France ecstatic, near-miss for Croatia
Millions of French soccer fans were delirious with joy on Sunday as France beat Croatia 4-2 to win soccer's World Cup in a pulsating final in Moscow that sparked ecstatic scenes from Paris to Marseille and beyond.
In Paris, where 90,000 people gathered next to the Eiffel tower to watch the match on vast TV screens, there were choruses of the Marseillaise, honking horns and hundreds of thousands of red, white and blue French flags fluttering in the breeze.
On the other hand, some Croatians wept with sadness while others felt pride that their tiny nation had gone so far in the tournament.
When the final whistle blew fans who had gathered in Ban Jelacic square in the capital Zagreb to watch the match on a big screen hugged each other in commiseration.
