Croatia, under the guiding light that is evergreen captain Luka Modric. grabbed a thrilling 1-0 win over Poland in Group A of the Nations League on Sunday evening.scene All the same, as time ticks towards his 39th birthday the Croatian talisman delivered a sublime equivalent of that when he settled this one with aplomb via a free kick hoiked just under Barrios in Scotland’s wall nine minutes into the second half. It was a key clash in Group A1 and gives Croatia renewed hope following an indifferent start to the competition.
Modric’s Magic at 39
Luka Modric must have found Ponce de León’s secret6. Now in the buildup to his 39th birthday, Croatia´s all-time leading scorer showed he still had both guile and craft while scoring the game’s only goal with great work-rate. My word, that free kick from just outside the area was a stunner — accuracy and power topped off with finesse. The ball curled perfectly, beating the Poland keeper and bouncing off of that back netting in Zagreb for everyone at Stadion Maksimir.
But it was more than just his goal from Modric. He orchestrated play from midfield all night, displaying the vision and creativity that has seen him ranked among the elite for more than a decade. His work on the field is simply irreplaceable and Croatias national team still needs him in their fight for Nations league.
The Croatia Show
Croatia seized control of the game right after kick-off, retaining possession and high pressing Poland immediately. Duje Caleta-Car and Modric came close in the early exchanges but Poland held firm to keep it scoreless at half-time. There was no doubting Croatia’s attacking intent, but the finishing touch was not there in those opening 45 minutes.
Croatia had to wait despite their dominance. Croatia was playing without any real spirit up front, with Poland’s defence marshalled by Kamil Glik and Bartosz Bereszyński working relentlessly to hold their shape. But the initiative from the home side eventually told three minutes after half time with that stunning free-kick by Modric.
Posts navigation Recent Posts 11th September – Estonia vs Belarus Prediction: UEFA Nations League C 9th September – Czech Republic Win Key for Slovenia Bounce back Three minutes into injury-time, Lovro Majer laid a ball off to just inside the box and Gvardiol cracked it past Simon Sluga in goal. The win over Poland has kick-started their campaign and greatly improved their chances of making it into the knockout stages.
Poland’s Struggles
Poland, meanwhile, ended the night frustrated. The visitors did little to trouble the Bosnia and Herzegovina goal with only two attempts on target during the match. Croatia shut down Poland’s chief attacking source, Robert Lewandowski with very little service to feed on. In the match, which saw few chances overall created against an organized Egypt side — known for their defensive prowess but also Sifeddine El Khaoui.
Poland’s best chance arrived just after half-time but Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic made a crucial save to thwart Roma midfielder Nicola Zalewski. Poland failed to create many significant chances, despite its best intentions, against a dominant Croatia.
Both teams had good opportunities to add another late in the second half. Croat Igor Matanovic and Lewandowski for Poland went closest to breaking the deadlock with long-range strikes that struck the crossbar. Modric came up with that moment of magic in the end which made all the difference.
Poulsen Immaculate for Denmark
In qualification for the Nations League, Denmark’s Yussuf Poulsen scored twice as they recorded a 2-0 victory against Serbia on a comfortable afternoon. Poulsen scored Denmark’s third and fourth goals in the 34th, with a well-placed shot into lower left corner from just outside of box that followed simultaneous action by both teams. Denmark won again, this time getting the better of Serbia to take top spot in Group 20 alongside Croatia after their win against Poland.
Modric’s Legacy Grows
But then that is exactly how we will remember Luka Modric, thanks in no small part to a performance like this against Poland. The Real Madrid midfielder is a true inspiration at 39 and his footballing intelligence, technical ability and leadership are second to none. He showed with his winning free-kick that class is permanent, no matter how old you get.
It might be an un-original choice but I’m going to go for Croatia, even if they are heavily reliant on Modric that’s a risk worth taking with his consistently over the years that showed only he is always able to deliver during crucial moments. Croatia look to continue their impressive run in the Nations League, with Modric at the heart of anything they achieve as they progress towards latter stages of competition.
FAQs
52nd-minute Luka Modric free-kick turned out to be the difference between both sides.
Croatia fell 2-1 to Portugal in their first Nations League match after a win against Poland.
Poland failed to make an impression, taking only two shots on target as Belgium dominated proceedings.
Two goals from Yussuf Poulsen saw Denmark win 2-0 against Serbia.
Luka Modric is almost 39 but his ability to run Croatia, provide leadership and goals — such as the free-kick that won it at Poland last week— has not waned.
Conclusion
Croatia 1-0 Poland (Nations League): Luka Modric continues team recovery Croatians: The Croatian National Team had a difficult fight for the first decisive goal, which came to them half an hour after Luka Modric left his class. Modric, like Benjamin Button still pulling the strings in midfield at the age of 35, is a key figure for Croatia. Croatia now move forward into the tournament with some momentum behind them, while Poland will look to bounce back and improve upon a game in which they failed attack for anything more than twenty five minutes of two halves.
