In the Czech Republic, Croatia opened their UEFA Nations League campaign with a 2-1 win shaped once again by Luka Modrić. The captain, now 41, scored the opening goal before Marco Pašalić settled a demanding Group A3 contest late on, giving the visitors their first three points in a section shared with Spain and England.
Modrić sets Croatia in motion
The first half passed without a breakthrough, but Croatia found greater precision soon after the restart. Modrić collected the ball outside the penalty area, moved beyond the edge of the “D” and struck a right-footed effort into the net for 1-0.
It was another landmark contribution from a player who celebrated his 41st birthday in September. The goal took Modrić’s Croatia record to 202 appearances and 29 international goals, underlining his continued importance to the national side.
- Croatia began their Nations League Group A3 campaign with three points.
- Modrić scored Croatia’s first goal after the interval.
- The captain now has 202 caps and 29 goals for his country.
Czech response, then Pašalić’s decisive finish
The home side answered quickly through Adam Karabec, whose finish restored parity and changed the temperature of the match. With the score level, the contest became more open and more urgent at both ends.
Croatia continued to press for another goal and found it in the 77th minute. Ivan Perišić supplied the cross, and Pašalić arrived inside the box to turn it home for a 2-1 lead.
The Czechs thought they had rescued a point during the closing stages, but their late equaliser was ruled out after a VAR review. Croatia held their ground through the final minutes to leave with the victory.
A Spanish test awaits
The result places Croatia on three points at the start of a group also containing Spain, England and the Czech Republic. Spain and England are also scheduled to meet during the opening round of fixtures.
Croatia’s next assignment comes only three days later, with Modrić’s team set to travel to Spain on 29 September for the second group matchday. After beginning the competition with a goal and a win, the veteran midfielder will head into an even larger European test as Croatia seek to build early momentum.
