Croatia makes it to final of UEFA Nations League

Croatia won the semi-final of the 2022-2023 UEFA Nations League on Thursday against the Netherlands after ending in a tie by two to two in the 90 minutes and scoring two goals during extra time. The team has made its first advance to the final of the Nations League, a UEFA-organized football competition held every two years since 2018.

Croatia has shown impressive performance in extra time in many international matches. It won six out of the recent seven extended games not only in this competition but also during the 2022 World Cup and the UEFA EURO 2020. In four out of the six matches won by Croatia, the team beat opponents after a penalty kick shootout.

Croatian captain Luka Modrić led his country to victory by recording a goal and an assist. A right midfielder in the starting lineup, the 38-year-old player gained a timely penalty in the 8th minute of the second half of the game – when Croatia was behind by zero to one. Andrej Kramaric made a successful shot. In the 9th minute of the first half of the 30-minute extra time with the score being tied by two to two, Modrić helped score a goal. Added to this, he decisively contributed to the victory of the match by recording a successful penalty in the 11th minute of the second half of extra time.


Dong-Wook Kim creating@donga.com