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Striker Olic only looking forward
by Chris Burke from Bad Tatzmannsdorf
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Ivica Olic addressing the media on Friday (¿Getty
Images)
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Croatia's 3-2 victory over England at Wembley last November
is ancient history according to Croatia striker Ivica Olic, who shone
brighter than most that night but is fully concentrated on his team's
crucial UEFA EURO 2008T Group B opener against Austria on Sunday.
Same scoreline
Olic scored Croatia's second goal and was named Man of the Match during
that memorable qualifier, yet with Germany lying in wait on 12 June, the
28-year-old knows attentions must be focused on seizing all three points
against the co-hosts in Vienna. "That was a great game and I have
very strong memories of it, but nobody can live in the past," he
said. "We're just looking forward to our next match and we hope we
can put in the same level of performance against Austria, because the
England game was our best recent display. I'd be quite happy with the
same scoreline in Vienna."
Eduardo absence
A sublime piece of Eduardo da Silva trickery released Olic to find the
target at Wembley, but it is the Brazilian-born striker's absence from
this tournament that has given the Hamburger SV man his place in the starting
lineup alongside Mladen Petric. It is also the subject everyone is talking
about, especially since none of Croatia's forwards have registered since
that England win. Olic feels he and his colleagues can provide more than
enough firepower, however: "Of course we will miss Eduardo. He's
a great player and he scored more goals in qualifying than the rest of
us, but we have good quality players and we'll find a way to get over
losing him. Myself and Mladen are both left-footed, which is a bit strange
for an attacking duo, but that could surprise our opponents. We hope to
combine well and explode at the EURO."
No complacency
Instead of worrying, in fact, Olic is relishing this opportunity to prove
that Croatia need to be considered title contenders. "The game on
Sunday will show how much progress we've made," he said. "We
have to prove our worth against the Austrians. All five of the strikers
here are working hard, improving on a daily basis and we've come off good
seasons with our clubs, so we're confident we can find the back of the
net. We won't underestimate Austria for one second. They showed in the
warm-up matches that they can be very awkward opponents. It will probably
be a tough match with few clear-cut chances because there is so much at
stake."
Euro2008.com,
6 June 2008
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