Croatia cabinet meets in soccer team jerseys

Starting line-ups for the World Cup third place playoff between Belgium and England in Saint Petersburg on Saturday (1400 GMT kick-off):

Belgium (3-4-3)

Thibaut Courtois; Toby Alderweireld, Vincent Kompany, Jan Vertonghen; Thomas Meunier, Axel Witsel, Youri Tielemans, Nacer Chadli; Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard (capt)

Coach: Roberto Martinez (ESP)

England (3-5-2)

Jordan Pickford; Phil Jones, John Stones, Harry Maguire; Kieran Trippier, Eric Dier, Fabian Delph, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Danny Rose; Raheem Sterling, Harry Kane (capt)

Coach: Gareth Southgate (ENG)

Referee: Alireza Faghani (IRI)

Spain and Croatia begin their Euro 2024 campaigns on Saturday with a rematch of last year's nervy UEFA Nations League final as they kick off the action in Group B, which also includes European champions Italy and surprise package Albania.

With memories of a heartbreaking shootout defeat by Spain still fresh in their minds, captain Luka Modric's perennial overachievers seem ready to again challenge the pre-tournament odds in their quest to finally win a major trophy.

After reaching the 2018 World Cup final and making the semi-finals four years later, having fought back to eliminate five-times champions Brazil on penalties at Qatar 2022, the Nations League final loss to Spain was a tough pill to swallow.

It also raised questions of how long the country's 'golden generation' can keep on writing one of the great underdog stories in recent soccer history.

Yet Croatia go into the tournament still relying on a midfield trio of Modric (39), Marcelo Brozovic (31) and Mateo Kovacic (30), who gave a taste of their competitive hunger on Saturday when they handed Portugal a 2-1 defeat in Lisbon.

The result did not reflect the visitors' dominance against Roberto Martinez's side, who were subdued despite being almost at full strength with Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Vitinha and Ruben Dias in the starting 11.

The win gave Zlatko Dalic's side a boost for their Euro 2024 debut against old rivals Spain - one of the few elite teams giant-killers Croatia have regularly failed to slain.

Spain are partly to blame for Croatia's failure to hit the same World Cup highs at the European Championship in which their best result has been reaching the quarter-finals twice.

It will be the fourth straight Euros in which their paths cross, with Jesus Navas' late goal in the 2012 group stage giving Spain a 1-0 victory and a place in the quarters, while they also won 5-3 after extra time in the last 16 at Euro 2020.

Croatia did, however, beat Spain 2-1 in the group stage at Euro 2016 to top the group ahead of them.

"We played them many times and we know what kind of football Spain like to play, they like possession and lulling the opposition to sleep," Croatia striker Ante Budimir told a press conference on Wednesday.

"They can be very quick and vertical at any time. As a team, they are nice to watch and easy to enjoy. (Midfielder) Rodri is very important for them. They have a lot of young players who can make a difference. A very talented and dangerous team..."

Since taking over the Spain job from Luis Enrique after the 2022 World Cup debacle, when they were knocked out in the last 16 on penalties by surprise package Morocco, manager Luis de la Fuente has been blending the country's young and ascending talent with experienced players very successfully.

Veteran defenders Dani Carvajal and Nacho, with Rodri in the middle and captain Alvaro Morata up front, provide the foundation and balance to allow Spain's skilled youngsters Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams and Pedri to create their magic.

Will that be enough to keep their winning run alive against gritty Croatia?

"We didn't come to Germany on vacation, on a tour trip, we are here to win and we'll do our best to do that," 16-year-old winger Yamal told reporters on Wednesday. "Saturday's game against Croatia is probably the most important of my career.

"They are a very strong team, very difficult to beat because they grow in these competitions. They have a lot of experience and it's clear to us that it's going to be one of the most difficult matches we will face."

Cemeteries are indeed associated with grief and sadness. On top of that, a lot of people consider them to be eerie places to visit. However, cemeteries can also be incredibly enchanting. At its core, they are designed in a way to make visitors who come to pay tribute to their loved ones feel comfortable.

On top of that they are filled with amazing stories and fascinating architecture which span hundreds of years. They are also very serene, and have an air of peace and calm about them. Some of them also have very intricate artwork. The point is, there are plenty of beautiful cemeteries scattered across the globe and if you are not completely weirded out by the concept of visiting cemeteries for their aesthetic appeal, here are a few of them across the world that you can check out. 

Photo: Collected / Caz Hayek / Unsplash

Mirogoj Cemetery, Zagreb, Croatia

Described to be a gothic wonderland, this hauntingly beautiful destination is filled with rich culture, architecture, sculptures, and flowers. Designed by Austrian architect Hermen Bolle in the estate of a 19th-century linguist and featuring a neo-Renaissance theme, you will have a hard time identifying this as a graveyard. It is as pretty to visit in the summer as it is in winter. 

Photo: Collected / Toa Heftiba / Unsplash

Merry Cemetery, Sapanta, Romania

Perhaps, the most unique cemetery in the world not just from an aesthetic standpoint but also from a philosophical position. While most graveyards treat death with solemnity, this one chooses to shed light on it. Each grave contains a painting accompanied by a humorous verse or poem. The idea behind this is to celebrate the life of the deceased with a smile and cherish them. The Merry Cemetery is still active and also happens to be a national museum.

Photo: Collected / Zach Kirby / Unsplash

The Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires, Argentina

 Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires is a captivating blend of architectural marvel and cultural significance. The labyrinthine layout is adorned with grand statues, intricate marble sculptures, and elaborate tombs, reflecting the wealth and opulence of Argentina's elite. 

Established in 1822 it is the final resting place of some of Argentina's most notable individuals including Eva Peron and also happens to have 90 tombs that have been labeled as national landmarks. 

Pere Lachaise, Paris, France

Arguably one of the most iconic graveyards in the world, you have probably seen this in numerous movies and TV shows. It also happens to be the most visited cemetery in the world. Established by Napoleon I himself in 1804, it is home to some very famous individuals such as Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison. Even if you take them out of the equation, it boasts 200 years of French architecture and is indeed a very fascinating place to visit. 

Photo: Collected / Stuart Timms / Unsplash

Highgate Cemetery, London, England 

If there is another graveyard as iconic as Pere Lachaise, it is the Highgate cemetery in London. Filled with vegetation, this Victorian gem was designed as a space for Londoners to escape the noise of the city and just reflect on life. Despite somewhat suffering from negligence, it emanates a unique blend of gothic charm, elaborate mausoleums and lots of greenery making it ideal for both history and nature lovers. 

Waverley Cemetery, Sydney, Australia

The reason why this graveyard will make it on any beautiful graveyard list is simply because it is located right next to the ocean. It also is home to over 50,000 grave sites making it one of the most beautifully chilling views in the world. Given its massive span of over 40 acres, this graveyard also offers official tours. 

Win and you have a seat at the finals. Lose and you go home. In this high-risk and high-reward situation, we have only four teams left at the FIFA World Cup 2022 and Croatia amongst them have earned our respect a while ago. They have dismantled some big teams on their way to the road to the final.

Here are 5 reasons why Croatia is a force to be reckoned with.

Luka Modric, the Magician

The midfielder is presently 37 years old and still playing 90 to 120 mins a match like he's barely 20. He is part of the present Champions League trophy-holder club, Real Madrid. In a team as talented as Real Madrid, Luka Modric has the nickname: The Magician. That should be enough to convince everyone about his abilities. Any team that has Modric in their squad is already getting an advantage and this time that advantage goes to Croatia.

An extraordinary goalkeeper

Sure, Modric is amazing without a doubt but Croatia has another asset that many teams are missing in this tournament and that is an extraordinary goalkeeper. With so many matches going into penalty shootouts, it is imperative to have a goalkeeper that can keep his nerve in this situation and Croatia has just the right man for the job.

Goalkeeper, Dominik Livakovic has already produced a hattrick of saves against Japan and added to that tally in the game against Brazil. Which eventually caused Brazil to fall behind and the result, as you can see is that they are in the semi-finals.

They have an ambitious team

Players with individual talents and personalities are important and they can be great when your team needs that 'one moment of magic' for a win. What is better is when you have a team that plays as a team and can properly function as a team. Croatia have found themselves a squad that fit together smoothly as a team and this team is ambitious. From asking 'What if we don't qualify?' to 'We're fighting for the trophy', you can imagine the aspiration it takes to come this far.

They have done it before

Some people have this notion that Croatia is in the semi-finals because of luck. They do not deserve to be here and many think that they are like a bad case of flu — comes and goes with the wind. That is hardly the case.

Croatia is a European team that exudes European football flavour in their playing style. Since 1998, they have appeared in all the World Cups so far except 2010. (Note that Croatia became an independent nation only as recently as 1991). Not only are they qualifying regularly, they are also beating big names. They played in the finals against France in 2018 and this year, they have already beaten the big favourites Brazil to reach the semi-finals. So, they are not new to this stage, they have done this before and they know how to get it done.

They are serious about tactics

There are so many tactics to adopt in a football match but quite often we find that when the game gets difficult and pacey in the second half, the teams abandon their tactics or fail to apply their tactics properly due to the high speed of the game. For Croatia, this is not the case. In every match, it is evident they have a game plan. When they are on the pitch, they already know what they want to do and why. So far, their tactics (some people might not like their defensive tactics sometimes) have worked well. Brazil got them shaken up a bit but even the samba boys had to concede to Croatia's tactics. With such a clear game plan in every match, Croatia should be the new favourites.

Say what you will about Croatia but being led by someone like Modric and with a tremendous amount of self-belief, they have progressed this far and it should not be a surprise to anyone if they end up as the winners of this tournament.

President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday to congratulate the winning team, President Vladimir Putin, and Russia after the World Cup final, which he called "one of the best ever!"

"Congratulations to France, who played extraordinary soccer, on winning the 2018 World Cup. Additionally, congratulations to President Putin and Russia for putting on a truly great World Cup Tournament one of the best ever!," he wrote on his Twitter account on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, the national team of France defeated Croatia 4-2 in the 2018 FIFA World Cup final match in Moscow to snatch its second World Cup Trophy.