Croatian model Ivana Knoll went to their World Cup semi-final against Argentina on Tuesday – but the European nation kissed away their chance of making the final, losing 3-0 at the Lusail Stadium.
The model promised to strip naked if Croatia is to progress to the finals but a win for Argentina angered many who wanted to have a look on Knoll’s forbidden fruit.
Knoll, 30, has caused a stir around Qatar throughout the tournament for wearing racy outfits which conflict with the country’s more conservative approach to female clothing.
However, Croatia’s attempts to make a second successive final were undone by a Lionel Messi penalty and a brace by Julian Alvarez.
Despite rumours that she would be banned from attending the semi-final clash, she was photographed in the stands a good hour before the 10pm kick-off in Qatar’s second-largest city.
Knoll, a former finalist in the hunt for Miss Croatia 2016, was seen posing with a Mexican fan who had adopted the European country after his own country’s group stage exit.
Ahead of Croatia’s World Cup quarter-final against Brazil on Friday, stadium security tried to stop Knoll from posing for photographs with fans – something which it appears they did not attempt on Tuesday.
It was previously claimed by some people in Qatar that people were only photographing Knoll because of the way they disapproved of her outfit, instead of seeing their snaps as a sign of adoration for the scantily-dressed 30-year-old.
Qatar’s usual modesty laws urges women to cover their shoulders, whilst Knoll’s shoulders were exposed in Lusail.
