Sucic praised Modric after Croatia's victory

Petar Sucic described Luka Modric as "incredible" after he helped Croatia beat Ghana 2-1, securing second place in Group L and qualifying for the round of 32 of the World Cup. Croatia entered the match at Philadelphia Stadium with the mentality of matching England in the group, and Sucic opened the scoring for the home team in the 31st minute with a beautiful shot from distance. However, Ghana equalized in the 73rd minute thanks to a shot from Derrick Luckassen, but Croatia asserted its strength when Modric took a corner kick and Nikola Vlasic headed the ball into the net from the post just seven minutes before the end of the match, giving Croatia a match against Portugal in the knockout round on July 3. With this assist, Modric, at the age of 40 years and 291 days, became the oldest player to score. assists at the World Cup since 1966. This is also the 22nd time he has participated in the tournament, while last time he also had his 200th match in his international career against Panama. Since his debut at the World Cup in 2006, only Cristiano Ronaldo (25) and Lionel Messi (29) have made more appearances at this tournament than Modric. Sucic believes that the Croatian captain still has a lot of energy to contribute. "It's his personality and his energy. He was in danger of being substituted a few times. But the more he played, the better he played," Sucic said. "He knows this is his last World Cup, and he's trying to leave the best impression. I told him after the game, he played like a 20-year-old. Today he was absolutely incredible. He ran a lot. He performed very well with the ball. He's the guy who leads us, our best player, and we're happy that he can lead us in this World Cup. He can play for as long as he wants." At the age of 40 years and 291 days, Luka Modric became the oldest player to score an assist at the World Cup as recorded by Opta (since 1966). Modric also had the team's highest total of chances created (four), touches of the ball (102), accurate passes (82) and passes in the end zone (21), earning praise from Zlatko Dalic. "Luka is really great," Dalic said. "He had an assist and stopped two goals. That's his personality and his energy. He never gives up. He was substituted a few times [in the first two matches] but now he's playing even better. He's an example of how things should be. He's aware that this is his last World Cup, and he's trying his best. I hope he stays healthy as long as possible." Croatia's victory helps them advance to the knockout round of the World Cup for the fourth time, having done so in the last three times (2018, 2022, 2026). However, despite the defeat, Ghana also progressed to the round of 32 as one of the best third-placed teams, with a match against group leaders Colombia in their next encounter. This is the third time Ghana has reached the knockout stage of a World Cup, although Carlos Queiroz questioned whether expanding to 48 teams would enhance the tournament's value. "With so many teams qualifying for the World Cup, I think the value of the tournament in terms of the rarity of being in the World Cup, in my opinion, is still debatable," he said. "Even qualifying matches in Europe and Africa are starting to lose their meaning, as everyone is almost qualified." Regarding Ghana's defeat, Queiroz said defensive mistakes caused his team to lose, but believes the team will learn lessons from those mistakes in the next matches. "The best thing about this match is what we learned. We learned a lot about our progress," Queiroz added. "We have a clear picture of the performance of some players, what we can do differently in the upcoming matches."

---

Related Articles

1. Brazil vs Japan: World Cup Knockout Clash in Houston
2. Argentina's Lineup Against Jordan: Resting Messi and Key Players