Euro 2024: A cruel twist for Croatia

With an average age of 28.19, the Croatian national team is among the oldest teams in the tournament. Veterans like Luka Modrić, Ivan Perišić, and Andrej Kramarić remain irreplaceable pillars of the team.

A prime example is veteran Luka Modrić, who, nearing his 39th birthday, still had to push himself to play 235 minutes at this year's Euro. He was a key player in distributing the ball, creating opportunities for his teammates, and scoring goals to ignite hope for his team. Luka Modrić is like a saint for the Croatian national team.

However, Mattia Zaccagni's goal in the 90+8th minute dashed all the efforts of Luka Modrić and his teammates. This goal pushed the Croatian team down to third place in Group B with 2 points after 3 matches and almost certainly eliminated them.

Adding to the heartbreak, this was the second consecutive time the Croatian team conceded a late equalizer. In the previous match, Luka Modrić and his teammates also conceded a goal to Klaus Gjasula in the 90+5th minute, resulting in a 2-2 draw against Albania.

These two painful draws were the final blows to the dreams of Croatia's golden generation to conquer major tournaments. A golden generation that brought so much success to the Croatian national team at the 2018 World Cup, Euro 2020, and the 2022 World Cup.

However, the defeat in this year's finals also shows that it's time for the Croatian national team to rejuvenate its squad. The aging players have caused coach Zlatko Dalić's team to falter at the most crucial moments of the match. And the Croatian team cannot rely on veterans like Luka Modrić, Ivan Perišić, or Andrej Kramarić in upcoming major tournaments.

Luka Modrić's devastated expression after referee Danny Makkelie blew the final whistle perfectly reflected the sentiment of the Croatian people. They didn't deserve this harsh reality, but it's part of football.