surebets.bet

Updated June 15, 2023

Magical Modric takes Croatia into the final

TL;DR

Croatia dropped another thrilling performance in the UEFA Nations League. Captain Modric lead led the team to secure a dominating victory

Magical Modric takes Croatia into the final

Affiliate disclosure: SureBets may earn a commission when readers use some links. Our editorial pages should still show restrictions, key terms, and safer gambling context.

What a dramatic match Croatia have won against the Netherlands to secure a place in the final of the UEFA Nations League! Captain Luka Modric dropped a heroic performance last night to beat the Netherlands in the semifinals, where he won a penalty kick and scored a goal for the Croats.

As it happened

The Netherlands welcomed Croatia last night at the Feyenoord Stadium in Rotterdam. It was a must-win game for both parties. Therefore, managers from both sides deployed their best possible XI at Feyenoord Stadium. Ronald Koman, the manager of the Netherlands, played his team in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Meanwhile, Croat's boss Zlatko Dalic set up his team formation with the classic 4-3-3. The match started with both teams showing aggressive football, creating so many chances. But it took more than half an hour to break the deadlock. However, it was the home side, who drew the first blood in Rotterdam. In the 34th minute, Dutch midfielder Donyell Malen found the net with his bullet shot. Croatia tried hard but couldn't score in the first half. Returning from the break, Croatia pushed really hard. They became so desperate to level the scoreline. However, Captain Modric stepped up to rescue the team. He won a penalty kick in the 54th minute, from where striker Kramaric scored the equalizer for the visitors. The visitors stunned the Netherlands in the 72nd minute with a brilliant goal from Mario Pasalic. It seemed Croatia were winning the game, but the drama was yet to come. Noa Land, who came off the bench in the 85th minute, gave a lifeline to the Dutches. He scored an unbelievable goal in injury time to take the match into extra time. However, Croatia scored first in the extra time. Bruno Petkovic netted the ball with the help of Modric at the beginning of the spare time. After that goal, The Netherlands became so nervous and unorganized. Croatia took that opportunity and earned another penalty kick. This time, skipper Modric took that spot kick and made no mistakes. As a result, Croatia won the game with a thrilling 4-2 margin and secured the final.

Dalic on Modric

Luka Modric received the Player of the Match award for his brilliant performance in the semi-final. Croatia's manager didn't forget to praise the captain. Zlatko Dalic said, "Luka is our captain, the first violin and a key player. He played 120 minutes, he didn't give up and is a great strength of this national team. We can only admire him. He didn't calculate anything during the preparations, like the others - no one wanted to take a vacation, nor to do transfers, but the rest gave their best and showed how they fight for Croatia, and he is the leader." "It would be great if he was awarded a gold medal. He will make the decision about the future himself, and we are much better with him and the younger players would made a lot of progress with him," the manager added.

Related reading