July 12, 2018

Some football fans in Lafia, Nasarawa State, have expressed delight over the qualification of Croatia for a World Cup final for the first time.

The fans made this known in interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lafia on Thursday.

NAN reports that in the second semi final of the ongoing Russia 2018 World Cup tournament, Croatia beat England 2-1 during the extra time to qualify for the final of the tournament; a first in their history.

Croatia will lock horns with France in the final to be played on Sunday.

Igbawase Ukumba, a football fan, said the development had marked a new paradigm shift in the global game in the sense that traditional favourites, who often reached the final stage of the competition no longer had that exclusive right, except they play exceptionally well.

“It is a new dawn for world football. It is a good development. Nobody ever expected a team like Croatia to get this far but look at where their determination placed them.

“They worked hard and even beat big teams like Argentina to get to this stage.

“I am happy because the qualification of Croatia has proved that with dedication, hardwork and commitment, any team can do well in the World Cup including Nigeria.

“Croatia has opened the door of possibility to other small football teams. So I am really happy,’’ Ukumba said.

Peter Ahemba, another football fan, said that Croatia’s victory was a psychological boost for African nations, “who must stop thinking it is impossible for them to go far in the tournament but should work hard to also make their country proud in future’’.

He urged Nigeria to take a cue from the progress of Croatia and start early preparations so that the Super Eagles can also make good progress in future tournaments.

“Before Croatia’s victory, our belief is that there are certain teams that can only get to the final.

“Teams like Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina and other few ones but now a small country like Croatia has broken that jinx.

`It is an opportunity for Africans. It is a psychological boost for us.

“Now we can play in this tournament and stop fearing teams because of their history or that they are more favoured by the organisers.

“Now we can play our hearts out and I know in Qatar 2022, an African team will reach the semi final,’’ he said.

Yusuf Audu, however, told NAN that he was not just excited because the world cup had a first time finalist.

Audu said he was also happy because he could easily convince skeptics of the Super Eagles that the team lost gallantly to a world cup finalist during their participation in the tournament.

“Now I can look at anyone and say this is the team our boys lost to.

“We played our best and lost to some of the best teams. It was not a shame.

“It was an advantage because our boys would have gained experience from the encounters, especially with Croatia and the experience would improve their performance in future.

“It is a different scenario if you lose to teams like Panama, who are below your team in the world ranking.

“Croatia’s success will really motivate a lot of small teams and I assure you that you will see more drama in the next World Cup.

“Teams like Nigeria, Japan, Russia, will come back stronger, more determined and more experienced,’’ he said.