Forward momentum sees Croatia through

Attacking momentum
If there was a difference, though, it was that Croatia adopted the more positive approach, both in Zagreb on Saturday and tonight in Ljubljana. And that proved decisive as within two minutes of being reduced to ten men with the dismissal of Igor Tudor, Croatia's momentum ensured that Dado Pršo was able to score his second goal of the tie and book their second qualification for the UEFA European Championship final tournament in only three entries.

Striker's delight
Moments after the final whistle, the AS Monaco FC striker admitted that life had been tough. "I said before that it would be hard and we had to be better in both games to win on aggregate," Pršo said. "But I must admit, Slovenia played very well. It was difficult after the 1-1 draw in Zagreb but we made it."

Way through
That first-leg result had meant that Croatia needed to score tonight to prevent a possible away goals exit. In the first ten minutes, the recalled Tomislav Šokota had struck the post, and although Slovenia's defending was as tight as in the first leg, Pršo eventually found a way through as he ran on to a through-ball and poked past Mladen Dabanovic in the Slovenian goal.

Six changes
Šokota was one of six players drafted into a much-changed Croatian starting lineup by coach Otto Baric along with Robert Kovac, Josip Šimunic, Darijo Srna, Milan Rapaic and Giovani Rosso. They all justified their selection, and Rapaic said: "I am delighted. Now we can return home to Croatia celebrating. It is a great feeling."

'Really, really tough'
Niko Kovac, who started both legs, confessed: "It was really, really tough. We were nervous, and it was tough to play against the hard Slovenian defence, but finally we proved that we are the better team." That was something that even Slovenian coach Bojan Prašnikar had to admit.

Price paid
"I would like to congratulate Mr Baric and the Croatian team," he said. "They deserve to go to the finals. We made one big mistake and the price we had to pay is not going to the championship." His team, up against ten men, did push hard in the closing minutes, but were never able to match the attacking pace of Croatia.

Coach's belief
Baric himself had been critical of his side after drawing in Zagreb, hence the radical changes, but with a place in Portugal assured his mood had, unsurprisingly, lightened. "I always believed in the team," he said. "We were better and I am happy we qualified for the European Championship."

Impressive achievement
Slovenia had been the smallest side in the last FIFA World Cup finals, and for a country of only two million inhabitants to get so close to a third consecutive major qualification is impressive indeed. But in Croatia they found a nation whose first decade in the international football scene was one of swift elevation to the top table, and in Pršo they again have a striker at the peak of his powers. They are well worth their place in this month's draw.