Modric rolls back the years as Croatia edge Czechs on Bilic's return to dugout

[p]Each debuting on the touchline for their respective sides, both managers were clearly unwilling to blot their copybooks at the first hurdle, leading to a goalless first half of very few chances.[/p][p]In fairness to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/croatia/K8aznggo/"]Croatia[/a], though, they continually increased their pressure up to half-time, with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sucic-luka/p6f9CgsE/"]Luka Sucic[/a] volleying their first opportunity just wide on 23 minutes.[/p][p]Yet it was nearly stoppage time before they tested the goalkeeper, as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kovacic-mateo/4f084TL7/"]Mateo Kovacic[/a] burst forward and found [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sucic-petar/dMS6iFY2/"]Petar Sucic[/a], who cut in on his left and forced [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hornicek-lukas/4xGGcozp/"]Lukas Hornicek[/a] to make a strong save low to his right.[/p][p]Having waited patiently for a breakthrough, it was fitting that it would finally come for Croatia just minutes after the restart.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/matanovic-igor/j5PxPTVi/"]Igor Matanovic[/a] stretched to cut out a loose Czech pass, giving it to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/modric-luka/bZWyoJnA/"]Luka Modric[/a], who defied his years by scurrying into the box and unleashing a thunderbolt into the far corner.[/b][/p][embed guid="54959681-8070-4f76-bbdf-d55c4a8dac8b" url="https://x.com/UEFAEURO/status/2103938674610069525" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]But all of their good work was suddenly undone when Czechia finally created a chance of note, with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/karabec-adam/SClyr2eG/"]Adam Karabec[/a] collecting [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hlozek-adam/2FUsDXpd/"]Adam Hlozek[/a]’s pass in the centre of the area and wrong-footing [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/livakovic-dominik/OOasPX9j/"]Dominik Livakovic[/a] with his finish to square things up again.[/b][/p][p]The visitors again looked most likely to push on after that, but had to be wary of the counter. Indeed, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/radosta-matej/Q5ekF7if/"]Matej Radosta[/a] should have scored after being fed by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sulc-pavel/dYaeeH8k/"]Pavel Sulc[/a] on the break, a miss that Czechia were punished for with just under 15 minutes to go.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/perisic-ivan/4AbKyVr9/"]Ivan Perisic[/a]’s cross found an arriving [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pasalic-marco/6wSPewNt/"]Marco Pasalic[/a], who headed down and caused Hornicek to fumble the ball over the line.[/b][/p][p]The home crowd thought that their side had equalised again just moments later, but Radosta was denied a debut goal due to an offside in the build-up.[/p][image alt="Match momentum" id="ecd9ffa9-fe48-4b39-9390-eb3659848af0" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="fe278c4c-a847-4074-bafd-64847c74a39b" original-width="3840" original-height="2160" /][p]That proved to be the home side’s final opportunity, leaving Santi Denia disappointed in his first match in charge. It’s not the ideal start to Czechia’s return to the Nations League’s top section, especially as this fixture might have been seen as their best chance at three points.[/p][p]Bilic’s Croatia will be more confident in facing [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/england/j9N9ZNFA/"]England[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/spain/bLyo6mco/"]Spain[/a] in the coming weeks, and will look to make it past the group stage for the third successive Nations League cycle.[/p][p][b]Flashscore Man of the Match: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/modric-luka/bZWyoJnA/"]Luka Modric[/a] (Croatia)[/b][/p][image alt="Key match stats" id="8755dbf0-997d-4ff3-ab42-43e2ed3f998b" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="b7ac7c0a-d41e-4188-81d8-cabbdbfd25df" original-width="2160" original-height="2700" /][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/croatia-K8aznggo/czech-republic-6LHwBDGU/summary/stats/?mid=WpRIR697"]Catch up on the match stats with Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]