A cameraman got caught up in Croatia’s celebrations following their second goal in the World Cup semi-final last night, (July 11) but that didn’t stop him doing his job.
Croatia celebrated like any team would after scoring their second goal against England – which turned out to be the winner.
They jumped on top of one another, as well as on top of everyone in sight.
However, a cameraman at the match got caught up in the celebrations, and fell to the ground after Croatia’s players flew at him with joy.
The cameraman, Yuri Cortez, works for AFP Mexico as a chief photographer, and was stationed at the side of the pitch ready to capture all the important moments of the game.
When Croatia scored their winning goal, the situation became a lot more three-dimensional than Yuri’s probably used to!
There was no barrier between the pitch and the photographers, and as the Croatian players celebrated, they piled on top of one another in elation, pushing each other forward until they crashed into Yuri, knocking him to the ground.
Yuri was pinned under the Croatian players, but he recognised his opportunity, and kept his camera clicking away during the pile-up, resulting in some excellent close-ups.
AFP news agency tweeted the photos, with the caption:
This is what it looks like when you get mobbed by celebrating Croatian players #WorldCup.
The news agency assured everyone the cameraman was okay following his take-down.
They tweeted more pictures of the scene, writing:
Don’t worry, Yuri’s fine.
Yuri couldn’t resist snapping a shot of one the players offering him a helping hand in getting off the ground:
The photographer was eventually helped to his feet, and the players continued to celebrate with him once they’d established he was okay – one of the players even planted a kiss on the photographer’s head.
While Croatia were celebrating, England fans were in despair, their dreams of making it to a World Cup final for the first time since 1966, were slipping away.
England had taken the lead early on in the game, thanks to a free-kick from Kieran Trippier, and throughout the first half, it genuinely looked like football was coming home.
But the second half came, and Croatia equalised. Devastatingly, for the Three Lions, in extra time Croatia scored, with just 11 minutes remaining.
Football might not be coming home, but the team played well and united the country, instilling pride once more when it comes to the national side.
Supporters will undoubtedly have a lot of happy memories from England’s time at the 2018 World Cup, and it’s restored fans’ confidence in the national side.
Euro 2020 will surely be a chance to taste glory – and an opportunity for England fans to resemble the Croatia team in Yuri’s photos – overjoyed and piled on top of one another in celebration.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.