'Thank you, heroes' - press hail Croatia squad

More than 100,000 red-and-white-painted Croatian fans were expected to welcome the squad home later Monday in the capital Zagreb.

“Thank you, heroes! - You gave us everything!” read the Sportske Novosti frontpage as Croatia, led by Luka Modric, made it to its maiden World Cup final.

Croatian media on Monday hailed their team as heroes after the small country's historic success in reaching the World Cup final where France beat it 4-2.

“Thank you, heroes! - You gave us everything!” read the Sportske Novosti frontpage.

“'Vatreni' (the “Fiery Ones” in Croatian), you are the biggest, you are our pride, your names will remain written in gold forever!” the newspaper said.

It showed a photo of captain Luka Modric, who was awarded the Golden Ball for the best player at the tournament, holding a trophy, although with a sad face after the defeat.

“Brave hearts - You made us proud,” said Jutarnji List daily.

“Croatia celebrates you, you are our gold!” echoed the Vecernji List.

It noted that for the past month coach Zlatko Dalic's team “made Croatia better”.

“They restored pride, pulled it out of the pessimism” reigning in the country whose economy remains among the weakest in the European Union.

More than 100,000 red-and-white-painted Croatian fans were expected to welcome the squad home later Monday in the capital Zagreb.