Suker and his team will never be forgotten

Croatian supporters all geared up before the match.

If you saw how hundreds of Croatian supporters took over the Red Square here in their traditional red and white jerseys on Sunday afternoon hours before the kickoff, you could be forgiven for mistaking for a moment that the Kockasti (the chequered ones) had already won their first World Cup while you slept through the final.
For every Croat who grew up raving about the inspirational (and arguably still their greatest for many old and young alike) Davor Suker and his 1998 World Cup semi-finalist team, the batch of 2018 has superseded the batch of 1998 and the party's just begun - one that didn't just hinge on a win or a loss.
"Tonight is celebration time - come what may. Our golden team finished third 20 years ago and we are in the final this time. So, in that regard, we have done better than our dream team even if we don't end up winning the World Cup but then we have a great chance of creating history this time," said Franio Brzovic who was all of six when Suker, now the president of the Croatia Football Federation, and his men beat the Netherlands 2-1 to win one of the most famous play-offs for the third place in World Cup history.
However in all the din, Suker and his 'Golden team' are not forgotten. "That can never happen," said Brzovic's friend Miro Grbesic (pix attached), also 26, who's accompanied him to Moscow for the final from their hometown of Zagreb. "This team had more luck. That wasn't quite the story in 1998," added Grbesic who recalled being 'too young and too naïve' to understand what that performance meant for the newly formed Balkan nation then. Yet that World Cup performance in France remained Croatia's very identity for the last twenty years for millions of Croats just like Grbesi c. "So whatever happens from here on, we will always remain proud of our team and we hope this breeds more success. That is what we are already celebrating and will continue celebrating."
1998 not only saw Croatia take the bronze but also Suker being hailed as one of the greatest with the Golden Boot award for six goals - including his famous 35th winner in the play-off against the Oranje at Parc des Princes in Paris twenty summers ago. For many like Ilija Krmptovic,40, who had just started working then, Suker is still the best as a reason despite the heroics of Modric, Madzukic and their brethren. "He is our legend. The best we ever had and that team is right up there. Only Modric could have walked into that team on sheer merit," he said.
So what's the main reason behind Croatia's stunning entry to the World Cup final. "We rode our luck on few occasions but what made the real difference this time is that we played like a band of brothers. We played like a solid team united by (Zlatko) Dalic unlike in 1998 when It was largely about sheer individual brilliances," said Robert Kovacevic, 32, who like thousands of fellow Croatians, flew in just for the final in hopes of being able to witness a an 'epic moment' in Croatian history. But what if France got the better of Croatia eventually? "We will still celebrate - in Moscow, in Zagreb and around the world. We have already scripted history by reaching the World Cup final and this will spur the next generation on like Suker and Boban din 20 years ago," said Maja, another diehard of the team they fondly call Vatreni or the Fiery Ones.

• Fifa World Cup 2019