‘LITTLE COUNTRY THAT COULD’
Croatia scores World Cup shocker
It was 20 years in the making.
Grown adults weeping, old friends hugging, children cheering. Croatia’s thrilling semifinal victory over England at the World Cup on Wednesday was felt in northeast Calgary.
“Euphoria. Nobody expected us to get there, we did it,” said Ivan Pocrnic, one of hundreds of fans who watched the 2-1 win in extra time at the Croatian-Canadian Cultural Centre. “We had the passion, the love. We knew we would get there. We did.”
The Croatian community in Calgary, about 6,000 strong, has waited a long time for this, said the centre’s president, Ivan Vukelic.
“Where there is one Croatian, there is a lot more,” he said. “In North America, soccer is not very popular. It’s coming, but as in Europe, for us, it is very, very important. When I was a young kid … that was the only sport we had back home when there was no TVs or anything else.”
A nervous crowd watched as Croatia came out of halftime down 1-0. But it erupted after the tying marker in the second half, and that carried into extra time. After the go-ahead tally, there was no turning back for the crowd, overcome with emotion and singing until the final minute. They knew they had it.
“Oh, my God, we absolutely deserve this. We were the better team,” said Rosina Tobin. “I’ve watched every single game in this World Cup, not just Croatia, every single team. I thought from the first game I saw, we’re going to the final.”
Croatia moves on to play France in the final, a rematch from 1998, when the French side knocked them out in the semifinal.
“They beat us in 1998. Retribution, here we come,” Tobin said. “Soccer is stressful. We have this little country with such patriotic loving people.
“We deserve this.”
At the Rose and Crown pub downtown, where hundreds of England fans took over the pub to watch the match, the confidence in the room was palpable at the start of the game.
“We’ve got a good team,” said Rhys Carpenter, who was visiting Calgary from England for four days. “We didn’t really have a good run through the World Cup but we’ve got a good strong tide, and we’ve proved ourselves throughout the competition.”
Carpenter said the World Cup has been a constant disappointment for him throughout his life.
“Getting knocked out by penalty shootouts,” he said. “That’s the only memory I have.”
For Dennis Taylor, this year’s edition of the tournament has been a reprieve. Seeing the team go as far as it did is something he’s waited for since 1966.
“It’s been very lonely for a lot of years, but I can’t believe it. All of the closet England fans are finally coming out and having a blast,” Taylor said. “The Calgary Stampede doesn’t exist for me right now. It’s just this.”
But it’s Croatia’s long drought that has the chance of ending this Sunday.
“What would it mean? I’ve been the manager and the coach of the Croatian local soccer team here in town for 40 years,” said John Mustapic, wiping tears from his eyes following the game.
“There’s no words. The little country that could.”
Vukelic said he expects an even bigger, rowdier crowd this weekend.
“People go crazy,” he said. “You can tell, this is Croatia.”