▲ Croatia wins 1-0 against Cyprus ▲ Modrić, a new record in Croatia’s history with 135 A-match matches
[골닷컴] Reporter Kim Hyun-min = Croatia’s living legend Luka Modric played 135 A-match matches against Cyprus, setting a new record for the Croatian national team’s all-time appearances.
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Croatia won 1-0 in the second leg of the 2022 Qatar World Cup Europe Qualifier against Cyprus at Stadion HNK Rijeka. Along with this, Croatia succeeded in cleaning the 0-1 defeat of the Slovenian expedition in the first leg.
In this match, Croatia set out in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Ante Budimir made the front line as a one-top striker, and Ivan Perishic and Josip Brekalo stood on the left and right, centering on Mario Pasalic, forming a two-line offensive line. Captains Luca Modric and Marcello Brozovic built the midfield, while Borna Varicić and Sime Brsalico were responsible for the left and right defenses. Duye Chaleta-Tsar and Dejan Loften started as central defenders, and the goal was kept by goalkeeper Dominique Ribaković.
It was a game that Croatia always overwhelmed. This can be easily confirmed in the records. Croatia greatly outperformed their market share by 69-31, and in the number of shots, they were close to six times as much as 17-3. Even Croatia didn’t allow an opponent to take a single corner while winning seven corners.
Of course, the driving force behind Croatia’s dominance was in the midfield of Modrić and Brozovic, the biggest strengths of Croatian football. Brozovic took the most 140 ball touches among the players, followed by Modrić with 129. Of course, Brozovic took 128 times and Modric took 107 times as well as the number of passes. Only two of the players from both teams have recorded more than 100 ball touches and passes.
This is not all. Together, the two successfully tackled 3 times and proudly made their name as the top tackle recorder with Varishic. In particular, Modrić played a role as a playmaker by providing three key passes (passes linked by shooting) to his colleagues, the most among the players in the game. The shooting also recorded 3 days, and it was Modric, who exerted high influence throughout the attack.
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Croatia’s only goal came from Modrić’s pass. In the 40th minute, Pasalic scored the goal with a heading shot when Cyprus central defender Costas Soterio was forced to clear a sensible roving pass behind Modrić’s opponent’s defensive line. As it is, the match ended with a 1-0 victory for Croatia.
This Cyprus match was a game of great significance to Modrić individuals. He competed in this match and recorded 135 A-matches. Along with this, he surpassed legendary right-wing defender Darijo Srna (134 matches) and made a name for himself as the most qualifying player in the Croatian national team’s all-time A-match.
He impressed Croatian football fans by showing tears when the players and coaching staff gave standing ovation at the hotel restaurant after the game and presented a cake commemorating 135 matches. Davor Suker, the best striker in Croatian football history, and the current president of the Football Association, also attended and congratulated them.
Cheers With a retrospective movie containing messages from seven Club Hundred Points members, a cake, and gifts, HNS and #Croatia internationals have celebrated @lukamodric10 record-breaking Keycap Number 1 Keycap Number 3 Keycap Number 5 th cap. It’s a privilege to have such a captain! #Family #LM135 https://twitter.com/HNS_CFF/status/1375947419456790532/photo/1
— HNS (@HNS_CFF) Mar 28, 2021
Modric is an indispensable living legend in Croatian football history. He was also the protagonist of Real Madrid’s golden age in the 2010s, and led Croatia’s runner-up in the 2018 World Cup in Russia. As a result, he overtook Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the world’s best footballers, to win the 2018 FIFA Ballon d’Or.
After the 2018 World Cup, three-year-old juniors Mario Mandzukic and Ivan Rakitic, who led the heyday of Croatia together, went through the retirement process of the national team. However, unlike his juniors, Modrić is still devoting himself to the national team and serving as a spiritual support. Because of his endurance, Croatia can reign as a representative power in Eastern Europe. He is Croatia’s football history.
135-@lukamodric10 Croatian Flag has surpassed Darijo Srna to be the Croatian player to have played the most international games ever (135 matches). “Bog” @realmadriden #Hrvatska https://twitter.com/OptaJose/status/1375865089258102790/photo/1
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) Mar 28, 2021
# Top 5 in Croatia’s A match
#1 Luka Modric: 135 matches
2.Darijo Srna: 134 matches
3.Stipe Pleticosa: 114 matches
4. Ivan Rakitic: 106 matches
#5 Yosip Shimunichi: 105 matches
