September 13, 2007 CSL Serbian White Eagles vs Toronto Croatia (from CSL media release)

CROATIA STREAK INTACT FOLLOWING 1-1 TIE WITH SERBIAN EAGLES
Thursday - September 13, 2007
Centennial thriller

Toronto Croatia are still unbeaten, but only just as they fought to a 1-1 tie with International Division leaders Serbian White Eagles in a well-attended thriller at Centennial Stadium, Etobicoke Thursday night.

The two longstanding rivals put on a fast-paced entertaining game for a paid attendance of 1,615, the first time the two teams have met since September 24, 2006 when the Eagles defeated Croatia 3-0 at Lamport Stadium and this followed a 3-1 Serbian White Eagles victory at Ivor Wynne Stadium, Hamilton two weeks earlier.

But things are considerably different this year with Toronto Croatia without a loss in 17 regular season league games, interrupted early in the season when the squad traveled to Europe to go undefeated and emerge winners in an international tournament. This campaign has to considered one of the most successful since Croatia launched their professional soccer team in 1956.

Midfielder Boris Tomac put Toronto Croatia in front at 23 minutes when he finished a good passing play started by Hayden Fitzwilliams, a goal that just about represented the play with the Croatia having a slight edge through to the 1-0 interval.

But Serbian White Eagles picked up the pace in the second half and it took just 15 minutes for a number of raids on the Croatia goal to pay off with Gabriel Pop slotting the ball inside the Croatia post to the left of goalkeeper George Azcurra. It was Pop’s 12th goal of the season.

Both teams went on to the attack as the half progressed and several untidy challenges brought yellow cards from referee Isaac Raymond. Serbia’s Nenad Stojcic came closest to scoring when he struck the Croatia cross bar and in the final 10 minutes Pop almost scored his second. He came within a whisker of handing the Croatian side its first defeat in the well-played encounter, described by Kris Fernandes, the advertising director for the nationally distributed Inside Soccer Magazine as being “the best game I have seen in a while”.

Serbian White Eagles emerge from the 1-1 tie with a 11-4-2 WLT record for 35 points, still good for top position, while Toronto Croatia are at 8-0-9 for 33 points and the two teams are separated in the standings by Italia Shooters with 33 points from 18 games.

Thursday’s two teams will come together again on Tuesday, October 2, a Toronto Croatia home game against Serbian White Eagles back at Centennial Stadium, an 8.15 p.m. kickoff.

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