has a track around the outside of the pitch. Never a good scenario for the attendees. It puts you that much farther from the action.

Kickoff We are underway from Nuremburg in this Group F clash between Japan and Croatia. Both teams are looking for their first World Cup point. Thanks for joining me for this Sunday game. Your comments are very much appreciated. Let’s have fun and enjoy what will hopefully be an entertaining 90 minutes of World Cup football.

Pregame
2 minute countdown: Croatia anthem. Crowd belting it out.

3 minute countdown: Japan anthem. Some players singing, others are not. The Japan players with the long hair, remind me of the Japanese Surfers in Bali.

5 minute countdown: Japan made it to the quarterfinals in 2002. If they don’t get a point today, may be mathematically eliminated today. Players in the tunnel, holding the children’s hands…ready to come out. Close-up of game ball reveals that the teams and date are marked on the ball. I did not know that, did you?

8 minute countdown: The Croatia Coach, Zlatko Kranjcar has a son named Niko. Niko is a starter for Croatia. On this Father’s Day, will Niko give his papa a gift? How about a Hat Trick?

10 minute countdown: They are interviewing Prso on the pre-game show and showed a few of his goals. Looks to be a quality player and Croatia will count on him to get some goals. If he doesn’t produce, who will?

14 minute countdown: Boris Becker, 3 time Wimbledon Champion and famous German, is on the pre-game show on German TV. For all of our female and gay readers, he is looking quite handsome.

15 minute countdown: Will Japan score a goal today that was not supposed to be a cross? Can they rebound from getting smacked around in the last 10 minutes versus Oz? I’m thinking they have to get a win if they are going to get out of this group? Brazil waiting in the wings…

20 minute countdown: Croatia does not have a player in it’s likely starting line-up with more than 9 goals in internationals. Prso and Srna stuck on 9 – can one or both break into double digits today?

25 minute countdown: The over-under on this game is 2.5 goals. Croatia are the favorites according to Bodogs’s odds.

30 minutes countdown: Read WorldCupBlog’s Japan-Croatia Preview and learn facts about the team/country that will help you win trivia gamees.

35 minute countdown: I have a bunch of thoughts about yesterday’s games. Loved the Ghana vs Czech game. Great to see them rebound from the Italy defeat and open up that group. And also loved the USA-Italy game. Entertaining and I watched it down at Berlin FanFest with 10s of thousands. Once blood was shed by McBride, it got real interesting. Props to the Yanks for keeping their hopes alive and getting the point despite being down to 9 men to a strong Italian side.

45 minute countdown: My name is sean. Check out my profile here. I will be your liveblogger for the 1st game of the day. WCBloggers, ChrisH and ChrissO are on there way to the Brazil vs Australia game today and I am left to hold the boat with Liveblogging stars Bob and Daryl. Can’t wait. I have an iced coffee and will crack open a beer about 10 minutes before the game. Care to join me?

Pregame thoughts: Japan got spanked in the last few minutes of there last game and as expected, Croatia lost to Brazil. Which team will come out on top and have a legit chance to qualify from this group? What do you think will be the final score?