Modric's heartaches: What did he reveal after the 0:7 home tragedy?

4 October 2026, 21:34·26·Sport

UEFA Nations League matchday 3 delivered a truly shocking result for world football fans. The Croatia national team hosted the England team at home and suffered an unexpectedly crushing and historic 0:7 defeat.

After the match, the 41-year-old captain and legendary leader of the Croats, Luka Modric, made a sharp and emotional statement regarding the match result and his team's helplessness on the pitch.

“It's possible to lose, but not in this manner”

According to information reported by Croatia's famous Index publication, Luka Modric did not hide that he was experiencing one of the hardest nights of his career, emphasizing that for the first time in his 20-year international career he felt such embarrassment:

“There were no duels, no aggressiveness, no necessary fouls, and no unity on the pitch. I have been playing in the national team jersey for 20 years, and I must openly admit: for the first time after a match ended, I felt ashamed of myself.
Yes, it is possible to lose — England truly performed better than us. But surrendering easily in this fashion and tarnishing the reputation built over years is totally unacceptable. For the first time, I felt deeply ashamed of myself and I apologize to all the fans for this.”

“We must not blame each other, we must stand united”

The captain, having already absorbed a heavy blow, stressed the importance of maintaining the team's internal environment and preventing them from falling into a psychological crisis:

No room for internal conflicts: Modric stated that after the heavy defeat, the players must not blame each other in the dressing room and must maintain unity in this difficult moment as always;
An unusual feeling: “We lost by a very large margin. But the internal feeling after this match is completely different, I had never experienced such a situation before,” he added.

Goal show from England and match details

The match was held under the complete dominance of the guests from start to finish. The English attacking line shattered the Croatian defense:

Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka scored two goals each against the opponent's goal, recording braces;
Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon, and young talent Morgan Rogers added one goal each to their names.

This major victory significantly strengthened the England national team's position in the standings. Meanwhile, the Croatia team will need to quickly forget one of the darkest pages in its history and mentally recover for the upcoming official matches.