CROATIA THRILLED WITH THIRD : CROATIA 2, NETHERLANDS 1.Byline: Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. They stood in the mixed zone wearing bronze medals and wide smiles. For the members of Croatia's team, this was more than just a third-place victory in the World Cup. It was a magnificent achievement for a nation of 5 million in just its eighth year of existence, and for a team making its debut in the world soccer championship. The Croats didn't win the title, but it didn't seem to matter much. ``I have no regrets,'' said Robert Prosinecki, who scored the first goal of a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands on Saturday night. ``We are a small country in our first World Cup and we came in third.'' Riding a brilliant counterattack Attacking an attacker. Even though a criminal hacker or other agent is attempting to penetrate a security perimeter or damage systems, the counterattack must not violate applicable laws. and the acrobatics acrobatics Art of jumping, tumbling, and balancing. The art is of ancient origin; acrobats performed leaps, somersaults, and vaults at Egyptian and Greek events. Acrobatic feats were featured in the commedia dell'arte theatre in Europe and in jingxi (“Peking of goalkeeper Drazen Ladic, Croatia had a memorable tournament. After the team upset the Dutch, star striker Davor Suker - the tournament's leading scorer with six goals - ran around Parc des Princes UEFA 4-star rated football stadia • • [ with a Croatian flag draped drape v. draped, drap·ing, drapes v.tr. 1. To cover, dress, or hang with or as if with cloth in loose folds: draped the coffin with a flag; a robe that draped her figure. on his shoulders. He and his teammates, arms locked, jumped up and down on the victory stand. They earned their moment of glory as the most successful outsider of the World Cup, with the best finish by a newcomer since Portugal was third in 1966. ``What we demonstrated is a small and perhaps unknown country is able to show with great elegance what it is capable of,'' coach Miroslav Blazevic said. ``For us, the most important thing was winning this game. We wanted to be the third-best team in the world.'' Defending champion defending champion n (SPORT) → defensor/a m/f del título defending champion n (Sport) → champion(ne) en titre Brazil plays host France today for the title. It's a game the Dutch felt they belong in, but after playing tournament-favorite Brazil evenly for 120 minutes in the semifinals, they fell in a shootout Shootout Venture capital jargon. Refers to two or more venture capital firms fighting for the startup. . And they fizzled in the consolation match. ``We had so many chances and we were not able to take advantage of them,'' Marc Overmars Marc Overmars (born March 29, 1973 in Emst) is a former Dutch football player. He was best known as a right-footed left-winger, although he had that rare ability to be able to use both his feet with equal precision and power. said. ``We made a lot of mistakes on offense.'' The Netherlands played its usual attacking style, only to be foiled throughout by Ladic's saves. In a span of a minute late in the game, he made spectacular saves on Patrick Kluivert Patrick Stephan Kluivert (born July 1, 1976 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch international football striker. His mother is from Curaçao and his father is from Suriname. He signed a contract with Lille OSC, a French Ligue 1 outfit, on August 30 2007. and Clarence Seedorf to protect the lead. ``I did my best for my country and my teammates,'' said Ladic, who has been known to let his thoughts wander during games. ``If he is not the best keeper in the world, then he is one of the top three,'' captain Zvonimir Boban said. ``When he puts his mind to it, he is the best. He made some great saves on the Dutch team.'' The Frenchmen in the sellout crowd booed Slaven Bilic every time he touched the ball. The Croatian defender was pushed in the face by French defender Laurent Blanc in the semifinals and Blanc was ejected, meaning he will miss the final. The fans blame Bilic, who added some theatrics the·at·rics n. 1. (used with a sing. verb) The art of the theater. 2. (used with a pl. verb) Theatrical effects or mannerisms; histrionics. to the push. But Bilic played an outstanding game, seeming to enjoy the attention. The Dutch pushed forward at every opportunity, and the Croats displayed their superb counter-attacking skills all night. The 20-5 edge in shots at goal showed the Netherlands' superiority in possession. On both first-half goals, Croatia used quick breaks. Suker gave a perfect through pass to Robert Jarni in the 13th minute and Jarni faked a defender before finding Prosinecki. His right-footed shot from 10 yards found the net. ``It was a great passing play,'' said Prosinecki, who played for Yugoslavia in the 1990 World Cup - before Croatia existed. ``When I got the chance, I knew I had to score.'' CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Davor Suker of Croatia celebrates after scoring his sixth goal of the World Cup. Croatia defeated the Netherlands 2-1. Rick Bowmer/Associated Press |
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