Real Madrid captain Luka Modric inspired his Croatian national team to a 1-0 victory over Robert Lewandowski’s Poland last night in the UEFA Nations League.
Modric, captaining Croatia, scored the only goal of the game with a stunning free-kick that gave the opposition goalkeeper no chance.
Meanwhile, the midfield veteran, who is celebrating his 39th birthday today, was also brilliant overall on the night.
Lewandowski praises Modric
As such, speaking after the game, Barcelona superstar and Poland captain Lewandowski praised Luka Modric for his goal, hailing the Real Madrid veteran’s free-kick as ‘perfection’.
“It was a very close position, and sometimes from this closest position, it is the most difficult to score a goal. Luka’s shot was perfection,” said Lewandowski, as quoted by Meczyki.pl
“Maybe the force wasn’t there, but Lukasz [Skorupski] was covered and probably didn’t expect him to hit like that. It all worked here,” the Barcelona and Poland striker added.
A special game for Modric
Last night’s match against Poland was a special one for Modric as he made his 180th appearance for the Croatian national team.
In doing so, the 39-year-old Real Madrid captain became the second-most capped European player in history (180), after Cristiano Ronaldo (213*).
And, he marked the occasion with a spectacular goal that secured his team a crucial victory and three points in the UEFA Nations League.
Speaking after the game, Modric spoke about his possible retirement in the future, insisting that he will carry on playing until he feels the ‘fire’ within himself.
“With me, you never know. We have to take it game by game. I can’t think about the future. When I no longer feel the fire in me, I’ll retire. Only I can feel that fire and make the decision,” he said.