Luka Modric appeared heartbroken as he posed for a photo, holding the Player of the Match award, minutes after Croatia’s last-gasp loss effectively ruined their Euro 2024 aspirations.
The 38-year-old enjoyed an eventful evening in Leipzig, where his side required a win to advance to the competition’s knockout rounds. 
Modric was given the opportunity to put Croatia ahead after they were granted a penalty in the 54th minute for a handball by Davide Frattesi, and the veteran stepped up to put his team ahead.
However, his spot-kick was feeble and easily blocked by Gianluigi Donnarumma, leaving Modric distraught. He couldn’t have made amends any faster, however.
Croatia regained control and launched another effort, with Donnarumma making another fantastic stop to deny Ante Budimir. However, his parry dropped at the feet of Modric, who made no mistakes this time.
‘We battled till the finish, but football was ruthless to us tonight,’ he remarked. ‘It was brutal, but that’s the nature of football.
‘When you lose like this, it’s difficult to find the words to express how you feel. Perhaps it is unfair because we all fought for Croatia from the first whistle to the last.
‘We should be proud of how we represented our country tonight.’
He went on to say, ‘I’d like to play forever, but there will definitely come a day when I have to hang up my boots. I’ll keep playing, I’m not sure how much longer.
His performance earned him the Player of the Match award, which he dutifully posed for, despite the fact that he appeared to prefer being anywhere else in the world.
