Belgrade basks in finals glory
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Article summary
Supporters and players gathered in Belgrade's central square last night to celebrate Serbia and Montenegro's passage to the FIFA World Cup finals.
Article body
Public outpouring
A 1-0 home win against Bosnia-Herzegovina was enough for Ilija Petković's side to hold off Spain's challenge and take top billing in Group 7. Later, the coach and his players joined supporters in the Trg Republike to sing and celebrate together into the early hours of the morning.
Petković gift
"This success is like a gift for my nation," said Petković. "They deserve it - they stuck by us throughout qualification. We always give our all for our people. The secret of our success is that we have brilliant harmony among the squad. But tomorrow is a new day - we must work and we cannot live on old glories."
Winning goal
Striker Mateja Kežman scored the only goal of the game after just five minutes at FK Crvena Zvezda's home stadium - and the Club Atlético de Madrid player was overcome by emotion at the final whistle. "My primary footballing target is helping the national team," he said.
National pride
"I am a Serb and I am ready to give everything for my country," he added. "I am delighted and I still cannot believe we have made it. I will be honest - tonight we want to drink, celebrate, and from tomorrow our minds will turn to the World Cup. Come on Serbia and Montenegro!"
Krstajić calmer
Captain Mladen Krstajić was a little less emotional. "What we have achieved hasn't sunk in yet," he said. "We will definitely get used to the idea in the next few weeks. We want to thank our supporters, our people, they were fantastic. We do not want to stop here - we want more glory days."
