Croatia suffered the heaviest defeat in their history, with England scoring seven times in a one-sided Nations League encounter. Modric, who captained his country, made no attempt to hide his disappointment afterwards.
“It’s difficult to find an explanation for a performance like this, without duels, fouls, aggression, cohesion... I’ve been here for 20 years, but it’s the first time I’ve felt ashamed after a match.”
The AC Milan midfielder accepted that England were the stronger side but insisted that the manner of the defeat was what made it particularly difficult to accept.
“You can lose, someone is stronger, at the moment they are stronger, but to lose like this and throw away the reputation we have built over all these years is unacceptable.”
Modric’s comments reflected the scale of Croatia’s collapse. England established a commanding advantage and continued to punish their opponents after half-time, turning the match into the heaviest defeat Croatia have suffered.
The 41-year-old did not attempt to shift responsibility onto individual players. Instead, he pointed to a collective failure, highlighting the lack of intensity and organisation that allowed England to dominate.
The defeat was particularly painful for Modric because of his two decades with the national team. He has been central to Croatia’s greatest modern achievements, making the nature of the loss especially difficult to accept.
His response was therefore not simply about the scoreline. Modric felt that Croatia had allowed the reputation built over many years to be damaged in one night.
The captain’s words provided the clearest indication of the mood inside the Croatian camp after a defeat that will remain a landmark in the country’s football history, and one Croatia will struggle to forget.