The 41-year-old, who had missed Croatia’s pre-match press conference after picking up a fever, showed no signs of it on the pitch.
ALSO: 8/10 – Rating Bafana’s first performance under Pitso Mosimane
Two minutes into the second half, Modrić drove into the box and rifled a right-footed strike into the far corner, his 30th international goal in his 203rd appearance for the national team.
His numbers on the night reflected a near-flawless performance. 100% shot accuracy, all four of his long balls found their target, he won all three of his ground duels, and completed all his dribble attempts. He also passed with 92% accuracy, played 12 passes into the final third, and contributed 5 recoveries, a tackle and an interception before being substituted late on to a standing ovation.
🚨🇭🇷 Luka Modrić (41) for Croatia tonight… 🪄
• 100% shot accuracy, 1 shot, 1 goal
• 100% accurate long balls, 4/4
• 100% ground duels won, 3/3
• 100% successful dribbles, 1/1
• 92% pass accuracy
• 12 passes into final third
• 5 recoveries
• 1 tackle, 1 interception pic.twitter.com/jGCZRpSUTn— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) September 26, 2026
Czechia levelled through Adam Karabec shortly after, but Croatia restored their lead through Mario Pašalić to seal the win and a perfect start to Bilić’s second spell in charge.
AFRICA PICKS: Football tips and predictions
Photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
