After the game, Luca, one of the greatest midfielders of this generation, described his feelings and emotions about the exit and branded the beautiful game 'merciless and cruel'.
"We fought until the end but unfortunately football was merciless to us tonight, it was brutal. Today above all, but also in our second most recent match when we conceded two goals late. But that's part and parcel of football. Often it makes you smile a lot but other times it makes you very sad as it happened today,” a sad Modric told reporters at the post-game press conference.
The 38-year-old has been Croatia's captain for the past decade, which has seen the team reach FIFA World Cup finals. Unfortunately for the team, they would not advance to the Round of 16 due to not winning a single game in the group stage. This was likely the last time we saw the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner represent his country in a major tournament with the World Cup almost two years away.
“It's hard to describe in words in terms of how I'm feeling, how my teammates are feeling and what the fans are going through. Football isn't always kind and the football gods don't always smile on us. No, but we should be proud of the way we represented our country,” said the Real Madrid star.
Although Croatia have not been officially eliminated, their qualification scenario remains highly unlikely. The four best third-placed teams qualify for the Round of 16 but Croatia's double-digit number makes the situation extremely difficult.
"We fought until the end but unfortunately football was merciless to us tonight, it was brutal. Today above all, but also in our second most recent match when we conceded two goals late. But that's part and parcel of football. Often it makes you smile a lot but other times it makes you very sad as it happened today,” a sad Modric told reporters at the post-game press conference.
The 38-year-old has been Croatia's captain for the past decade, which has seen the team reach FIFA World Cup finals. Unfortunately for the team, they would not advance to the Round of 16 due to not winning a single game in the group stage. This was likely the last time we saw the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner represent his country in a major tournament with the World Cup almost two years away.
“It's hard to describe in words in terms of how I'm feeling, how my teammates are feeling and what the fans are going through. Football isn't always kind and the football gods don't always smile on us. No, but we should be proud of the way we represented our country,” said the Real Madrid star.
Although Croatia have not been officially eliminated, their qualification scenario remains highly unlikely. The four best third-placed teams qualify for the Round of 16 but Croatia's double-digit number makes the situation extremely difficult.
