The day Modric lost his power.

Midfielder Luka Modric had a lackluster performance as Croatia suffered a humiliating 2-4 defeat against England in their opening match of Group L at the 2026 World Cup on the morning of June 18th.

Modric didn't perform particularly well against England. Photo: Reuters .

At the AT&T Stadium, in front of over 70,000 spectators, captain Modric was expected to be the cornerstone helping Croatia control the game against England's strength. However, the 40-year-old midfielder failed to demonstrate his usual influence and was substituted in the 58th minute.

Modric's most forgettable moment came from a foul in the penalty area, resulting in a penalty for Croatia. Harry Kane then successfully converted the penalty to open the scoring for England. This was considered a turning point that left Croatia chasing the game for much of the remainder of the match.

Besides the situation that led to the goal conceded, Modric also struggled to make an impact on the game. According to Sofascore , the former Real Madrid star only touched the ball 33 times in 58 minutes of play. He didn't take a shot, didn't make any decisive passes, and posed almost no threat to the opposing defense.

Modric left the pitch less than an hour later. Photo: Reuters .

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The only positive point was Modric's perfect passing rate. The veteran midfielder completed all 27 passes, achieving a 100% accuracy rate. He also had one successful long pass and two accurate chipped passes.

However, the impressive statistics regarding ball distribution cannot mask the fact that Croatia completely lacks creativity in the midfield.

On the defensive front, Modric was also quite ineffective. He didn't make any tackles or interceptions, only two blocks and one ball recovery.

The lack of effectiveness in both attack and defense resulted in the midfielder, born in 1985, receiving a score of only 6 from Sofascore , much lower than the usual standard.

When Croatia needed a leader to lift the team under pressure from England, Modric had an off day. This is certainly something that coach Zlatko Dalic will have to address ahead of the upcoming matches at the 2026 World Cup.

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Video: Croatia equalizes 1-1 against England. Martin Baturina's decisive shot from outside the penalty area into the net helped Croatia level the score in their opening match on the morning of June 18th.

Source: https://znews.vn/ngay-modric-danh-mat-quyen-nang-post1660833.html