The report says fans in red-and-white shirts gathered during the World Cup in the United States and welcomed the couple into their celebration. Images of Ashton and Zachary Smith kissing among supporters spread online, prompting an invitation described as a second honeymoon from the Croatian National Tourist Board and Mi Hrvati.
Ashton recalled the encounter as “initially surprising”, but said the supporters quickly made the couple feel included. That detail sits at the heart of the story: football can turn strangers into hosts, and a passing celebration into a lasting connection.
The itinerary has reportedly included Split, Šibenik, a sailing trip and Krka National Park. In Split, the couple joined supporters marching along the waterfront before Croatia faced Spain in a UEFA Nations League match, with songs and a band carrying the gathering towards the stadium.
For Zachary Smith, Croatia had not previously been a destination he expected to visit. That makes the football more than a backdrop. It is the reason a holiday has acquired local colour, a crowd and a story that could not have been booked in advance.
Mi Hrvati representative Daniel Pedisic said the Philadelphia welcome reflected the hospitality of Croatian supporters. National-team football often works as a travelling community: colours, songs and shared rituals create instant points of connection.
The Smiths are reportedly due in Dubrovnik before finishing in Zagreb. The match will pass, but the larger storyline is already clear: one spontaneous photograph has given a young couple a football-shaped map of a country they never expected to call part of their honeymoon.