In the 99th minute of Croatia’s last-16 win over Japan, Luka Modric was substituted. “We have to take care of him,” manager Zlatko Dalic explained. But there was no room for such care against Brazil: this was not the moment to wrap up Modric in cotton wool and protect him from Casemiro’s flailing boots. This time Croatia wrung every possible drop out of their 37-year-old totem as he steered them to another World Cup semi-final.
Croatia are making a handy habit of taking opponents to the death before killing them off - their past five World Cup knockout wins have all gone to extra time, and four of those to penalties - and so they will be deploying every ice bath and cryochamber to get their captain ready for Argentina and what could be another slugfest. Beyond the benched Cristiano Ronaldo there are only two other Ballon d’Or winners at this World Cup, and they will go head to head at the Lusail Stadium on Tuesday night.
