The Adriatic Adventure - FM11

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4TH PLACE HAJDUK PROVE THEY ARE STILL THE BEST IN ZADAR X.2013.g.
NK ZADAR 1-4 HNK HAJDUK SPLIT
Hajduk's homeboy, Ante Vukuši?, scored a hattrick, to become the club's all time highest league goalscorer at the age of 22 with 52 goals, and Ondrej Kušnír added one of his own as Hajduk defeated current league leaders early into the season 4-1 away.

The match started with Ondrej Kušnír very early. To begin the match, Vukuši? passed to ?op, who saw Kušnír attempting to run up the right flank and lofted a pass in front of the only foreigner on the team from Split. The team for the evening was Subaši?-Jozinovi?-Kneževi?-Jonji?-Oremuš-Vukojevi?-Mili?evi?-Mlinar-Kušnír-Vukuši?-?op, but I digress. Kušnir, in the first 20 seconds, dashed up the right flank, passing Ton?i Kuko?, on-loan Hajduk winger before giving a short cross to waiting Ante Vukuši? on the opposite post, who, with a simple header, got the opening goal of the match.

Kušnír, happy with the assist, didn't seem to be done, as the Czech dashed up the right wing again, this time put through by Frano Mlinar, to, inexplicably, arrive in front of an open goal for a simple shot under the keeper. Toni Pezo (another on-loan Hajduk player) got 2-1. But Vukuši?, hungry for the record came in front of the open goal to bring the Hajduk players to 3-1, and, effectively end the match, before he scored his 3rd, and Hajduk's 4th in the 87th minute.

After the match, Bendiš reiterated, for probably the ten bagazillionteenth time that the following players were not for sale:

Ante Vukuši?
Mario Malo?a
Matej Jonji?
Frano Mlinar
Karlo Težak
Duje ?op
Peter Zajac
Ondrej Kušnír
Goran Jozinovi?
Mirko Oremuš
Ivan Mili?evi?

And he also said that he was getting annoyed by the sheer amount of scouts populating his VIP slots... to the point that he would making club scouts sit in the main stands.

MEANWHILE, IN WARSAW
Timmy Bendiš has left his post as the Cameroon manager, after qualifying them for the World Cup and the African Cup of Nations for the Polish National team. Bendiš's tenure at Cameroon is characterized by the simply amazing record of Léonard Kweuke. The PSG striker, since being capped by the Croatian for the 10th time, came to the, quite frankly, amazing record of 14 goals in 16 matches after starting under the Croatian with 2 in 9. Samuel Eto'o, did not have the same results, but the combination of the two is seen as one of the most potent and unusual combinations in African Football.

Now, Bendiš is set to take over a Poland team that features several players in Europe's top leagues, and just hosted a European Competition

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HAJDUK TO BATTLE OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS FOR 1ST PLACE IN GROUP D XI.2013.g.
ATHLETICO MADRID 1-3 HNK HAJDUK SPLIT
When you look at some tables, you've got to wonder how Hajduk ever stood a chance against Atletico Madrid. On one side, you had the La Liga's third place finisher, with Forland and Agüero leading the team just below Barcelona, only missing out by a few points. On the other hand, you had Hajduk... fourth place in the Croatian First Division... like the Croatian First Division exists or something. But it does... and so does the club... to the point that the big shots from Madrid have not beaten, or even tied, against Hajduk in the last 20 years.

And Bendiš was keen to stick to tradition, as a win would mean a chance at first place in the group. A big chance, as Lyon was coming to Poljud for the first time, and Hajduk... well, they just don't lose at home. It simply does not happen.

And it doesn't happen away often either. To begin, it was Ivan Mili?evi? and Ante Vukuši? who decided, that, in the all Croatian starting 11, they would see what they could do. Vukuši? was let through the middle by Frano Mlinar, but instead of taking the shot (like he was supposed to) earlier, he nearly walked into a waiting De Gea. De Gea, unfortunately deflected the "shot" into Ivan Mili?evi?, who just managed to outrun a Sebastian Bassong to get the ball into the net.

The second goal was slightly simpler, as Duje ?op rose above the home defense to head one into the top corner off of Gianluca Tacconi (Mili?evi? got injured early... so much for my Croatian starting 11) but the third goal, Vukuši?'s goal, was something spectacular. From 25 metres, after just winning the ball off of Jerôme Boateng, Vukuši? turned around on a dime before launching one straight into the top corner of the Spanish net to take the lead for 3-0. Agüero got one back 5 minutes later (87') but the damage was done by then, and a victorious Hajduk go back to Split for the next few weeks with the qualification in their belt, and hoping to host Lyon with a bit of revenge... best served cold, of course.

MEANWHILE, IN THE MOUNTAINS ABOVE SPLIT
Hajduk host their annual rallying competition, one of the stipulations in Bendiš's contract, as the race is getting prepared in the mountains above Split. Bendiš, as is "traditional" opens the time trial with his ancient Fiat 500, as some of his team are eager to participate. It is thought that with some sustained success, the club, and the players might get him a newer car. However, he has adamantly refused, stating he would refuse anything except for some obscenely expensive cars. His Fiat though, is one of the nicest looking things in the city though, as it just seems to match in with the environment. That, and his Vespa.

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MAGNIFICENT COMEBACK AS HAJDUK FINISHES GROUP IN FIRST 10.XII.2013.g.
HNK HAJDUK SPLIT 2-1 OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS
There are just those days when everything just seems to fit together, like it should.

The 10th of December was not one of those days.

First, Bendiš, the man who is never, ever late, was pulled over by the cops wishing him luck for the match later. In turn, he arrived just a few seconds late, in full view of all of his players, who are also never late to their morning practice... because if they are they would be fined a month's wages.

Then the cloud cover came in, threatening the match itself later in the evening.

Then the press barged in an hour early to get the teams' comments, of which there were none except for the manager's, as is tradition before matches. And then the morning newspaper was far from pleasant, with L'Équipe writing "OL to slaughter Croatian minnows", with the rest of Europe's press not being much nicer

But even the worst days have those sparkling moments, and that... well, that was the match:

Olympique, specifically Biabiany, tested Danijel Subaši? three times before he finally decided to pass to a certain Marko Devi?. Denis Perger couldn't keep up with the French forward, as the Ukrainian got a foot in to end Subaši?'s streak of 284 minutes without conceding a goal, as early as the 31st minute. And, with Duje ?op running off a knock, it looked like Hajduk would have to settle for 2nd place in the group, yet again. However, there is a reason why Hajduk have only been outscored by their opponents in the group stage (OL: 20 goals, Hajduk: 19, Man Utd: 17), so when their forwards turned up to play, they showed why they deserved first place.

Peter Zajac found Ondrej Kušnír at the edge of the box, looking lonely, and, with a through ball, the Czechoslovakian connection showed that it was worth every penny, as Kušnír curled a ball behind a stellar Hugo Lloris from 30 meters out to end the French keeper's streak at 281 minutes without conceding. But Zajac wasn't done, as, only 3 minutes later, in the 41st, he assisted Duje ?op with what could possibly be one of the best group stage goals, as the limping yet towering center forward accomplished, what some would call, the impossible, and contorted his body into an amazing overhead kick to bring it to 2-1 for the hosts.

While Zajac deserved a goal of his own, he didn't get one, but for Split, and for Croatia as a whole, the first place finish in the group might mean something bigger in the knockout stage this year.

MEANWHILE, IN BARCELONA... AND EVERYWHERE ELSE
Croatia was all over the place today, as Tottenham knocked out Barcelona with a long range shot from a certain Luka Modri? for a win, 1-0. Stade Rennais qualifies over the Spanish champions with 7 points.
HSV got ousted by United and CSKA Moskva in Group B. United finished with the same amount of points as CSKA, but thrashed the Russians on goal difference (+14 vs. +8)
Group C, the sorta-kinda Group of Death saw Palermo beat FC Bayern to first place, while Feyenoord went to the Europa League, and Glasgow Rangers went home.
Dortmund qualified above Inter, even with a 2-0 loss against the Italians in the last match. Galatasaray goes to the Europa League
Liverpool qualified as #1 in Group F, beating Ajax by 1 point. Meanwhile, the job Bendiš rejected, Sparta Prague, is going to the Europa League over Rubin Kazan
Real Madrid finished with the most points, only one draw for 16 points, to beat Napoli, PSG and Shakhtar (in that order) in the better group of death (group E).
And Chelsea pulled out all the stops, yet again, to finish in first place over Anderlecht. It was, however surprising that the Belgians managed to defeat Porto to grab 2nd place, not to mention Bayer Leverkusen, who were in 4th.

Peter Zajac (HAJ) is the current top goalscorer, with 10, followed by Lisandro Lopez (OLL) and Cristiano Ronaldo (RMA) both 6
Peter Zajac (HAJ) also has the most assists, at 8, while Niko Kranj?ar (HSV) follows with 7, and Frano Mlinar (HAJ) with 6.

Any feedback, I know it's long, but I write once every other day or so...

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NIGHTMARE DRAW FOR HAJDUK IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 20.XII.2013.g.
It looked like it was finally getting better for the Croatian champions. They made a huge turnaround in the Champions league table, and they managed to qualify as the first placed team, giving them "easy pickings" in the draw. It could have been so simple, but then, the draw came around:

//ABOUT MIDWAY THROUGH THE DRAW//

"And the next team is... HNK HAJDUK SPLIT

"Hajduk Split have had yet another strong season in the Croatian first league, winning for the third time in a row. The Croatian champions finished first in their group for the first time, defeating Olympique Lyonnais to be the first seed from Group D. Hajduk's best performance is a quarterfinal berth in the 90s

"They play... FC INTERNAZIO-"

Bendiš swore loudly

"-NALE MILANO. The Italian league runners up have..."

And, with the draw made, Moratti happily walked out of the draw with his head held high, and Bendiš walked out struggling to comprehend how he would get out of Milan with a goal or two, and not just having the distinction of being the 1st seed knocked out in the first round.

However, Bendiš has the small consolation that, while Inter was 2nd in the league last season, they are currently in 15th, and nothing but a major overhaul is going to save them.

MEANWHILE... IN THE CROATIAN LEAGUE
HNK HAJDUK SPLIT 5-2 NK OSIJEK
Duje ?op got two goals and the man of the match, while Vedran Nikši? scored twice for Osijek as Hajduk go to third place, one week ahead of their derby, and possibly title deciding match against Dinamo Zagreb at Maksimir. The home team started badly, as Nikši? got to a ball at the edge of the area to score, but a pinpoint header from Hajduk's talismanic target man only two minutes later ('22) got them on an unstoppable path. Kušnír assisted the Osijek keeper's own goal for the lead before Duje ?op scored again, just before the 40th minute for 3-1. Both Jozinovi? and Tacconi scored their first goals of the league season, and it was Tacconi's first senior league goal before Nikši? scored in the 89th for a bit of consolation.

very good to see you've taken over Poland hopefully you can win a cup with them

2013-01-03 15:09#75212 MarkKolatowicz12 : very good to see you've taken over Poland hopefully you can win a cup with them

Nice to see someone is reading. It doesn't look promising really, I left Cameroon, the 12th team in the world, for Poland, 64, because I figured the team would be a lot better, and it is. I have half of Dortmund. The problem is that the stakes are higher in UEFA, and I don't have Kweuké, who was having a dazzling run of form under me, and Eto'o... We'll see how Lewandowski does.

Should I play him alone up front or?

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HAJDUK COME VERY CLOSE TO TOP, JUST AS TRANSFER SEASON BEGINS 1.I.2014.g.
GNK DINAMO ZAGREB 1-3 HNK HAJDUK SPLIT
Ante Vukuši? scored twice, and Tacconi assisted an own goal for the defending champions to come only one point away from the top. Dinamo Zagreb had been losing their massive 4 games in hand steadily over the past few weeks, as Hajduk came just 4 points behind, 14 games from the end of the season walking into the derby. And, looking into the pre-match conference, it was thought to be an interesting affair...

Zvonimir Soldo, reknowned in Croatia for being the only Croatian manager in the big 5 leagues (Köln) kicked off the abuse, saying that Hajduk would never lift a trophy as long as he was in charge, and he intended to stick around for a while, so the Dalmatians should better get used to it.

Bendiš replied that, simply because he was hardly paying attention to the league, doesn't mean that Dinamo was "winning". He proceeded in mentioning that the Croatian first division is his for the taking, despite being 4 points from the top and in 3rd place, with the decidedly negative comment: "if I wanted to be first, you wouldn't be"

To which the press conference degenerated into an all-out brawl. With various obscenities thrown left and right, about as often as the chairs. There are reports that those chairs will be fastened to the ground in time for the next conference.

In any case, it seemed that Bendiš was right, and Soldo, well... he got booed by his own stands. Fabian Mónzon, playing in his last game as a Hajduk player, nearly scored the opening goal in the 19th, but, even though he didn't, a certain Ante Vukuši? did... Vukuši? slid inside the penalty area many many times during the match, often clattered to the ground, but, on his first shot, he did make it count, opening the scoring in the 25th with a pass to the back of the net, around Ivan Kelava. Pedro Morales did score the equalizer not 10 minutes later, but the half was swayed distinctly in Hajduk's favour before the break, and it continued as such after it.

Gianluca Tacconi has been on fire recently, scoring against Osijek, but tonight, he assisted the own goal of Renato Keli?. The U21 Croatian first teamer has just moved from Zadar to Dinamo, rather than Hajduk, and the defender managed to heal the ball into the corner of his own net. 2-1. But the one goal lead wasn't enough for Vukuši?, who proceeded to mount a serious challenge for the top scorer award, with another goal in the 89th.

Currently, at the half of the season, Júnior Viçosa (DINAMO/BRA), Ante Vukuši? (HAJDUK/CRO), Bojan Golubovi? (ZADAR/SRB) and Roman Bezjak (RIJEKA/SLO) all have 13 goals. However, Bezjak has just left Rijeka for Sporting CP, and that should narrow the playing field down a bit.

MEANWHILE... TRANSFER SEASON ENDED
Hajduk sold all three of their free transfers, as was probably their original intention, for 2.3 million euros. Fabian Monzon being the largest sum, moved to Velez for 1.2, while Matejovski moved to Osasuna for 800K and Dario Kneževi? moved to Panionios for 325K. They brough no one in, while Dinamo strengthened, spending 5.3 million on bringing Jan Navratil in from Viktoria Plžen and Enrique Mosqueda in from Club America Mex. The 23 year old Czech winger, and the 18 year old Mexican winger are thought to be products for the future rather than for this instant, but that's only from Bendiš's point of view.
Meanwhile, Khouma Babacar moved for 20.5 M € from Fiorentina to Internazionale on a 3.5 year contract, in a bid to improve Inter's league position (15). However, they also let Davide Santon go to United. Also, Ivan Strini? moved from Red Bull Salzburg to Red Star Belgrade for 6.5M and Marco Reus moved from Gladbach to Milan for "only" 10 M €.

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INTER STROLL ON WITH TWO GOAL LEAD 26.II.2014.g.
FC INTERNAZIONALE MILANO 3-1 HNK HAJDUK
No one really knows what Bendiš said in that locker room. It must have been something truly legendary. Something that comes straight out of the movies - no - something even the movies haven't thought of yet, because this is real life... this isn't a fake, this isn't some actor, there is raw energy, and power in that locker room when Bendiš speaks. Well... telling from the Hajduk players' faces anyway, because all 18 of them walked out of the locker room ready for blood.

It wasn't meant to be though, as Christian Gross' resolute side showed exactly why they were in 2nd place last year, with a stunning first half performance. To begin, 22 year old Mattia Destro managed to find a way into the box past Jonji? and Buljat, before firing the ball past a surprised Danijel Subaši?, only for Wesley Sneijder to skip the "finding the way into the box" part of playing the game, and simply belted the second one in not 10 minutes later, in the 39th. And, to finish the half, Takayuki Morimoto scored his first goal in 6 hours with a true poacher's effort to bring the score to 3-0, just before the half time.

Bendiš's players weren't looking as motivated, but, when they came out, they came out fighting, with Ante Vukuši? closing in on Peter Zajac's goal tally in the Champions League in the 46th minute. The Croatina champions did play a little better in the second half, and even got another shot on goal, but they still have to remember that they are returning home with an away goal. And Poljud is a seashell shaped fortress, so a 2-0 victory isn't the least probable thing in the world. Especially considering the weather in Milan: heavy snow... something the coastal team isn't quite used to.

MEANWHILE... IN CROATIA
Hajduk manager, Timmy Bendiš, went on the record that if the other clubs in the league continue to buy foreign players and sell their own academy products, that the entire national team will be made of Hajduk youngsters... especially if he has anything to say about it. The national team is currently run by Slaven Bili?, but it is certainly possible that he steps down from the role after the World Cup in 2014. The favourite, at this point for the job, would be between Zvonimir Soldo and Timmy Bendiš, but by 2014, it could be anyone's guess. Especially what with the corruption in the Football Association... -.-

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HAJDUK'S GREATEST TRIUMPH 20.III.2014.g.
HNK HAJDUK SPLIT 3-0 FC INTERNAZIONALE MILANO ?OP x2, TACCONI
The cheering stopped for a split second as the whistle was blown... one, small second, as the 30 000 fans listened to the glorious sound of finality before the stadium that had just hosted Europe's most unlikely result, exploded. Inter's 10 men walked, shocked, from the center of the pitch towards their fuming, yet silent, Swiss boss, who grudgingly walked over and shook the man of the hour's hand, before the winning team ran over, and threw Bendiš into the air, looking like they had just won the World Cup, the Champions League, and the Nobel Prize in one majestic evening.

And when you looked at the crowd, even the city, you could see that, yes... this was a town that maybe deserved some success. This city is one of the most sporting towns in the world. Maybe it is time for it, maybe it is the town that deserved the three perfect headers for the three goals this evening. Because, yes, it's good for someone to have some success, but it's sad when you see clubs buy it, and cities get it undeservedly. It's sad when the small town that cares so much for their club down the road get trampled, yet again; and then has to watch their favourite players, no... their friends, move away to the big clubs. Maybe it's time for the little guy. Maybe it's time for the club where the players care for the name on the front of the shirt - not on the back.

In any case, when you see, not a stadium, but a town explode into joyous cheers when their club scores against one of the biggest teams in the world, you can't help but wipe a tear away from your eye, remembering when football wasn't all about the money, and players didn't intend to move to Manchester for a few more Ferraris. This is a club that cares about being at home, and when home cheers for you that well, it's hard for the players to imagine moving anywhere else.

MEANWHILE... IN CROATIA
Dinamo have lost their lead so quickly that Hajduk look to have finally grasped their hands on this year's trophy. Since losing their derby match and holding one point over Hajduk's head, Dinamo have proceeded to draw two matches from their last four, as Hajduk have won all 4 of their matches. Hajduk now have a 3 point lead, 9 matches from the end of the season, as Zajac moves into 2nd place in the top goalscorer charts, with 15. Vukuši? has 14, as Zadar's Golubovi? has 16.

UEFA CHAMPION'S LEAGUE DRAW
CSKA MOSKVA 0-3 CITTÀ DI PALERMO
FC BAYERN MüNCHEN 0-1 LIVERPOOL FC
SS NAPOLI 3-5 BORUSSIA DORTMUND
FC INTERNAZIONALE MILANO 3-4 HNK HAJDUK SPLIT
OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS 3-1 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FC
AFC AJAX AMSTERDAM 0-4 REAL MADRID C.F.
STADE RENNAIS FC 3-6 CHELSEA FC
RSC ANDERLECHT 0-8 MANCHESTER UNITED

MANCHESTER UNITED vs. BORUSSIA DORTMUND
OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS vs. LIVERPOOL FC
REAL MADRID C.F. vs. HNK HAJDUK SPLIT
CITTÀ DI PALERMO vs. CHELSEA FC

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90 MINUTES TO GO 1.IV.2014.g.
REAL MADRID C.F. 1-1 HNK HAJDUK SPLIT CAÑALES - KUŠNÍR
The fans in Madrid must have honestly thought that what they saw on the television was some kind of April Fools joke, but after a match José Mourinho comfortably put his 2nd team on the pitch for, Hajduk was the one that got the last laugh, as the Ondrej Kušnír scored the equalizer in the 40th minute for Hajduk to grab an away goal, and a small, small chance at the impossible dream.

Hajduk, naturally, started with their customary 5-1-3-0-1 hyper-defensive formation that they use when trying to hold a result, and it almost all came undone, as a certain Sergio Cañales scored a blazing free kick in the third minute into the top right corner of Denis Krklec's goal. The young midfielder, taking over the free-kick duties from a certain Cristiano Ronaldo continued taking strong kicks all game long, but Krklec learned from his early mistake and started saving them.

And after several uneventful saves by the Croatian 23 year old keeper, Hajduk got the chance they needed. Frano Mlinar drove the ball in front of Peter Zajac, on the left wing, for the striker to come in, and instead of take the shot against an inexperienced Felipe (who moved from Santos for 2.6 M € in 2011) passed to Ondrej Kušnír for the 100% chance, and the goal. Real Madrid continued attacking until Alan Džagoev was sent off for a violent foul in the 63rd minute, and Hajduk, if nothing else, were relieved.

After 90 minutes, Hajduk were perhaps the more fortunate, as their midfield had been completely outdone by Real Madrid's master class, with only 2 shots to Madrid's 23. It is important to note though, that, while Real Madrid had been shooting from long range for all game, Hajduk's 1 shot on goal was from 5 meters, and maybe that's what really counts. What is certain is that José Mourinho will, almost definitely, be bringing his first team to Split, something that Poljud is bound to enjoy:

Iker CASILLAS (C)
Sergio RAMOS
Raúl ALBIOL
PEPE
MARCELO
GIULIANO
Sergio CAÑALES
Cristiano RONALDO
KAKÁ
Balázs DZSUDZSÁK
Gonzalo HIGUAÍN

and if that's not enough to sell tickets, I don't know what is...

MEANWHILE... IN CROATIA
Tensions rise as match-fixing allegations against Dinamo Zagreb come to light. Since Hajduk have started taking the league by just good management, Dinamo have floundered, and several officials who were once on the Croatian capital's side are simply refusing to do so anymore, with some reports saying that unnamed referees will testify. Whether this will happen or not, it seems to be a good indication of the health of the game in a country when a referee says that he refuses to fix matches anymore

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? HEROES ? 8.IV.2014.g.
HNK HAJDUK 1-0 (2-1 AGG.) REAL MADRID C.F. J. BULJAT
David Bowie was blasted over the stadium loudspeaker as the final whistle rang out, but nothing could be louder than the fans themselves, as a packed Poljud witnessed the greatest departure from the norm in, at least, the last decade of European football.

Hajduk needed just a 0-0 draw to make it through, and while they were doing it, it wasn't exactly secure, but it was happening. Only in the 43rd minute did Xabi Alonso maybe have the right to ask for a penalty, but the referee wasn't having it, and Hajduk - thankfully - played on.

The full strength Madrid side kept attacking though, they had to. Mourinho depended on it, but Buljat, Jonji?, Malo?a, Alex, and Oremuš held strong. As a whole, it was possibly one of the strongest group defending performances of the season, as onslaught after onslaught came by, and Madrid never scored.

Hajduk had... decidedly fewer chances (9(4) vs. 27(9)), but in the 84th minute, they had the one which prompted the unrestricted roar of the crowd for the reminder of the night. Ivan Tomi?i?, who had come on to replace Ivan Mili?evi? early in the second half, had taken a free kick into the center of the box. Now, Hajduk are good with free kicks. They have 4 strong heading players, and this one was no different, as Mario Malo?a managed to get his head onto the ball and towards the goal. However, Casillas, also managed to get to the ball, but after deflecting the header stayed on the ground, so, when the captain of the evening, Jurica Buljat leaped into the air, he had the whole goal open for picking, and he did just that. Buljat, by an incredible stroke of luck, knocked, arguably, the largest club in the world out of the Champions League in the quarterfinals.

Unlike Christian Gross, José Mourinho wasn't reluctant about his handshake. The Portuguese manager heartedly congratulated Bendiš and wished him the best of luck... because even Mourinho knows: if you beat Real Madrid with any club, not to mention a small coastal club in Croatia, you really deserve the best of luck.

MEANWHILE... IN NYON
Hajduk draw Chelsea, as Dortmund plays Liverpool in the Champions League semifinal. Dortmund knocked Manchester United out on away goals, while Liverpool scored three goals in Lyon to beat the French champions, 3-2 aggregate. Chelsea played Palermo and scored in Italy for their 1-0 aggregate win.

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IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE?! 8.IV.2014.g.
HNK HAJDUK 3-2 CHELSEA FC J. BULJAT x2, F. MLINAR - M. SISSOKHO, M. MALO?A (OG)
In the last Champions League game in Split this season, Hajduk didn't disappoint, treating the largest crowd this season, 30 819, a brilliant come from behind victory to put the longest bet in the season in pole position to knock out an unfortunate Roman Abramovi? out of the cup, at just a fraction of the cost.

Bendiš however didn't start well. A certain Moussa Sissokho belted one in from long range in the 12th to - seemingly - give Hajduk a sign of things to come. And, because he was playing at home, Bendiš, and his team for that matter, were a little more nervous. But then, everything fell on his captain's shoulders: Jurica Buljat, again the captain for the match, got all the way in the air - hell, Michael Jordan can't get that high - to head home a brilliant Frano Mlinar free kick into Matej Dela?'s net, for 1-1. Chelsea pushed for more though, and forced an own goal by Mario Malo?a for 1-2, just before the half.

Bendiš wasn't done. Hailed as one of the greatest motivational, and one of the most emotional speakers in Croatia, if not in Europe, the Croatian made a massive speech in 15 minutes to try to turn it around, and he did it. Frano Mlinar skipped the whole "assisting" conundrum, and fired from 25 meters past the 11th Croatian on the pitch (Chelsea goalkeeper) into the top right corner, before he started panting from exhaustion. The 22 year old has played almost every match this season, and it was showing. The kid wasn't done though, and he floated a gorgeous corner to the far post in the 81st minute for the magnificently unexpected 3-2 win for the home side.

MEANWHILE... IN SPLIT
Bendiš unleashed another tirade at money in football, calling for Platini and Blatter to abolish the "purchase" of success. Platini, who had shown his face in Split stated that he would, under no circumstances even attempt to implement what Bendiš was suggesting, namely: the implementation of a European wide transfer ban on buying youngsters from out of the country until the age of 23. This would restrict big clubs from ruining clubs by taking advantage of the low profile of leagues.

Naturally, Bendiš is displeased with Platini, Blatter, FIFA, and UEFA, but he is receiving support from small clubs around Europe, which could become troubling for UEFA

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HNK HAJDUK 0-0 CHELSEA FC 2.V.2014.
John Terry turned away when the final whistle was blown as, yet again, he had come so close to the one trophy he had missed for all of those years, and yet so far. Abramovi? looked on, shocked that, even with all the money and superstars in the world, his team couldn't beat the simple local club on the coastline. The Hajduk players didn't believe that this fairytale was happening to them, and the fans - the few fans that had made the big trip up to London - they roared as after 90 minutes of fanatical defending, their heroes had managed to pull it off. And through all the chaos, through all the maniacal reporting of what had just happened, a single tear rolled down Bendiš's cheek, in what has been documented as one of the happiest and greatest sports photographs of all time.

Hajduk walked away from their home match with a thrilling 3-2 victory, but the match in London, at least according to Bendiš, was supposed to be anything but. With an amazing 5 defenders, 2 defensive midfielders and two defensive wingers, with one lone central forward (Duje ?op), Hajduk were, very clearly, parking the bus. But it wasn't easy, because, while Hajduk's back 5 has been playing together frequently, Vagner Love has been busting through defenses all season long, and he wasn't stopping now. It took a fantastic man of the match performance from Jurica Buljat, who has been all sorts of awesome recently, to subdue the Chelsea forwards, and, after an exhausting 90 minutes, the 29 year old laid down on the pitch in London in triumph.

For this was Buljat's, and Hajduk's, ticket to Berlin, this horribly difficult path was the way to the ultimate glory in football. The Champions League final. At Olympiastadion, Berlin. Against Liverpool. Some would say that the draw wasn't fair, and it wasn't. For Hajduk to come out of the Group, winning against Lyon, to move straight against Milan, before travelling to Madrid? Oh wait a second, then they went to London, before playing a match against Liverpool. We might mention that, by city, the three with the most ECL trophies are Milan, Madrid, and Liverpool... But Hajduk battled through, and the Croatians got to the last hurdle. The impossible one.

There have been so many impossible hurdles though, that have been cleared, that as a Hajduk fan, one can only sit down, and hope... because this is the ultimate achievement for the club. It doesn't get much better than this.

MEANWHILE... IN ZADAR
The 0-0 victory in London came at a cost though, as Hajduk played in Zadar, just that Saturday. Zadar held strong until the 54th minute when Buljat, who, again, won the man of the match award, scored a diving header for 1-0, keeping the title in Hajduk's grasp. All they need now is one more win, and they have the league, two more for a double, and, against all odds, three more for the European treble (making them team #7 to accomplish this feat in Europe)

WINS FOR LEAGUE:
VARAŽDIN or DINAMO ZAGREB (both H)

WINS FOR DOUBLE:
VARAŽDIN OR DINAMO ZAGREB (both H)
VARAŽDIN (H and A)

WINS FOR TREBLE:
VARAŽDIN or DINAMO ZAGREB (both H)
VARAŽDIN (H and A)
LIVERPOOL (N)

"the implementation of a European wide transfer ban on buying youngsters from out of the country until the age of 23. This would restrict big clubs from ruining clubs by taking advantage of the low profile of leagues"


this would be an awesome rule, meaning players would progress in the right way without gettin bought young and placed in the reserves until their old enough

2013-01-10 17:18#76522 The Boy Wonder : "the implementation of a European wide transfer ban on buying youngsters from out of the country until the age of 23. This would restrict big clubs from ruining clubs by taking advantage of the low profile of leagues"


this would be an awesome rule, meaning players would progress in the right way without gettin bought young and placed in the reserves until their old enough

In Yugoslavia I think the rule was 27, which provided wonders for the local clubs, as they could nurture their local talents