Croatia, undaunted despite conceding an early first-half goal, played spirited football to battle its way through to book a place in the FIFA World Cup final in its fifth appearance. The Juventus striker Mario Mandžukić’s brilliant finish in the dying minutes of the extra-time put paid to the English hopes (“Mandžukić breaks English hearts, puts Croatia in final,” July 12). Earlier, the Wimbledon saw another upset when Kevin Anderson played the match of his life to register a comeback victory over Roger Federer (“Anderson scripts incredible comeback to dethroned Federer,” July 12). Upsets like these make sporting events hugely exciting. Sometimes, what causes agony as well as ecstasy is that there is only one winner at the end of a game.
C.G. Kuriakose,
Kothamangalam
The Balkan nation has been playing irrepressible football in this world cup, and has the power and potential to trounce France in the finals. A small nation with a population of just around four million is on the threshold of its biggest ever sporting achievement since the Goran Ivanišević won the Wimbledon singles title in 2001. FIFA 2018 has been full of surprises, and it will be interesting to watch whether it produces a new champion.
R. Sivakumar,
Chennai
