Modric condemns ‘catastrophic’ Croatia defeat by England

Croatia captain Luka Modric said he felt “deeply ashamed” after his side suffered a record 7-0 defeat by England in Rijeka.

The heavy loss prompted anger and shock within the Croatia camp, with Modric making a strongly worded assessment of a performance he said was unacceptable for his country. The midfielder returned to the starting line-up after missing Croatia’s match against Spain.

“It is difficult to find an explanation for a performance like this without talking about the physical battles, mistakes, aggression and the lack of unity,” Modric said after the match.

“I have been here for 20 years, but this is the first time I have felt ashamed after a game.”

Modric accepted that England are currently the better team, but said the manner of the defeat had damaged Croatia’s reputation.

“Losing is understandable because England are better than us at the moment,” he said. “But losing in this way and harming the reputation we have built over the years is unacceptable. I feel deeply ashamed.”

The experienced Croatia player was also critical of the team’s lack of quality and cohesion during a match that became the country’s biggest defeat.

“You cannot play football like this,” Modric said. “I felt as if we were missing four or five players. It was a catastrophic night.

“We should not blame one another or look for a scapegoat. We must stand together.”

Croatia now face a difficult meeting with Spain in their next match, a challenge Modric acknowledged would be even more demanding after the loss to England.

“We have to unite because another difficult game is waiting for us,” he said. “We must show our true character, as well as our anger, pride, desire, determination and unity. Playing like this is unacceptable.”

Modric added: “Today, we would have lost even against a third-tier team.”

The criticism was not limited to the Croatia captain. Manager Slaven Bilic accepted responsibility for the result and said his team had failed to meet the standards expected of them.

“Croatia do not deserve this,” Bilic said. “The responsibility lies with me because I am the coach, and this is my national team. We will analyse everything, but some things are unacceptable.”

Bilic said the match against Spain represented an opportunity for Croatia to restore its identity and respond to the defeat.

“The only way forward is to give a good performance against Spain,” he said. “It is easy to be positive when things are going well, but now is the time to show our unity and character.”

He acknowledged that Croatia could not simply assume they would beat Spain, but insisted they must produce a stronger display.

“It would be ridiculous to say that we will beat Spain whatever happens,” Bilic added. “But we have to show a strong and brave Croatia.”