Croatia loses in the World Cup, but at least the sarma was good at The Cro

One thing was on the minds of patrons, many of them wearing red and white checkered jerseys, as they shuffled into the Croatian Hall in South St. Paul on Tuesday.

Is the sarma ready?

Sarma is stuffed cabbage that was popularized in Southeastern Europe and is prepared in various forms, based on the region.

And before fans could settle in to watch soccer on Tuesday, they needed their sarma.

"If you like sauerkraut, cabbage and hamburger," said Tony Biljan, president of the Hrvatski Dom, or "Croatia Home," "then you will like sarma."

Sarma was flying out of the kitchen Tuesday, complete with potato salad and bread for the low price of $10, as Croatia fans arrived to see if the magic could happen again, four years later.

Croatia made a remarkable run to the World Cup final in 2018 in Russia before losing to France. And it was back in the semifinals again on Tuesday. All it had to do was get by heavily favored Argentina and the legendary Lionel Messi.

The Croatian Hall, or the Cro, as the locals refer to it, was founded in 1919 and can handle the demand with a special events area on the main floor and a bar in the basement. A couple hundred fans packed the bar for the 2018 World Cup final, and Biljan said extra sarma was prepared to stash away for Sunday's final if Croatia could pull off its latest upset after beating Japan and Brazil — both on penalty kicks — to reach the semifinals.

About 75 spectators were on hand Tuesday at kickoff, many with plates of food and $4.50 beers as they attempted to cheer on Croatia. But goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic brought down Julian Alvarez in the box for a penalty in the 34th minute, which Messi slotted home to give Argentina the lead. It was Messi's 11th World Cup goal, tying him for sixth all time.

The Cro groaned as the play unfolded, which included South St. Paul Mayor Jimmy Francis, who arrived wearing a blue suit, red tie and Croatia sticker on a lapel.

Unfortunately for The Cro, things would worsen in the 39th minute. Alvarez carried the ball into Croatia's end during a counterattack, avoided two defenders and put away another goal for a 2-0 Argentina lead.

"I'm outta here!" Francis yelled. "Every time I watch, they lose."

Francis ended up staying for the entire game, as he fetched his laptop at halftime to return emails. A more important discussion began at the bar: What could be done to change Croatia's luck?

When Croatia reached the final four years ago, patrons celebrated by downing a shot of plum brandy called slivovitz, made in the motherland. On Tuesday, the decision was made by a handful of supporters to take a shot at halftime to see if Croatia's fortunes would change.

Unfortunately, the patrons at The Cro weren't the ones who needed the shot. It needed to be sent to the Argentina locker room during halftime. Croatia pressed early in the second half for a goal but couldn't break through the blue and white wall. Alvarez crushed Croatia's dreams with a second goal, this time in the 69th minute, and The Cro fell silent — except for one Argentina fan seated at the far end of the bar and strategically behind a pole.

Sarma was still selling — but now for carry-out.

"I didn't think I would have to wash my jersey before Sunday," said David Zanko of Minneapolis, whose parents recently returned from a trip to Croatia. "Now that I've been in here it's going to smell like sarma all week, so I should wash it. I was hopeful they would [win], but I just like coming down here and watching the game. It was fun."

The Cro will go back to hosting special events and being a place where parents can waste time while their children are at hockey practice at nearby Doug Woog Arena.

And Biljan has plenty of sarma available if anyone is interested.

"This turnout was better than I expected," Biljan said. "When they played on Friday, we had four people here."