ZCZC
BSP-18
FOOTBALL-WC-CROATIAN-PRESIDENT
Croatian president to attend national team’s WC quarterfinal match
MOSCOW, July 6, 2018 (BSS/TASS)- Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-
Kitarovic is set to arrive in Russia’s southern city of Sochi on Saturday to
see her national football team playing against Russia in the quarterfinal
match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, a diplomatic source told TASS on Thursday.
“The Croatian president will be in attendance at the Fisht Stadium (in
Sochi) on July 7,” the source said in an interview with TASS adding that the
president would be flying in from Croatia using a regular flight but did not
specify the exact time of her arrival.
The source also said that Grabar-Kitarovic, who already visited the Last 16
match of the Croatian team against Denmark (Croatia’s 3-2 win on the penalty
shootout) in the Nizhny Novgorod, can possibly hold summit meetings in Sochi
during her visit.
The eight remaining teams left to fight it out for the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Trophy, are hosts Russia, France, Uruguay, Sweden, Brazil, England, Belgium
and Croatia.
On Saturday Team England takes on the Swedish national squad in the city of
Samara at 6:00 p.m. local time (14:00 GMT), while hosts Russia are set to
face off against Croatia at the legendary Fisht Olympic Stadium at 9:00 p.m.
local time (18:00 GMT) in Russia’s southern resort city of Sochi.
According to FIFA’s official statistics, the number of fans at all stadiums
during 56 out 64 total matches played at the 2018 World Cup (48 matches in
the group stage and eight matches in Last 16) came to 2,576,584 people, which
carries an average of 46,010 at each match.
The World Cup in Russia has already chalked up 146 goals scored in all of
the previous 56 matches (2.61 per match on the average), with the Belgian
team scoring the most so far – 12 goals in four games.
Croatian president sees Russia as worthy opponent in 2018 FIFA World Cup
A total of 32 national football teams entered the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but
narrowed down to 16 as they proceeded to the knockout phase after the group
stage, held between June 14 and 28.
Eight more teams left the list of contestants for the 2018 World Cup Trophy
in the round of Last 16, which was played between June 30 and July 3.
Russia is staging its first-ever FIFA World Cup, which kicked off in Moscow
with a spectacular opening show at Luzhniki Stadium on the evening of June
14.
The country selected 11 host cities to be the venues for the matches of the
2018 World Cup and they are Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Saransk,
Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg and
Samara.
BSS/TASS/SG/ARS/1749 hrs