Croatia shattered after final loss to France

Croatia shattered after final loss to FranceZagreb - A large crowd braved the cold and falling snow for hours in central Zagreb Sunday evening, expecting to celebrate after the handball world championship final, but instead had to watch Croatia lose to France 24:19.

"Nation on its knees," the Internet portal Index said, reflecting the deflation of a euphoric balloon which had grown in Croatia as their team lined up nine consecutive wins, including one over France in the group stage, to reach the tournament final.

"The French stole our gold" and "No regret, we have silver" are the typical headlines, as newspapers blasted fire on what they saw as unfair refereeing, while consoling the shattered home team and fans on the other.

The Vecernji List daily summed the sentiments: "The shiniest silver? we're a small nation and referees are small men."

There was even a false bomb warning in the Zagreb arena after Croatia started faltering in the final 10 minutes of the match and it became obvious that France would win.

Toward the close of the match, lighters and coins started flying down from the stands packed with 15,000 spectators, increasingly outraged with actions of the Danish referees.

Croatia, which has been on and near the top in the handball world since the former Yugoslav republic claimed independence 18 years ago, invested 780 million dollars into the construction of new arenas for the tournament. (dpa)

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