Modric hopes fans cheer Croatia against World Champion Spain after embarrassing England defeat

Luka Modric (right) and his Croatian teammates were crushed 7-0 at home by Thomas Tuchel’s England on Saturday and the AC Milan midfielder said afterwards he was “ashamed” of the team’s performance. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Croatia captain Luka Modric said he hoped the country’s fans would support the team despite a hefty defeat by England when it faces world champion Spain on Tuesday in the Nations League.

Modric and his teammates were crushed 7-0 at home by Thomas Tuchel’s England on Saturday and the AC Milan midfielder said afterwards he was “ashamed” of the team’s performance.

Croatia hosts Spain in Split in Group A3 seeking to make amends, while La Roja are hoping to seal qualification to the quarterfinals.

“Losing isn’t the problem, but the way we lost is,” 41-year-old former Real Madrid star Modric told reporters 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.”

The atmosphere should be different. Against England, Croatia was serving a one-match punishment for fan racism and played the game in front of a crowd of 6,000 local children 14 and under, who were exempted from the ban, and a handful of England supporters.

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Facing Spain, who won the World Cup for the second time in July and is unbeaten in 41 matches, is a difficult challenge for Slaven Bilic’s Croatia.

“Spain is the best team in the world. They’re the champions,” said Modric.

“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 and have three wins from three games going into the match.

Modric said he has not decided for how long he will continue to represent his country.

“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 a 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.”

Bilic, coaching Croatia for the second spell in his career, said facing the new world champion offered a quick chance of redemption.

“It (the England thrashing) was incredibly tough. We’ll never forget it, but when there’s a fire, you have to react,” said Bilic.

“On one hand we have a very difficult opponent, but it’s the best opportunity for us.”

An ‘accident’

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente wrote off Croatia’s heavy defeat by 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.”

Teenage winger Lamine Yamal has excelled for Spain in its first three group matches, scoring in each of them, including a brace against Croatia.

Spain's Lamine Yamal shoots to score his side’s first goal during the UEFA Nations League match against Czechia in Oviedo, Spain, on Saturday. | Photo Credit: AP

“Lamine is in fantastic form. He’s a role model and a born competitor,” said the Spain coach.

“He’s in good shape to play tomorrow’s match. But so are other teammates, who are all in perfect condition.”

Spain and Barca midfielder Dani Olmo developed as a youth player at Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia, although he was not used by De la Fuente in their meeting in Seville.

Olmo left Barcelona as a teenager to join Dinamo, before later rejoining the Catalan giants in 2024 from RB Leipzig.

“Everyone has their own story... I took this decision, one of the hardest of my career to date... because of the interest of Dinamo and how much they wanted to help me grow,” explained Olmo.

“I trusted in that, I think it was one of the best steps I took in my career, leaving at 16, with my mother, to a new country, using a new language, it was difficult but beautiful.”