Croatia's captain Luka Modric has asked fans to support the team despite a heavy loss to England. Croatia will face world champions Spain on Tuesday in the Nations League.
Modric and his teammates suffered a shocking 7-0 defeat at home to Thomas Tuchel’s England on Saturday. The AC Milan midfielder expressed his feelings, saying he was “ashamed” of how the team played.
Croatia will host Spain in Split, looking to bounce back. Spain, on the other hand, wants to secure their spot in the quarter-finals.
“Losing isn’t the problem, but the way we lost is,” said the 41-year-old Modric to reporters on Monday.
“I hope the fans will cheer us on as always and that, after the match, they can judge how we played. That’s what we need, so we’re hoping for a positive reaction because what happened hurts us more than anyone.”
Different Atmosphere Expected
The atmosphere should change from the last match. Croatia was serving a one-match punishment for fan racism and played in front of 6,000 local kids under 14, who were allowed to attend, along with a few England supporters.
Now facing Spain, who won the World Cup in July and are unbeaten in 41 matches, is a tough challenge for coach Slaven Bilic’s Croatia.
“Spain is the best team in the world. They’re the champions,” Modric said.
“I don’t know how Spain is going to interpret our defeat… but what happened isn’t typical for our team; we all know that… Against the best team in the world, we have to fix everything, be aggressive, and not give them too much space to find solutions.”
Spain beat Croatia 4-1 in Seville earlier in the international break. They have won all three of their matches so far.
Modric shared that he has not decided how much longer he will play for the national team.
“We’re taking it one game at a time. We’ll see if I leave the national team in a year or a month,” explained Modric, who earned his 205th cap against England.
“The important thing for me is to be in a place that makes me happy. I’m willing to help at any time, both on and off the field.”
Chance for Redemption
Bilic, who is back coaching Croatia for a second time, said facing the world champions gives them a quick chance to make things right.
“It (the England thrashing) was incredibly tough. We’ll never forget it, but when there’s a fire, you have to react,” Bilic said.
“On one hand we have a very difficult opponent, but it’s the best opportunity for us.”
Spain's coach Luis de la Fuente dismissed the heavy loss that Croatia faced against England.
“What happened the other day was just an accident in football,” said the Spain coach.
“It doesn’t reflect the difference in footballing ability between Croatia and England. This result can motivate them.”
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