“I’ve been here for 20 years and this is the first time I’ve felt ashamed,” Modric said after Croatia’s heavy defeat to England in Rijeka. Described as the heaviest defeat in Croatia’s history, the loss came as Luka Modric returned to the starting line-up after resting against Spain. The captain spoke out after the defeat.
The atmosphere in Rijeka had been friendly, with many children present. Despite that welcome, Modric wanted to apologise. He said it was difficult to explain a performance lacking duels, fouls, aggression and unity. “I’ve been here for 20 years, but this is the first time I’ve felt ashamed after a match,” he said.
He drew a distinction between losing and the manner of the defeat: “You can lose because, right now, they are better. But losing like this and damaging the reputation we have built over the years is unacceptable. I feel deeply ashamed.” He also said the team had seemed to be playing with four or five fewer players and called it a “catastrophic night”. In his view, “you cannot play football this way”.
The captain nevertheless urged his team-mates not to blame one another, but to stay together. “We need to stay united because another difficult match awaits us. We need to show our true nature: pride, desire, will and unity cannot disappear overnight. Playing like this is unacceptable,” he insisted. He went so far as to say that, that night, his team would have lost “even to a third-division side”.
The coach also voiced his regret: “God forbid this happens again; Croatia does not deserve this. The responsibility is mine; I am the coach, this is my national team. We will analyse everything, but some things are unacceptable.” Modric, for his part, called on the supporters in Split to back the team and promised a response through commitment on the field.
The next test looks difficult: Croatia are due to host Spain after the heavy defeat at the Pizjuán. Modric ruled out any promise of a guaranteed win, but demanded a “strong and brave” team capable of showing unity and character.
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