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POZNAN, Poland -- After a convincing 3-1 victory over Ireland,Croatia have the wind in their sails and are dreaming of a returnto the form they enjoyed in the 1990s when coach Slaven Bilic was aplayer. Having outgunned the Irish in Poznan's Municipal Stadium on Sunday,Croatia meet an Italy side, boosted by a well-deserved 1-1 drawwith holders Spain, in the same stadium on Thursday and believethey can win a second successive match. They have shaken off the impact of injuries that sidelined severalkey names even before the start of the tournament, includingmidfielder Ivo Ilicevic, defender Dejan Lovren and veteran strikerIvica Olic. We are strong as a team, and I think that after this match we aregetting even better and even stronger. I expect to play even betteragainst Italy because the first match is the most difficult, andthis is behind us, Bilic said. The 43-year-old is due to step down following Euro 2012 after sixyears in charge and move into club management at Russia's LokomotivMoscow. The fine start to the tournament tips the odds a little further inCroatia's favour, he reckons. One win would be enough to go to the quarterfinals, Bilic said. We cannot fly in the championship, but let's go step by step. Werespect all our opponents. We have no fear against anyone. Spainand Italy are favourites in our group, but I still think we areable to beat one of them. The squad is on a high after starting so well. This is really a big win and it will be easier for us in the nextmatches, said Tottenham midfielder Luka Modric. His former club-mate, midfielder Niko Kranjcar, underlined thatCroatia had come into the Ireland game as favorites. Now we have a couple of difficult matches to come against Italyand Spain, where we are not the favorites, but in previouschampionships we have shown that we can handle them, he said. We are ready to make a great impression on this Europeanchampionship. Everton striker Nikica Jelavic, whose goal was sandwiched between adouble by man of the man Mario Mandzukic of Wolfsburg, said thefocus had shifted squarely to the Italy game. We're top of the group and of course that gives us confidence, Jelavic said. We will try to get the three points against them, so that we cango into the third game without any pressure on us. Croatia wrap up their group matches on June 18 against Spain inGdansk. Pressed to comment on the other performers so far at Euro 2012,Russia, who thrashed the Czech Republic 4-1 on Friday in Group A,Bilic allowed himself a little stargazing. They're one of the best teams in this tournament, but we have notime to think about that group. I hope we can play against Russiaafter the group stages, he said. Like Ireland, Croatia qualified through the playoffs, in their caseagainst Turkey - exacting revenge for the Turks' penalties victoryin the Euro 2008 quarter-finals. Their progress four years ago raised hopes of a return to their1990s glory days, when Bilic was a pillar of their defence. Croatia, emerging from the war sparked by the collapse ofYugoslavia, reached the quarter-finals of Euro 1996 and finishedthird at the 1998 World Cup. Doing well at Euro 2012 would have added symbolism for a nation setto join the European Union next year. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Dangle Belly Ring , Stone Ear Plugs Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit Belly Ring Jewelry today!
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