{"id":16933,"date":"2026-07-06T08:43:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T03:13:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/?p=16933"},"modified":"2026-07-06T08:43:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T03:13:06","slug":"croatias-heartbreaking-exit-modrics-goodbye","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/croatias-heartbreaking-exit-modrics-goodbye\/","title":{"rendered":"Croatia&#8217;s Heartbreaking Exit \u2014 Modri\u0107\u2019s Goodbye"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Three disallowed goals. A 40-year-old captain walking off in tears. And, in the cruelest possible twist, a goal ruled out in the 90+13th minute by technology measuring in millimeters. Croatia didn&#8217;t just lose at the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122. They were dismantled by the finest margins football has ever seen.<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_73 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-black ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Page Contents:<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #282fff;color:#282fff\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #282fff;color:#282fff\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/croatias-heartbreaking-exit-modrics-goodbye\/#A_Group_Stage_Full_of_Fight\" title=\"A Group Stage Full of Fight\">A Group Stage Full of Fight<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/croatias-heartbreaking-exit-modrics-goodbye\/#The_Moment_That_Will_Be_Remembered_Forever\" title=\"The Moment That Will Be Remembered Forever\">The Moment That Will Be Remembered Forever<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/croatias-heartbreaking-exit-modrics-goodbye\/#Goodbye_Luka\" title=\"Goodbye, Luka\">Goodbye, Luka<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><i>Stream Croatia&#8217;s <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\"><i>FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122<\/i><\/a><i> campaign and every remaining match live on ZEE 5. Explore the <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/myaccount\/subscription?plan-ref=0-11-7467&amp;asset-ref=0-6-4z5914493&amp;visibility=SELECTED&amp;context=FIFA\"><i>ZEE 5 FIFA Subscription<\/i><\/a><i> Quarterly Plan at \u20b9799 for full tournament access.<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Group_Stage_Full_of_Fight\"><\/span><b>A Group Stage Full of Fight<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/croatia\/croatia-squad\">Croatia <\/a>entered the tournament with the quiet confidence of a side that has punched above its weight for nearly a decade. Their group campaign told a complicated story.<\/p>\n<p>They opened against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/england\/england-squad\">England <\/a>and lost 4-2 \u2014 a harsh defeat, but not a humiliating one. England were simply clinical on the day. Croatia regrouped.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Watch <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/match-clips\/0-6-4z5974253\/eng-vs-cro-quickfire-highlights-fifa-world-cup-2026\/0-1-6z5985544?utm_source=GoogleOneBox&amp;utm_medium=GoogleSearch&amp;utm_campaign=OneBoxWatchNow\">England vs Croatia Match Highlight <\/a>Free Only On ZEE5.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Next came <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/panama\/panama-squad\">Panama<\/a>. A Budimir goal just eight minutes after coming off the bench settled it. 1-0. And in the stands, a moment that stopped the football world \u2014 Luka Modri\u0107, making his 200th international appearance, received a standing ovation from both sets of supporters. Some milestones go beyond the scoreline.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Watch <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/match-clips\/0-6-4z5974253\/pan-vs-cro-quickfire-highlights-fifa-world-cup-2026\/0-1-6z5990401?utm_source=GoogleOneBox&amp;utm_medium=GoogleSearch&amp;utm_campaign=OneBox_quick_fire_highlight\">Panama vs Croatia Match Highlight <\/a>Free Only On ZEE5.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>They finished the group with a 2-1 win over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/ghana\/ghana-squad\">Ghana<\/a>, enough to advance as runners-up. Not the dominant form Croatia fans might have hoped for. But they were through. That mattered.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Watch <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/match-clips\/0-6-4z5974253\/cro-vs-gha-quickfire-highlights-fifa-world-cup-2026\/0-1-6z5993613?utm_source=GoogleOneBox&amp;utm_medium=GoogleSearch&amp;utm_campaign=OneBox_quick_fire_highlight\">Ghana vs Croatia Match Highlight <\/a>Free Only On ZEE5.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Portugal. Three Goals. None of Them Counted.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The Round of 32 draw had Croatia play <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/portugal\/portugal-squad\">Portugal <\/a>\u2014 and what followed was one of the most brutal ninety-plus minutes in recent World Cup memory.<\/p>\n<p>Croatia struck first. Peri\u0161i\u0107, 53rd minute. A well-worked goal, clean and composed. For the first time in the tournament, Croatia had hope. They were leading in a knockout match.<\/p>\n<p>Then VAR arrived.<\/p>\n<p>Three Croatian goals were disallowed across the course of the match. Three. The margins were microscopic, the decisions agonizing, and the Croatians had no answer for a system that was working with geometric precision against them.<\/p>\n<p>Modri\u0107, 40 years old and still dictating play from midfield, pulled strings that younger players couldn&#8217;t replicate. Croatia were controlling large portions. But the scoreboard was not reflecting the football.<\/p>\n<p>Portugal equalised through a Ronaldo penalty in the 68th minute. Then Goncalo Ramos broke Croatian hearts in the 90+4th minute to make it 2-1.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Watch <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/match-clips\/0-6-4z5974253\/por-vs-cro-quickfire-highlights-fifa-world-cup-2026\/0-1-6z5996560?utm_source=GoogleOneBox&amp;utm_medium=GoogleSearch&amp;utm_campaign=OneBox_quick_fire_highlight\">Croatia vs Portugal Match Highlight <\/a>Free Only On ZEE5.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Moment_That_Will_Be_Remembered_Forever\"><\/span><b>The Moment That Will Be Remembered Forever<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>90+13th minute. Duje \u0106aleta-Car&#8217;s run, the ball breaking kindly, Josip Gvardiol placing his finish. Goal. Pandemonium. Croatia 2-2.<\/p>\n<p>Or so they thought.<\/p>\n<p>Connected Ball Technology \u2014 the same system that has redefined offside decisions at this tournament \u2014 intervened. A review lasting several minutes found that Mario Pa\u0161ali\u0107 was offside when Marko Matanovi\u0107 touched the ball in the build-up. Not a big touch. A microscopic one. The kind you cannot see with the naked eye.<\/p>\n<p>The goal was disallowed. The final score stood at 2-1 to Portugal.<\/p>\n<p>Some exits are clean. You lose, you go home. This was not that. This was three ruled-out goals, a technology verdict at the 105th-minute mark, and a legend walking off a pitch for the last time.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Goodbye_Luka\"><\/span><b>Goodbye, Luka<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Luka Modri\u0107 was comforted by Cristiano Ronaldo on the Toronto pitch. Two players who have defined an era. One going through to the next round. One, at 40, facing the end of a journey that has defined Croatian football.<\/p>\n<p>Modri\u0107 won the Ballon d&#8217;Or. He won the Champions League \u2014 six times. He took Croatia to a World Cup Final in 2018. He reached the third-place match in 2022. He has given everything a footballer possibly can.<\/p>\n<p>Everybody has to say goodbye. But Modri\u0107 deserved a better one than this.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i>Don&#8217;t miss a single moment of the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 Round of 16. Stream every match live on ZEE 5 \u2014 the official streaming home of the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 in India.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i>Disclaimer: Subscription pack prices are subject to change from time to time. Please visit the subscription page for the most up-to-date pricing information.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Three disallowed goals. A 40-year-old captain walking off in tears. And, in the cruelest possible twist, a goal ruled out in the 90+13th minute by technology measuring in millimeters. Croatia didn&#8217;t just lose at the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122. They were dismantled by the finest margins football has ever seen. &nbsp; Stream Croatia&#8217;s FIFA World [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":14976,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ub_ctt_via":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3019],"tags":[3048,3031,3358],"class_list":["post-16933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fifa-world-cup-2026","tag-croatia-football-team","tag-fifa-world-cup-2026","tag-round-of-32"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1132x400-4.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Sourav K","author_link":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/author\/sourav-k\/"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Croatia&#039;s Heartbreaking Exit \u2014 Modri\u0107\u2019s Goodbye - ZEE5 Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Croatia FIFA 2026\u2122 exit\u2014Modri\u0107&#039;s farewell ends after a cruel defeat to Portugal.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/croatias-heartbreaking-exit-modrics-goodbye\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Croatia&#039;s Heartbreaking Exit \u2014 Modri\u0107\u2019s Goodbye - ZEE5 Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Croatia FIFA 2026\u2122 exit\u2014Modri\u0107&#039;s farewell ends after a cruel defeat to Portugal.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/croatias-heartbreaking-exit-modrics-goodbye\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ZEE5 Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ZEE5India\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-06T03:13:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1132x400-4.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1132\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sourav K\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ZEE5India\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ZEE5India\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sourav K\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/croatias-heartbreaking-exit-modrics-goodbye\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/croatias-heartbreaking-exit-modrics-goodbye\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Sourav K\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/b7f51287e926eac1996d50ea278b7033\"},\"headline\":\"Croatia&#8217;s Heartbreaking Exit \u2014 Modri\u0107\u2019s Goodbye\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-06T03:13:06+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/croatias-heartbreaking-exit-modrics-goodbye\/\"},\"wordCount\":695,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/croatias-heartbreaking-exit-modrics-goodbye\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1132x400-4.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Croatia Football Team\",\"FIFA World cup 2026\",\"Round of 32\"],\"articleSection\":[\"FIFA World Cup 2026\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/croatias-heartbreaking-exit-modrics-goodbye\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/croatias-heartbreaking-exit-modrics-goodbye\/\",\"name\":\"Croatia's Heartbreaking Exit \u2014 Modri\u0107\u2019s Goodbye - 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