For a moment, it was the same old Croatian story. A World Cup knockout game, an unflattering scoreline, a sense of despair, and then— out of nowhere — a last-second equalizer to force extra time and keep hopes alive.
Croatia has pulled the feat off more than most. It finished second and third in its last two World Cup appearances and forced a whopping four 120-minute extra time nail-biters to make it happen.
So when the team found itself down 2-1 to Portugal in its Round of 32 2026 World Cup matchup with just six minutes left on the clock, nothing about the situation felt unfamiliar. Croatia kept its calm and kept playing. Four minutes later, defender Josko Gvardiol had the ball in the back of the net — and Croatia had yet another fairytale World Cup save in its record books.
That save meant something. Croatia’s wild World Cup exploits of the past decade were led by midfielder Luka Modric, but Modric — now 40 and starting to turn his attention toward life after soccer — can’t lead forever. This is surely his final World Cup. Croatia’s last-gasp equalizer meant that Modric’s World Cup future was secure … for another 30 minutes of extra time, at least.