I'ts not that I hate France, of course that word is too strong, but I don't really think they played better. Yes, of course we might have a disagreement here, I realize that. But, it seems to me like Croatia put a lot more heart into the game, and the bad call killed their morale a bit.
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I know what you are thinking right now. You are thinking that it's just me rooting for the underdog. A typical behavior many of us humans seem to have, simply because we identify with the ones who are seen as weaker. In secret of course, nobody admits it, but that's is the psychology behind the apparent anomaly.
I will just say: Maybe. I can't really deny that's there. But, If you saw the game I think you know exactly when the morale changed. The first bad call from the referee did a psychological number on the Croatian team from which they never truly recovered. The game was fast paced mostly dominated by Croatia, with their ball possession over 60% for most of the game. That must mean something, right?
I am however, pretty impressed with the attitude of the Croatian people. On the last world cup the losers of the finals acted as if everything had been lost. As a matter of fact, I remember Messi saying he was retiring. He was so upset, as if reaching the finals does not have merit in itself, he said he was done playing for Argentina.
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One word comes to mind, and one word alone. GRATITUDE. - I think the rest of the world should look at that as an example of what it means to have the right attitude, what sportsmanship means. Now that this is over, I'm sure the team will be welcomed home as heroes, and honestly, well deserved.
Who would think a tiny country like that could pull that off? I certainly would have never imagined it. In any case, I'm glad this is over, I'm glad people are going back to work this week (this is the case in Latin America) and the conversations can be diversified a little bit. I may speak spanish, but as a soccer fan, I'm trailing behind by a few miles.
In any case, I hope everyone had a beautiful Sunday surrounded with loved ones.