Soccer News of Thursday, 19 June 2014

Source: goal.com

'Glass got stuck in my foot!' - Olic plays through the pain

The Croatia forward, who opened the scoring in rout of Cameroon, says he is a doubt to face Mexico after requiring stitches to a freak injury suffered in the team hotel.

Croatia forward Ivica Olic has revealed he took pain-killing injections prior to the clash with Cameroon after stepping on broken glass in his bathroom.

The experienced attacker opened the scoring against the African side on Wednesday, converting Ivan Perisic's pass from close range before Croatia romped to a 4-0 win.

The 34-year-old has since explained he forced himself to play through the pain after requiring stitches when a piece of glass became stuck in his right foot in the hours before the game.

"All the best to our medical team who enabled me to play after an accident I had in the hotel," Olic said after Wednesday's game, which saw him become the oldest Croatia goalscorer in World Cup finals history.

"After a shower, the door in my bathroom broke and cut me. And I stepped on one piece of glass that got stuck in my foot!

"Doctors, headed by Zoran Bahtijarevic, sewed my wound and gave me a pain-killing injection so I could play.

Luckily, it was my right foot. I was so mad and even aggressive when they told me they have to sew it, but now I am grateful to them."

Olic said he would be perfectly happy to take further injections in order to play in the crucial Group A clash with Mexico, should the injury fail to recover sufficiently after a few days of rest.

"I am not allowed to train, to sweat. Hopefully, it will heal in the next two or three days so I don't have to take pain-killers for the Mexico game, but of course I will take them if necessary," he added.