Their first finals in 1998 a 3-0 rout of Germany and a third-place finish.
Coach
Zlatko Kranjcar
WC previous appearances
2
Star Player
Niko Kranjcar
Crotia came in toi scence when they defeated strong german team 3-0 in the World cup 1998.The team performed superbly in 1998,but failed to make any impression in 2002.Despite only gaining independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991 and joining FIFA the following year, the Croatians already have considerable pedigree in the international arena.
Croatia will face yellow and blue opposition in the form of Brazil, not Sweden in the opening round.Croatia will have fond memories of Germany and World Cups after their demolition of the host nation at the 1998 championship in France.
History:
Croatia has qualified for the World Cup for the third time in a row.
1998: Third place,
2002: Preliminary round
Seven wins in 10 games: these results are nothing to be ashamed of. The Croatians remained unbeaten in their group and ultimately asserted themselves against rival Sweden in the fight for first place. Although Sweden ended up with just as many points as Croatia in the qualifiers, it had to admit defeat against the Croatian team both at home and away.
Stars: The "hero" of both decisive 1:0 wins in the qualifiers against group opponent Sweden was Darijo Srna, who shot the winning goal both times. Well-known professionals from the German Bundesliga are also part of the Croatian team, such as Ivan Klasnic (SV Werder Bremen), Marko Babic (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Josip Simunic and Niko Kovac (both Hertha BSC).time Yugoslavian international whose son Niko is the team’s rising star. Introduced amid some scepticism, Kranjcar Jr (the only Croatia-based player with a regular starting place) underlined his promise with a goal and an assist in the 3-1 win in Bulgaria in June 2005 and provides the flair in an otherwise functional three-man central midfield
Croatia and Nepalese Fans:
Croatia have gained some popularity in 2002 worldcup how ever because of thier ordinary performance in WC 2002 ,the team popularity has much degraded.
Match Schedule: Preliminary Round
June 13, 2006: Brazil -- Croatia in Berlin June 18, 2006: Japan -- Croatia in Nuremberg June 22, 2006: Croatia -- Australia in Stuttgart
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Tomislav Butina (Club Bruges), Stipe Pletikosa (Hajduk Split), Joe Didulica (Austria Vienna) Defenders: Robert Kovac (Juventus), Stjepan Tomas (Galatasaray), Dario Simic (AC Milan), Mario Tokic (Austria Vienna), Josip Simunic (Hertha Berlin), Igor Tudor (Siena), Marijan Buljat (Dinamo Zagreb) Midfielders: Jerko Leko (Dynamo Kiev), Niko Kranjcar (Hajduk Split), Niko Kovac (Hertha Berlin), Marko Babic (Bayer Leverkusen), Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk), Ivan Leko (Club Bruges), Luka Modric (Dinamo Zagreb), Jurica Vranjes (Werder Bremen), Anthony Seric (Panathinaikos) Forwards: Dado Prso (Rangers), Ivan Klasnic (Werder Bremen), Bosko Balaban (Club Bruges), Ivica Olic (CSKA Moscow), Ivan Bosnjak (Dinamo Zagreb).
Bottom line: The Croatians celebrated their biggest international success by taking the surprise third place in the World Cup 1998 in France. In Germany, they want to make up for their knock-out in the preliminary round in the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea.
Some facts and recent developments:
Davor suker was highest scorer in 1998 world cup where he struck seven goals to secure the Golden Shoe.
In 2002 world cup they were defeated by Mexico and Ecuador but won against Italy.
Coach
:
The Croatian team could confidently qualify itself for the World Cup 2006 under the leadership of Zlatko Kranjcar. He succeeds Otto Baric, who had to clear his post after Croatia was knocked out of the European Cup 2004 in Portugal already in the preliminary round.
Kranjcar has succeeded in putting together a homogenous unit without superstars. It is curious, though, that Kranjcar's son Nico is also in the contingent. This was initially met with skepticism, but he has played himself into the team with his good performance.
1st Prize : 50mb space
2nd Prize : 25mb space
3rd Prize : 10mb space
Consolations: 10 Pen Drives
We will select winner of the final contest soon.Please keep on checking the site.
Total entries:335
correct answers:295 Previous Winners
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Team Profile 
Croatia Football Team 
