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MOSCOW / ZAGREB – After watching their soccer team lose 4-2 to France in the World Cup final in Moscow on Sunday, some Croatians wept with sadness while others felt pride that their tiny nation had gone so
A young woman used to a red-and-the-world -white Croatian flag to wipe tears from her eyes as a female friend, also crying, put her arm around her.
Others continued to waving Croatian flags and scarves through the disappointment after watching their country play in the World Cup final for the first
"The French proved better in decisive moments. "59-year old Darko Ilakovac said.
At Moscow's Luzhniki stadium where the match took place, it is a great achievement to play in the finals and we can only be proud of what the world has done. place, Croatian supporter Robert Zeljko, 31, was in tears during the ceremony at the end of the winners' medals.
"We are very sad now," said Zeljko, who was dressed in a Croatian soccer shirt. "
Croatia, with a population of only 4.2 million people, were not among the favorites at the start of the tournament. Their progress to the final gripped the imagination of the Balkan nation and members of the Croatian diaspora living in countries from Germany to Australia.
"For a nation of four million people it's a miracle to come to the final World Cup," said Aleksander Ceferin, the head of European football's governing body UEFA.
Croatia will be hosting a welcoming party for the soccer team in Zagreb. Thousands of Croat fans are expected to come to Zagreb Square
Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic appealed to employees to join the staff. Train tickets will be 50 percent cheaper for those wishing to travel to Zagreb from other Croatian cities for the occasion.
With the nation glued to screens to watch their team's progress through the tournament last year.
Croatia's cabinet held a session dressed in the soccer team's red-and-white checkered shirts and the most ardent fans scrambled to find flights and tickets to the final, 20 years after their team finished third at the 1998 World Cup in France. – Writing by Christian Lowe
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