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Four years on from their improbable FIFA World Cup final appearance in 2018, Croatia have fallen in the semifinals in Qatar after a 3-0 loss to Argentina on Tuesday. Opposite No. 10 Lionel Messi was in inspired form to score one and assist another as La Albiceleste capitalized on some sloppy Vatreni error at Lusail Iconic Stadium in Lusail.
There could be little argument against the result from Zlatko Dalic’s side who were second best for most of the encounter as Lionel Scaloni’s men ensured that emotion would not get the better of them. However, despite the heavy loss, there were some flashes of magic from star man Luka Modric who may well have made his last major international appearance.
Now 37, and two years older than Messi, the Real Madrid man and his Croatian teammates were put in the shade by the South Americans. As evergreen as Modric is, it is difficult to see him playing on for two more years until UEFA Euro 2024 let alone the next World Cup in 2026.
That should take nothing away from the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner’s individual brilliance, though, which shone through on a couple of occasions as Kockasti bowed out. Up until his 81st minute substitution, Modric looked the most likely to make anything happen for Croatia who were surprisingly disjointed early on and made to pay for that.
His team might have been trailing, but the man from Zadar still showed class of a similar level to Messi’s as he danced around Argentina players in an attempt to make things happen for his nation. Sadly, this Croat side was not on the same wavelength when it mattered most and the former Tottenham Hotspur and Dinamo Zagreb man was isolated in his technical and cerebral excellence.
A serial winner with Real as his five UEFA Champions League titles attest, there is nothing left for Modric to prove at club or international level yet he was still hungry to deliver a World Cup title. Third place will…
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