Rijeka delivered a bruising Nations League night for Croatia as England swept to a historic 7-0 victory, leaving Luka Modric to question not simply the scale of the defeat but what it said about a side that has spent years building its standing in the international game.
Key takeaways
- England defeated Croatia 7-0 in Rijeka in a Nations League match from Spain’s group.
- Modric described the performance as the first in his 20 years with Croatia to leave him feeling ashamed after a match.
- The captain criticised the absence of duels, fouls, aggression and collective unity.
- He accepted that England are currently the stronger team, but called the manner of Croatia’s defeat unacceptable.
- Modric said Croatia must recover its pride, desire, resolve and togetherness.
Modric confronts Croatia’s collapse
The veteran midfielder did not seek refuge in the possibility that England were simply superior on the night. He acknowledged that Croatia can lose to a team in better form, but argued that a 7-0 reverse damaged a reputation earned over many years.
“It is hard to explain a display like this,” Modric said. “There were no battles, no fouls, no aggression and no unity. I have been here for 20 years and, for the first time, I felt ashamed after a game.”
For Modric, the concern was the sense of a team unable to compete across the pitch. He said Croatia appeared to be playing with four or five men fewer, calling the evening catastrophic and insisting that football cannot be played in such a manner.
A call for pride after Rijeka humiliation
The result leaves Croatia with a harsh reckoning in a Nations League section also involving Spain. Modric’s message was that the response cannot be limited to reviewing a heavy scoreline; it must involve restoring the character he believes has defined the national team.
“We need to show our real nature,” he said, pointing to resentment, pride, desire, will and unity as qualities that should not disappear overnight. “Playing like this is unacceptable.”
He underlined the depth of his frustration with a blunt final assessment: Croatia, he said, would have lost even to a third-division side on that night in Rijeka.
