Croatia captain Luka Modric says he is “ashamed” of his side’s performance after England hand them a 7-0 defeat in Rijeka. Multiple outlets report he describes the result as unacceptable and the night as “catastrophic,” pointing to Croatia’s lack of aggression and unity.
The match is reported as Croatia’s worst defeat in their history. Croatia’s previous record margin of defeat was a 6-0 loss to Spain in 2018. BBC and other reports focus on Modric’s language about the performance, while another account highlights his criticism of how the team approached the game. Despite differences in emphasis, all coverage centers on Modric’s reaction to a heavy loss and his view that the way Croatia play does not meet expectations.
Sources agree that Modric, Croatia’s most-capped player, speaks as the captain following the defeat, using strong terms to acknowledge the scale of the loss and frame it as a performance failure rather than just the scoreline.
