AFP photographer becomes part of Croatia World Cup goal celebration

AFP  |  Moscow 

When scored the goal that took them into final on Wednesday, an unwittingly became part of the celebrations as he was buried under a pile of joyous players.

After scored in extra-time to give a 2-1 win against England in the semi-final, he ran to a corner of the pitch at to share his joy with his teammates.

"I was just changing my lens as the players ran towards me," said Yuri Cortez, who was positioned next to the

"They just kept coming towards me and they fell on me! It was a crazy moment, they were delighted. Then they suddenly realised that I was underneath them," said Mexico City-based Cortez.

Quick as a flash, he picked up his camera and took some remarkable close-up shots of the Croats' joy.

"Then they asked me if I was OK. Another one picked up my lens and another (Domagoj Vida) gave me a kiss."

Croatia, who have reached the final for the first time in their history, will play on Sunday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Thu, July 12 2018. 09:20 IST