It should not be considered disrespectful to suggest that Croatia would have been the unlikeliest champion in World Cup history.
It, after all, is a country of four million people where domestic soccer has long been debilitated by corruption. It is a country that has, in less than three decades since a bitter, brutal war for independence, reached one World Cup semifinal and now a World Cup final, and managed to churn out successive generations of high-caliber players.
Croatia does not have the economic power of France. In an era in which financial might so often makes right, when the traditional European powerhouses hold the balance of power to a greater extent than at any time in history, Croatia's achievement in making it this far is breathtaking.
It went into the World Cup final Sunday as the underdog because of financial reality, because of demography, because of history, because no country of its size has been world champion for almost 70 years, and not because its players are underappreciated or its talent is in doubt.
But it will not, by any stretch of the imagination, be underestimated. As Coach Zlatko Dalic said, this is a team drawn from Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Liverpool, Monaco and Inter Milan.
Whatever happened Sunday, this is a team that will not, for years to come, have to worry about a lack of respect.
————— 文章来源 / 纽约时报
cast/kæst/
v. 使……扮演（某角色）
e.g.
The director casts Benedict Cumberbatch in the main role of a play about Brexit.
Benedict Cumberbatch is cast in the main role of a play about Brexit.
underdog/ˈʌndərdɔːɡ/
n. （竞争、竞赛等中的）劣势方，弱者
debilitate/dɪˈbɪlɪteɪt/
v. 使虚弱；使衰弱
e.g.
debilitate your opponent
a debilitating disease
successive
adj. 连续的；接连的；相继的
high-caliber /haɪ-ˈkælɪbər/
adj. 高质量的
powerhouse/ˈpaʊərhaʊs/
n. 权势集团；强国
e.g.
an economic powerhouse
breathtaking/ˈbreθteɪkɪŋ/
adj. 令人兴奋的；激动人心的
e.g.
breathtaking views
demography/dɪˈmɑːɡrəfi/
n. 人口统计；人口学
underappreciated/ˌʌndər-əˈpriːʃieɪtɪd/
adj. 未得到正确评价的；未受到充分赏识（或欣赏）的
churn out
快速生产；大量生产
e.g.
The writer churns out a new best-selling novel every year.
hold the balance of power
决定胜负；决定（比赛）双方的优劣
not by any stretch of the imagination
=by no stretch of imagination
任凭怎么想也不；再怎么说也不
e.g.
You won't become a billionaire, not by any stretch of the imagination. （后一个not表示强调）
=You won't become a billionaire by any stretch of the imagination.
=You won't, by any stretch of the imagination, become a billionaire.
=By no stretch of the imagination will you become a billionaire.
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