admin
DOHA. — Captain Luka Modric plans to keep playing international football until at least the Nations League finals in June next year after helping Croatia to a third-place finish at the FIFA World Cup.
The Real Madrid midfielder (37) started as his country beat Morocco 2-1 on Saturday to secure third place.
Asked after the game if he aimed to be at the European Championships in 2024, Modric said: “We’ll see. I need to go step by step, I am enjoying the national team.”
Modric started all seven of Croatia’s World Cup games in Qatar, playing for 656 minutes out of a possible 690, and believes he still has plenty to offer his country.
“I still feel I can perform on a high level,” he added on Bein Sports.
“I want to continue at least until [the] Nations League. That will give me time to think about Euro 2024.”
Croatia’s third-place finish follows on from their appearance in the final at the last World Cup in Russia in 2018, underlining their ability to surprise on the international stage.
Age means a number of the current squad are unlikely to feature when the 2026 tournament comes around, but boss Zlatko Dalic insisted there is plenty to be optimistic about for the future.
“This is the last World Cup for some of my players due to their age,” Dalic said. “But we have young players in our team and there is a great hope for Croatia. We have many young players on the bench.
“The older players instil confidence in them. Croatia has nothing to fear for the future. Is this the end of an era? I believe not, we have the League of Nations and Euros in 2024. I believe Croatia has a fascinating future.”
Meanwhile, Croatia’s third top-three finish at the FIFA World Cup has a “golden layer”, said boss Zlatko Dalic after his side clinched a play-off victory over history-makers Morocco on Saturday.
Dalic’s side were runners-up to France four years ago and confirmed their status as one of the elite footballing nations with another third-place finish to go alongside that secured in their competition debut in 1998.
In a frantic opening, Josko Gvardiol gave Croatia the lead on seven minutes with a superb diving header but Achraf Dari levelled just two minutes later by nodding home from close range.
Mislav Orsic curled in a sumptuous second for Croatia via the post three minutes before half-time and struck a thumping, deflected drive into the side-netting after the break.
The second half could not match the energy of a thrilling opening period and Morocco failed to find an equaliser as a fruitful campaign ended in back-to-back defeats.
Dalic said: “We won the bronze medal and it has a golden layer, it is like we have won the gold medal tonight. Fighting for the third place play-off and losing would have been a disaster. This is the end of a cycle, end of a journey. My players spared no efforts and these are what we work for.”
It’s the game no team wants to be involved in but in the end Croatia, a country with a population under four million, will be highly satisfied with another outstanding showing on the global stage.
At the heart of the team is influential skipper Modric, running the show once again at the age of 37 on his 162nd cap, though this could well be his final appearance at a World Cup.
“This is the last World Cup for some of my players due to their age,” said Dalic. “But we have young players in our team and there is a great hope for Croatia. We have many young players on the bench. The older players instil confidence in them.
“Croatia has nothing to fear for the future. Is this the end of an era? I believe not, we have the Nations League and European Championship in 2024. I believe Croatia has a fascinating future.”
Croatia’s opener was straight off the training ground, Ivan Perisic flicking on a free-kick that was latched on to by Gvardiol’s brilliant finish, flying through the air to head into the far corner.
But Morocco levelled immediately courtesy of Dari, a looping ball falling into his path to convert from a few yards out and spark rowdy celebrations in the stands.
Teenage midfielder Bilal El Khannouss, making his Morocco debut at 18, showed confident touches but was culpable for Croatia’s second goal, giving the ball away deep in his own half and ultimately handing over victory.
Marko Livaja laid the ball off for Orsic, who curled a glorious first time finish past the despairing reach of goalkeeper Yassine Bounou and into the net via the post.
Sevilla striker Youssef En-Nesyri had Morocco’s best chances for an equaliser, forcing knockout round penalty hero Dominik Livakovic into a sharp save from close range and heading on to the roof of the net in injury time. — bbcsport.
Online Reporter