In the UEFA Nations League, Croatia defeated Poland 1-0 thanks to a direct free kick goal from 39-year-old midfielder Luka Modric.

Modric had an outstanding performance on September 8th at his home stadium, Opus, Osijek. He touched the ball 136 times during the course of the ninety-minute game, played the entire ninety minutes, and completed two of his five passes that created opportunities.

When Modric received a corner kick from the right flank in the seventh minute, defender Duje Caleta-Car headed the ball towards goal, but custodian Lukasz Skorupski stopped it. The Real Madrid player took a strong shot outside the box in the twenty-first minute, but the ball missed the post.

When Croatia was given a free kick close to the penalty area in the 52nd minute, Modric took a shot with his right foot that went over the wall and into the top corner, prompting custodian Skorupski to fly but still failing to stop it. After nine games across all competitions, the 39-year-old midfielder broke his goal drought, and he assisted Croatia in earning their first three points of the Nations League this year.

Two Athletic Football Other honoursSeptember 9, 2024, Monday, 08:04 (GMT+7)

Modric outshines Lewandowski with a fantastic free kick.

Croatia In the UEFA Nations League, Croatia defeated Poland 1-0 thanks to a direct free kick goal from 39-year-old midfielder Luka Modric.

Modric had an outstanding performance on September 8th at his home stadium, Opus, Osijek. He touched the ball 136 times during the course of the ninety-minute game, played the entire ninety minutes, and completed two of his five passes that created opportunities.

When Modric received a corner kick from the right flank in the seventh minute, defender Duje Caleta-Car headed the ball towards goal, but custodian Lukasz Skorupski stopped it. The Real Madrid player took a strong shot outside the box in the twenty-first minute, but the ball missed the post.

When Croatia was given a free kick close to the penalty area in the 52nd minute, Modric took a shot with his right foot that went over the wall and into the top corner, prompting custodian Skorupski to fly but still failing to stop it. After nine games across all competitions, the 39-year-old midfielder broke his goal drought, and he assisted Croatia in earning their first three points of the Nations League this year.

Modric also scored directly from a free kick for the first time in 17 years. “I’m very happy because I finally scored a goal from a free kick myself,” he said to the national television channel NovaTV following the game. Similar to this, I also scored from a kick against Slovakia, but that time the ball struck an opponent and veered into the net. Since my time at Dinamo Zagreb, if my memory serves me well, this is the first direct goal I have scored from a free kick.

With 180 games played for the national team, Modric is only one game behind Cristiano Ronaldo (214 for Portugal) and tied with Sergio Ramos of Spain. In these 180 games, Modric scored 27 goals, placing him second only in Croatian national team history behind Eduardo da Silva, Andrej Kramaric (29 goals), Ivan Perisic, Mario Mandzukic (33 goals), and Davor Suker (45 goals).

“I never would have imagined that I would play for so long. We can’t think about the future; we have to focus on each game. I’m going to leave the team as soon as I lose my fire. I alone can sense the fire and decide what to do,” he stated.

On September 8, at the Opus Stadium in Osijek, Croatia defeated Poland 1-0 in the second round of Group A of the Nations League. Modric celebrates after scoring. Image: AFP.

Modric played a fantastic game, passing the ball, running, fighting, and scoring as if he were only 25 years old, according to coach Zlatko Dalic. If his student continues to play at such a high level, he thinks he will wear the Croatian shirt for a very long time. The 57-year-old coach believes that today, September 9, is Modric’s 39th birthday, and that the win is the best present for him.

 

Unlike Modric, Robert Lewandowski, the captain of Poland, was unimpressive. The 36-year-old striker made four shots over the complete ninety minutes of play. His most significant moment came in the seventieth minute when he controlled the ball in the penalty area, turned, and launched a left-footed drive that struck the crossbar. Lewandowski was awarded a score of 6.7 by Sofascore, while Modric was awarded the best score of the game at 9.3.

Cristiano Ronaldo, 39, surprised everyone by being benched by coach Roberto Martinez on September 9 but still made an impression when he came on the field in the second half and scored the game-winning goal to help Portugal defeat Scotland 2-1.

 

According to AS (Spain), “Ronaldo’s current form shows that he is ready to aim for the 2026 World Cup.” As the 2024–2025 season gets underway, the 39-year-old has already scored 6 goals in 6 games for his club and country. He also has 2 assists.

 

 

Ronaldo continues to be a vital member of the Portuguese national team and scores goals on a regular basis.

Ronaldo scored his 900th and 901st goals in his career during Portugal’s 2-1 victories over Croatia and Scotland in the UEFA Nations League.

 

Furthermore, following 214 games, Ronaldo’s record for scoring goals for his country’s squad increased to 132 goals thanks to these goals. With 47 goals against Pauleta’s 47 and the great Eusebio’s 41, Ronaldo currently holds the record for most goals in the history of the Portuguese team.

Two matches, two triumphs. On his former Twitter account, X, Ronaldo posted, “Thanks for the support, let’s go Portugal!” This demonstrates that the well-known player is still having a significant impact on the national team, proving that head coach Roberto Martinez was correct to have faith in him.

The unique aspect of Portugal’s victory over Scotland at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon was the unexpected benching of Ronaldo by coach Roberto Martinez, who had started and played nearly the whole ninety minutes in the encounter against Croatia.

Only at the start of the second half was Ronaldo substituted for Pedro Neto. Bruno Fernandes supported the defence line, while Rafael Leao and Diogo Jota spearheaded the assault for the Portuguese team prior to that.

Spain’s squad demonstrates their continued need for Ronaldo.

Ronaldo’s presence did not assist the Portuguese team’s assault pick up speed again until the second half, when Bruno Fernandes equalised the score at 1-1 in the 54th minute, following McTominay’s unexpected 1-0 opening goal for the Scottish team in the first. At the end of the game, Ronaldo proved his worth and mettle by confirming Nuno Mendes’ pass at the ideal location and scored the game-winning goal that gave the home team a 2-1 victory.