Modrić Ashamed After Croatia Suffer Record 7-0 Defeat to England

Luka Modric’s face was filled with sadness after the match. The Croatia captain could not accept the shock of being thrashed 7-0 by England in Rijeka at home. The Croats have never seen such an embarrassing and big defeat in their football history. Modric could not hold back his emotions after such a disaster, saying clearly that he had never experienced such shame in his football career.

Croatia lost 6-0 to Spain in 2018, their biggest defeat in football to date. According to the midfielder, who has played a record 214 matches for his country, the way they played lazy football ‘with’ England is extremely disrespectful to the country’s football.

A distraught Modric told local media outlet Zutarnjici, “I don’t know how to explain such a dismal performance – no tackles, no fouls, no aggression or unity. I’ve been playing for the national team for 20 years, but this is the first time in my football career that I feel truly ashamed after a match.”

The 41-year-old Croatian superstar added, “You can lose, or your opponent can be stronger than you – and England are a really good team at the moment. But losing like this and giving up the respect you’ve built up over time is unacceptable.”

“Football cannot be played like this,” Modric said, venting his anger over the team’s failures on the field. “It’s difficult to win a match with two players down on the field, and we felt like we were playing with four or five players down. It was a night of utter disaster for us.”

Croatia are currently third in Group A of the Nations League. Before they can recover, they will have to face Spain in Split on Tuesday. The Croats lost 4-1 to the Spaniards in their first match.

Calling on the team to unite before the tough test against Spain, Modric said, “We have to turn around, regroup. Because there is a bigger fight ahead. We have to bring the stubbornness, self-respect, intense desire to play and team strength that we have inside us back to the field. These traditions cannot be lost overnight.”