The match on the morning of June 25 at Leipzig Stadium ended in a 1-1 draw and now only a miracle can bring the red and white striped team to the round of 16 of Euro 2024 in Germany.

The old general experienced all the glory and humiliation of life

Few players have been as experienced as Luka Modric. He has tasted all the glory and humiliation, the bitterness and sweetness of football and human life. He was born in the war, grew up in the horror of bombs, lived difficult days in a refugee camp and then became the brightest star of Croatian football.

The image of a 5-year-old boy herding goats across a rocky mountain range, threatened by wolves, or the story of Modric’s grandfather being murdered by rebels has brought tears to the eyes of football fans. “The last time I saw him, my father told me to kiss him. Whenever I think of him, my heart breaks,” the greatest player in the history of Croatian football recalled.

It seemed like becoming a top star in Europe would be a beautiful ending, but Modric had to endure the hatred of his home fans. Many even cursed him as: "Mamic's whore".

The reason is that in the embezzlement and tax evasion trial of Zdravko Mamic, former CEO of Dinamo Zagreb, Modric was invited to the trial to testify.

Before joining Tottenham, Modric was a player for Dinamo Zagreb and was forced to choose Mario Mamic, Zdravko's son, as his agent. Euro 2008 and a brilliant performance in his first major tournament with the Croatian national team were the launching pad for his rise to the top.

10.5 million euros was the transfer fee, 8.5 million euros went to Mamic and his father. Not only Modric, many other famous names of Croatian football such as Dejan Lovren, Sime Vrsaljko and Mateo Kovacic also went abroad to play after such shady deals. However, before the trial, Modric only said: “Ne sjecam se!” (I don’t remember).

The midfielder became the focus of public criticism. The hatred grew so high that at the Zadar hotel, where the Modric family had taken refuge, someone wrote “Luka, one day you will remember!”.

Time will tell. The question is not whether Modric “remembers or forgets”. Croatians were finally conquered by Modric once again with his talent, personality and dedication.

One Minute from the Bottom to the Top

At 39 years old, Modric is still leading the Croatian team to Euro 2024, his 5th Euro and 9th major tournament with the red and white striped team. This veteran cannot be criticized for being "greedy for power and position", because even Real Madrid has extended Modric's contract for another year, until June 2025.

Last season, he still played 46 matches in all competitions and contributed greatly to helping the Spanish Royal team win the La Liga and Champions League double. Not only that, looking at Croatia's aging squad, it is not difficult to see that no one is capable of replacing Modric.

The proof is that last night, in the decisive match against the Italian team, the veteran still played from the start, played until the 80th minute, became the oldest player in history to score in the Euro finals (38 years, 289 days) and was voted the best player of the match.

But the result of the match was cruel for the Croatian number 10. Before Zacaggni's goal left Modric stunned on the bench, the 39-year-old veteran "flipped from hell to heaven" in just one minute.

In the 54th minute, when the score was 0-0, the referee awarded Croatia a penalty because an Italian player handled the ball in the penalty area. No one else but Modric stepped up to take responsibility.

He has been unlucky from 11 yards in recent attempts, but this is a crucial moment that requires a lot of character. And no one in the Croatia team has more character than Luka, the No. 10 and captain of the team.

Modric took the ball, took a deep breath and tried to fool Donnarumma. He placed the ball towards the right corner, a safe shot for a right-footed player, the trajectory of the ball was quite dangerous.

However, the Italian goalkeeper read the plan. The diving save was excellent, as Donnarumma has done many times in this tournament. The stadium for the Azzurri fans exploded.

However, the Azzurri's joy was short-lived as Croatia continued to attack. A minute later, Modric reappeared in the box, receiving the ball after another excellent save from Donnarumma.

Modric's clever left-footed shot into the top corner gave the Italian giant no chance of saving. It was the Croatian fans' turn to explode.

Modric burst into tears. The 39-year-old veteran, full of experience, could not control his emotions before the magic of football. His teary eyes demonstrated his love for his homeland and country. Although he had won all the glory with Real Madrid, for Modric, every match wearing the red and white checkered shirt was still like a final.

Never give up

The cruel scenario for Croatia and Modric came in the 90+8 minute, the last minute of extra time. Zacaggni scored the equalizer for Italy with a beautiful curling shot. With this result, Italy followed Spain into the round of 16. Croatia finished third with only 2 points. The chance to continue is still there but very slim.

To get a wild card, Modric and his teammates need to expect England to beat Slovenia (3-0 or win by 4 goals or more), the Czech Republic and Georgia to lose to Türkiye and Portugal, and Serbia to lose to Denmark or Serbia to beat Denmark by 3 goals or more.

Speaking after the match, Modric could only say: “It’s hard to find words to describe my feelings right now. Maybe it’s unfair because we really fought for Croatia from the opening whistle until the last minute.

But tonight football was too cruel to us. It was cruel but it is part of football."

Regretting Modric, Wayne Rooney shared: "It's hard to know if this is Modric's last match for Croatia. You could see his anticipation and excitement before Italy scored. Such an ending is hard to accept for a great player."

Alan Shearer added of Modric's goal: “That goal says everything about his character. You can imagine how he felt after missing the penalty, but then he took the opportunity and scored. It was admirable.”

Micah Richards praised: "Leader, legend, personality, superb technique, extraordinary talent: everything you want in a midfielder is in Modric. This is a sad day for him because he seemed to become a hero but everything almost disappeared."

Disappearance is possible, but giving up is not. As Modric has proven throughout his life.

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/phut-dien-ro-giay-chet-lang-va-kich-ban-nghiep-nga-cho-luka-modric-20240625094430152.htm