July 15 (UPI) -- The president of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (HAZU), academician Zvonko Kusic, sent a letter of congratulations to the Croatian national football team on Sunday for winning the silver medal at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Moscow, which was perceived as a historic success.
"You have made a historic triumph that exceeds in a multiple way the field of sport and is becoming an integral part of the Croatian national identity as a source of pride and optimism, and is the confirmation of the Croatian winning mentality which was developed during the Homeland Defense War on the grounds of the courage of Croatian soldiers," Kusic said.