Croatia is set all set to take on mighty France in the FIFA World Cup 2018 summit clash. On the other hand, Kevin Anderson will look to get the better of Novak Djokovic
Croatia is set all set to take on mighty France in the FIFA World Cup 2018 summit clash. On the other hand, Kevin Anderson, riding high after beating Roger Federer and John Isner, will look to get the better of Novak Djokovic. And if all goes well, 15 July 2018, will go down as the day the underdogs ruled the world in the history of sports.
But Croatia seems to love the tag of underdogs. Dejan Lovren said, "We love to be the underdogs,” at a press conference after Croatia’s 2-1 extra-time win over England in the semi-final.
What worked for Croatia in their extraordinary run towards the final was their tenacity. While they are not as well known as a more star-studded Argentina or Brazil, Croatia has some of the best footballers in the world rallying around their captain Luka Modric. Ivan Perisic, Ivan Rakitic and Mario Mandzukic have ably supported their leader. And the current team, which has already surpassed the decorated 'golden generation' of the 1998 World Cup, will look to give the favourites France a tough fight. Ironically, it was France that had defeated Croatia in the 1998 World Cup semi-final.
South Africa’s Kevin Anderson has had a similar run to the Wimbledon final. The 7-feet-tall Anderson first shocked the tennis-loving world by sending the legendary Roger Federer crashing to the ground in the quarterfinals. He then took on USA's John Isner in what has become the longest ever Wimbledon semifinal. The marathon five-set match, 7-6, 6-7, 6-7, 6-4, 26-24, lasted a staggering six hours and thirty-six minutes and Anderson came out on top. He will now face Novak Djokovic, who reached a grand slam final for the first time since 2016, in the finals.
Renowned sports journalist Christopher Clarey made an interesting comparison between the two supposed underdogs. In a tweet, he wrote that in 2 matches, Kevin Anderson has spent 10 hours and 50 minutes on the court, 48 minutes more than Luka Modric. The Croatian captain has played the most minutes of any player at the World Cup.
In 2 matches, Kevin Anderson has spent 10 hours and 50 minutes on the court: 48 minutes more than Luka Modric, the Croatian player who has played the most minutes of any player at the World Cup https://t.co/gUXAVfrXRt
— Christopher Clarey (@christophclarey)Read Exclusive COVID-19 Coronavirus News updates, at MyNation.