Olic gives Croatia hope

Not many knew his name outside Croatia before he rocked Italy and set Croatia up for a famous 2-1 triumph which put them back on track for the FIFA World Cup's last 16 after losing their opening game to Mexico.

Vital equaliser
His name is Ivica Olic. He had threatened the Italians with his pace before ghosting in behind the defence to slot home the goal which cancelled out Christian Vieri's 55th-minute opener. Olic's goal galvanised the Croatians and three minutes later Milan Rapaic volleyed a deflected winner.

Top goalscorer
The fast and courageous 22-year-old forward was the leading scorer in domestic football in his homeland last season - his 21 goals going some way towards guiding NK Zagreb to the Premier League championship. The feeling in Croatia is that Olic is likely to seize the opportunity if selected to start the final Group G game against Ecuador on Thursday.

World Cup dream
"They say I am too young and my form is still sporadic but I am almost 23 and in the best years of my football career," said Olic. "If I am not at my peak now then when will I ever be? I dreamed of scoring a goal in the World Cup before we left for Japan. I still cannot believe it came true."

Sensational decision
Mirko Jozic bowed to an unprecedented degree of public criticism and decided to leave Croatian veterans Davor Šuker and Robert Prosinecki on the bench for the Italy game, but his decision to bring on Olic as a substitute proved to be the coach's best decision of the game.

Blistering pace
With Alen Bokšic playing as a lone striker and Davor Vugrinec and Rapaic providing support in midfield, Croatia were stylish but lacked penetration. The arrival of Olic, with his blistering pace and desire to run at defenders, gave Croatia teeth.

'Ivica is a good player'
After the match, the coach was wary of giving his young striker to much praise, saying: "Ivica is a good player and just one of the options we have up front. I think that the new players influenced the game but I cannot single out any player. I think the key player was the team."

National euphoria
The Croatian supporters who poured into the streets of Zagreb to celebrate the national side's victory might have disagreed with the coach's assessment - especially those who had seen Olic in action for his club.

Lucky charm
To many, Olic's presence in a side is a guarantee of success. A year ago he shot to fame when he helped his hometown club NK Marsonia earn a place in the Croatian top flight. His move to Zagreb saw him make an immediate difference as his goals helped the club to win their first ever Prva HNL title.

German disappointment
However, it was not always so. He first left Marsonia for 1. Bundesliga side Hertha BSC Berlin where he played just two top-flight games under coach Jürgen Röber before heading back to Croatia. His international future was already assured, though, with former Croatia coach Miroslav Blazevic admiringly calling him 'a dog' as a tribute to his pace, tenacity, freshness and sharpness.

'I live for the game'
"I live for the game, I always fight and try to give 100 per cent," explained Olic. "They say that speed is my strongest weapon and they might be right. I have never timed myself on 60 or 100 metres but I feel that I can outpace defenders."

The new Šuker
His sensational performance against Italy has already led to Olic being tagged 'the new Šuker' - both strikers are from the same region, Slavonia - but if he is intimidated by the thought of following in the footsteps of the TSV 1860 München striker, then it certainly does not show.

Awesome prospects
"Davor Šuker is not only a legend in Osijek and Slavonia but in the whole of Croatia," said Olic. "I would be more than happy if I could achieve even half of what Šuker has managed to do in his fantastic career."

Major leagues
It certainly looks like he will be following his illustrious striking predecessor into one of Europe's major leagues by the start of the new domestic season. Having already rejected an €8m move to RC Deportivo La Coruña, Olic is setting his targets high. "I turned down the Deportivo offer and now it seems that it was a good decision to do so," said Olic. "After the World Cup, my price should go up by about 50 per cent."

Italian ambitions
Rumours are now circulating that a host of Serie A sides are keen to bring him into Italian football after he did so much to sabotage the Azzurri's hopes of reaching the second round. If he can show the same form against Ecuador as he did in that stunning 2-1 win, his future could be very bright indeed.