Striker Olić only looking forward
Friday, June 6, 2008
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"Nobody can live in the past," says Ivica Olić, star of Croatia's 3-2 win in England last November but a man focused on tackling Group B rivals Austria on Sunday.
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Olić 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 Olić 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 Petrić. It is also the subject everyone is talking about, especially since none of Croatia's forwards have registered since that England win. Olić 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, Olić 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."
