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While the Dutch school will always have extremes as a hallmark of identity, Croatia will always have the outsider of Luka Modric and the uncompetitiveness that has seen them sign some of the most epic episodes in international football over the past five years. On Wednesday night, when Feyenoord Stadium was bathed in fluorescent orange, it was no less. Extensions are a Croatian thing. He won them and reached the final of the 2018 World Cup, the semi-finals of Qatar and last night’s Nations League (2-4). A tireless fighter awaits Spain or Italy, combining the technique of their best footballers with a nationalist fervor that makes them gigantic. Croatia plays for Croatia.
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Bijlow, Aké (Tyrell Malacia, min. 105), Lutsharel Geertruida, Virgil Van Dijk, Denzel Dumfries (Noa Lang, min. 84), Malen (Steven Bergwijn, min. 74), Mats Wieffer, Teun Koopmeiners, Frenkie De Jong, Xavi Simons (Wouter Weghorst, min. 64) and Gakpo (Marten de Roon, min. 105)
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Dominik Livakovic, Vida, Perisic, Josip Sutalo (Petkovic, min. 90), Juranovic (Josip Stanisic, min. 78), Kovacic (Lovro Majer, min. 85), Modric (Borna Barisic, min. 119), Brozovic, Luka Ivanusec (Nikola Vlasic, min. 78), Kramaric (Martin Erlic, min. 90) and Pasalic
Goals 1-0 min 34: Paint. 1-1 min 54: Kramaric. 1-2 min 72: Passal. 2-2 mins 95: Noah Lang. 2-3 mins 98: Petkovic. 2-4 mins 116: Modric.
referee Istvan Kovacs
Yellow cards: Kovacic (min. 17), Pasalic (min. 24), Frenkie De Jong (min. 38), Brozovic (min. 63), Dominik Livakovic (min. 91), Teun Koopmeiners (min. 93) and Tyrell Malacia (min. 115)
He had struck the Netherlands after the first half hour in a combination that seemed to reflect the Croatians’ easy pace. The ball circulated cleanly from the left flank, where the beaming Xavi Simons was teeming, to the right side of the box, under the gaze and static of the Croatians. There, Malen appeared to fire a cross shot. It was the moment when Croatia showed its role as a good matchmaker. Modric rose to prominence and was the first to believe that conceding a goal doesn’t mean losing. Around the Real Madrid player, Kovacic, Brozovic, Kramaric, Pasalic and Ivanusek began to gas. Croatia’s growth was rewarded when Modric suffered an innocent grab from Gakpo shortly after the start of Act Two that Kramaric was unforgiving.
The goal made Modric even more of a game owner. Selective in his performances, a sweeping pass with the outside, a download on first contact or a heel kick made him the undisputed cacique of the game. Pasalic unleashed a gentle cross from the left with the inside that silenced the vociferous home fans. The cheering shifted downstairs where the Croatian fans were busy. The affront to Dalic and his footballers was historic. The statistics showed that Modric and Co. took possession of the Oranje team at home and forced them to play primary football. Koeman brought on the huge Wieghorst and ramped up the attack on the wings with Lang and Bergwijn to launch a barrage of crosses into the box. Most of the hanging balls came to fruition in the final moment of added time when Lang sunk a rebound.
From start to finish, overtime was a show of guts, guts and football. Petkovic scored from a long shot and Modric converted a penalty. Substituted in the final minutes of extra time, the Dutch fans showed their sensitivity. As the Real Madrid player walked along the pitch on his way to the dressing rooms, he received a standing ovation from the local fans. The ecstasy was as he passed against a background crowded with the red and white checked shirts of his countrymen. The tribute to the infinite captain thundered sharply. “Luka, Luka,” could be heard while smiling after his last soccer lesson.
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