Zagreb celebrates after Croatia’s third place finish

The party was on Saturday night in Croatia. Fireworks in the sky of the capital, Zagreb, and cries of joy in the streets came to greet the victory against Morocco (2-1) in the match for the 3rd place of the World Cup-2022 in Qatar.

“Croatia is on fire! Tears, songs, pride and joy throughout the country,” summarized the daily Vecernji List on its website, as soon as the match of Luka Modric and his teammates is over. “Croatia is going to have a long and happy night,” added the newspaper, with supporting photos of supporters in several cities waving the tricolor flag of this country of four million inhabitants.

A victory dedicated to “Ciro Blazevic”

After 3rd place in 1998 and the 2018 final in Russia, lost against France, this is the third time that Croatia has finished on the podium of a World Cup since its independence in 1991. “Croatia is once again the third country in the world”, shouted the commentator of the match on the public channel HRT, as soon as the meeting in Doha ended. “We are delighted, proud, happy! Congratulations Croatia, congratulations to the Vatreni (the Ardents, the nickname of the selection)! “, he added.

For coach Zlatko Dalic, quoted by HRT, it is a “bronze that shines like gold”, and he “dedicated this victory to the man who was at the origin of all this: (Miroslav) Ciro Blazevic”. Aged 87, Blazevic led the Croatian team in France in 1998.

Several thousand fans had gathered in Jelacic Square in central Zagreb to watch the match on a giant screen, including proud Ana Polic, in her 20s, wrapped in a flag Croatian. “Three world medals for our small country is a huge achievement. I’m so proud. Congratulations to the Vatreni”, rejoiced Marin Lovric, 32, who had chosen a bar in Zagreb to watch the match.

Modric’s team will be welcomed on Sunday in Zagreb by a crowd of supporters, as in 2018 on their return from Russia, when more than 550,000 Croats applauded them between the airport and the central square. Since independence, the only event to bring more people together was a visit by Pope John Paul II in 1994.

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