Six attempts, one win: Croatia's incovenient rival

In six previous matches, four qualifiers and two friendlies, Croatia has won on just one occasion. The occasion was, however, a very important one. In late April 1997 in Thessaloniki, Miroslav Blažević's men celebrated the lone goal despite a partisan support and recorded one of the key victories in 1998 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Nerves of steel were required, and the relentless Davor Šuker struck home on 74 minutes to secure three golden points. Six months earlier in Zagreb, Greece took lead just nine minutes into the match, courtesy of Nikolaidis, and another Šuker goal - in the closing minutes of the first half - was enough for a 1:1 draw.

However, Croatia managed to finish above Greece and join the play-offs as the runner-up, with Peter Schmeichel's contribution in the last round. The play-off draw paired Croatia with Ukraine, and the rest is history.

Next came two friendly matches. In March 1999 in Athens, Giannakopoulos' brace gave Greece a 2:0 lead, with Vlaović and Šuker finding the net on 68 and 80 minutes to make it 2:2. Several minutes before the final whistle, Nikolaidis appeared for the first Greek victory over Croatia (3:2).

In April 2001, Varaždin was the host city, and Greece replayed the scenario: it was Alexandris' brace that gave the visitors 2:0 lead. Vlaović and Rapaić replied on 67 and 90 minutes to complete the Croatian comeback (2:2).

More competitive excitement was scheduled for EURO 2012 qualifying campaign. Slaven Bilić's men were unable to break Greek resistance in September 2010 encounter in Zagreb (0:0), while the reverse leg in the Karaiskakis cauldron in Piraeus left no fond memories for Croatia.

Samaras and Gekas became Greek heroes, scoring on 71 and 79 minutes (2:0), preparing the way to secure them the top spot, leaving Croatia to face Turkey in the play-offs. A world class performance in Istanbul obtained Croatia's final tournament visa. One win, three draws, and two losses, alongside 6:8 goal-difference, is a head-to-head record that calls for caution, yet the upcoming clashes with Greece present an opportunity to reverse this negative trend.

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