Ivana Knoll, widely dubbed the 'World Cup's sexiest fan', expressed her anger over Croatia's controversial exit from the tournament after a 2-1 defeat to Portugal on Thursday night. The Croatian model and DJ watched from the stands in a daring outfit—a red bra and skin-tight red leggings paired with a tiny white and red chequered tie—as her national team fell to a late goal.
Croatia's Controversial Exit
Portugal took the lead through a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty, but Croatia equalized before Goncalo Ramos scored a last-gasp header. Josko Gvardiol thought he had sent the game to extra-time with a goal after 100 minutes, but the effort was ruled out by 'Snicko' technology. A microchip in the ball detected that a Croatian player had touched it before Mario Pasalic, who was offside, received it, sparking fury among Croatian fans who threw bottles onto the pitch.
Ivana's Savage Dig at Ronaldo
In a caption to her 3 million followers, Knoll wrote: 'I am so proud to be Croatian. At least we played and scored it fairly,' taking a swipe at Portugal and Ronaldo. The model, who has been a fixture at the tournament, shared a collection of eye-popping snaps from the stands.
Dreams Come True Off the Pitch
Despite the heartbreak, Knoll found solace in her DJ career. She performed under her stage name KnollDoll at a sold-out after-party in Dallas following Croatia's opening group game defeat against England. 'The after-party was sold out. It was my first show in Dallas and it was the official after-party,' she told the Daily Star Sport. 'It was such a crazy atmosphere. We ended up finishing even later than we were supposed to close.'
Performing at Major Venues
Knoll also recently played at Madison Square Garden and the FIFA Fan Festival in Los Angeles, where she performed in front of more than 40,000 people. 'It was a huge stadium and there were more than 40,000 people. So basically my dream came true,' she said. 'My biggest dream is, of course, to play at the World Cup ceremony. Now after this, the next step is the ceremony.'
Living in the US, Knoll plans to expand her European presence, including a festival in Germany in September. 'Since I live in the US now, I'm more focused here, but I definitely want to do more in Europe too. I'm coming over for a few weeks and playing a couple of festivals in Europe. The biggest one in Germany will be in September,' she added.
