Balkan Boyz - Matchday 10 (Sz.5 - lvl5)



HEADLINE: Two goal hero Ivica Olić puts on a show as the Balkan Boyz secure a final-eight spot!



CUP: NB99 (Q45,6) Formation: 4-3-3 >> 0 - 2 (AGG:0-2) << Balkan Boyz (Q46,6) Formation: 4-2N-2W-2/3N-3N-2W-2
SCORERS: I. Olić (79 & 86min.ass:E.Džeko)
SUBS: D.Srna < > A.Halilović
MOTM: Ognjen Vranješ (rate:8)


Balkan Boyz secured a final-eight spot this evening after they beat the Danish "NB99" at "NB Arena" in front of 19,000 spectators. The man behind the victory was the shadowstriker Ivica Olić who managed to get the Balkan Boyz two goals in the last quarter and therefore give his team a ticket to the T11 CUP final-eight! Since the first leg was extremely tight and ended in a tie, the second leg became more open and free-scoring, something that both teams seemed to take advantage of. The Danish decided to line up with a 4-3-3 formation, the same as in the 1th leg and Balkan Boyz started with their traditionally 4-2N-2W-2 as well. But a tactical move by Manager -Ljepoje- to a far more offensive 3N-3N-2W-2 formation was made the last twenty minutes. This tactical switch seemed to give "bean" and Balkan Boyz with Ivica Olić looking threatening in front of the goal managed to score twice and therefore secure furture advancement in the T11 CUP.

Manager -Ljepoje- didn't hide his happiness and satisfaction that his team reached the T11 CUP final-eight for the second time in a row. The manager seemed quite pleased and satisfied with his young team's victory over the Danish and with the overall performance of his team as well. In a short post-game interview he said, "We all knew that this would be a tough return and that it could be our last game in the T11 CUP tournament as well. The Danish team "NB99" aren't just a team, they are former CUP participants as well. They got knocked out by the away goal rule last season in the final-eight against Madrid FC, the same Madrid FC beat the Swedish Hyapool FC in the quarter-finals the same season. So as you can see, we have already beaten the last season final-eight and quarterfinalist, and this is something that we should be proud of! We had as you all know a couple of setbacks in the 1th leg, first the suspension of our best midfielder and playermaker Safet Sušić, and then the 0-0 draw which wasn't that pleasant at all. But we managed to pull it of. But to get such a result, we had to work together and play as a team, and part from that, we knew we had Lorik Cana as a great and neat substitution and the strikers Edin Džeko and Stevan Jovetić which could score at any given time. Overall, I think we showed that we can play against teams at the same level or better".

Manager -Ljepoje- couldn't hide his gratitude towards the "two-goal-hero" and hailed the importance of the shadowstriker, Ivica Olić after his two late goals earned victory at "NB99 Arena", "If you look at Olić's career for the Balkan Boyz and the goals he has scored, he has got a lot of heavy goals, goals that are very important and in crucial times. This is the kind of player that every manager could wish to have.” In addition, he added “You know, we are all eager to win, and we have probably one of the best players at this level. With a little bit luck we hope to do our best in the final-eight, despite the opposition. We are better and stronger than we were before, and hopefully we could reach to semi-finals as last season. Or why not the finals, who knows?!".


In other news, Balkan Boyz managed to beat the Italian team "Benevento" with 8 - 0 after goals by Hasan Salihamidžić (x2), Luka Modrić (x2), Stevan Jovetić (x2), Mario Mandžukić (x1), Mateo Kovačić (x1) and Ognjen Vranješ (x1). A game in which Stevan Jovetić was declared as MoM (rate:9). The win means that Balkan Boyz holds onto first place with 24 points and are 3points clear in front of the Israeli team "Iztik Yan". Balkan Boyz will play the Vietnamese team "Tay Ninh FC" tomorrow away at 21:47CET. Later on that evening, Balkan Boyz are set to play the 5th group round in the Champions League tournament against the Swiss team "FCO", with a kick-off time at 23:33CET.


Over&Out!