At 38, Luka Modric perhaps experienced one of the most emotional evenings of his career in the Croatian jersey.
Opposed to Italy this Monday at the conclusion of Group B of the Euro, Zlatko Dalic’s men have long believed they had achieved the perfect move thanks to their captain.
Drawing on his experience, the 2018 Ballon d’or presented himself on the penalty spot to challenge Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 54th minute but came up against the Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper, author of a superb save. But only a minute later, the Real Madrid midfielder caught up, well placed to convert into a goal a ball pushed back into the axis by the last Italian rampart.
Congratulated by all his partners, Modric then collapsed to the ground, in tears, overcome by the whirlwind of emotions he had just experienced. The man who is perhaps experiencing his last international tournament immediately became the oldest scorer in the history of the competition, at 38 years and 289 days.
But replaced in the 81st minute of play, the man with 178 caps then watched helplessly from the bench as Mattia Zaccagni equalized at the end of added time.
A cruel outcome for the Croatian playmaker, still elected man of the match and visibly very marked by disappointment when receiving his bitter-tasting trophy. It will indeed take a miracle for Croatia to qualify for the round of 16.
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