This was simply not Luka Modric’s night time, as so painfully illustrated by a ball being deflected into his face at one level within the second half.
There have been some sometimes terrific touches on the ball, significantly throughout the first half, when Croatia had been hogging the ball. However Modric, for as soon as, simply wasn’t capable of bend the sport to his properly.
He was by no means going to cease preventing, in fact. The person’s motto is ‘By no means. Give. Up’ however this eagerly-awaited battle of the enduring No.10s sadly proved a mismatch.
Modric is unlikely to play in one other World Cup, however you by no means know. As Mateo Kovacic just lately argued, his captain is so good and so skilful that he might proceed into his early-40s.
Nonetheless, this felt like a final World Cup outing for Modric, so it was beautiful to see him applauded from the sphere by the Argentina followers as he was changed by Lovro Majer with 10 minutes to go.
It was a becoming present of respect for one of many sport’s greats.