For a second, it was the identical previous Croatian story. A World Cup knockout recreation, an unflattering scoreline, a way of despair, after which— out of nowhere — a last-second equalizer to power additional time and maintain hopes alive.
Croatia has pulled the feat off greater than most. It completed second and third in its final two World Cup appearances and compelled a whopping 4 120-minute additional time nail-biters to make it occur.
So when the staff discovered itself down 2-1 to Portugal in its Spherical of 32 2026 World Cup matchup with simply six minutes left on the clock, nothing in regards to the scenario felt unfamiliar. Croatia saved its calm and saved enjoying. 4 minutes later, defender Josko Gvardiol had the ball behind the online — and Croatia had yet one more fairytale World Cup save in its document books.
That save meant one thing. Croatia’s wild World Cup exploits of the previous decade had been led by midfielder Luka Modric, however Modric — now 40 and beginning to flip his consideration towards life after soccer — cannot lead endlessly. That is certainly his remaining World Cup. Croatia’s last-gasp equalizer meant that Modric’s World Cup future was safe … for an additional half-hour of additional time, a minimum of.
