Croatia after the 4:2 defeat to England: Modrić and the midfield in focus, Panama becomes a match with no room for another slip-up
The Croatian national football team opened the 2026 World Cup with a 4:2 defeat to England in Dallas, in a match that immediately sparked discussions about the state of the team, defensive reactions and the role of the midfield. According to the report of the Croatian Football Federation, the Group L match was played on 17 June at the stadium in Dallas, and Croatia came back twice after England had taken the lead before the start of the second half completely changed the rhythm of the match. A defeat in the opening match of the tournament does not mean the loss of chances of progressing, but it significantly reduces the room for error in the remaining two rounds against Panama and Ghana. In the new competition format, according to FIFA rules for the 2026 World Cup, the two best national teams from each group advance, as do the eight best third-placed teams, which means that third place can also leave the door to the knockout phase open. Still, after the 4:2 against England, Croatia can no longer rely only on reputation and experience, but on a concrete result already in the next appearance in Toronto.
A match in which comebacks concealed deeper problems
According to the official HNS report, England took the lead in the 12th minute through Harry Kane’s goal from a retaken penalty kick, after Dominik Livaković had saved the first attempt. Croatia responded to that early blow in the 36th minute, when Martin Baturina scored for 1:1 after a move in which Petar Sučić recorded the assist. England regained the lead six minutes later through Kane, this time with a header, but Croatia once again caught up in first-half stoppage time, after Ivan Perišić assisted Petar Musa for 2:2. The half-time score suggested an open match and Croatian resilience, but the continuation very quickly showed how thin the line had been between a comeback and a complete loss of control. Jude Bellingham scored for 3:2 in the 47th minute, and Marcus Rashford confirmed England’s victory in the 85th minute and closed a match in which Croatia remained without points despite two goals.
It was precisely England’s third goal that became the key point of later analyses. HNS states that Bellingham broke through the Croatian defence in the opening moments of the second half and finished accurately, while Livaković then prevented additional goals on several occasions. Croatia tried to equalise again in the closing stages, and Marco Pašalić had a promising chance, but the final pressure did not bring a result. Such a development raised the question of why the team, after two comebacks, was no longer able to stabilise and why England managed to impose greater intensity in the second half. In a match with so many changes of rhythm, the decisive factors were not only individual mistakes, but also the way Croatia defended set pieces, the second ball and the space between the lines.
Modrić remained a symbol of experience, but also part of a broader debate
Luka Modrić was once again at the centre of attention, partly because of his status as captain and the player around whom Croatia’s play has been built for years, and partly because of the situation involving the early penalty kick. According to the statement reported by HNS after the match, Modrić admitted that the contact for the penalty was careless and that England’s third goal hit the team particularly hard. His play still contained moves that recall the class, calmness and vision because of which he has remained one of the key symbols of the national team, but against England it became clear that control of the ball alone is not enough if the rest of the team cannot respond to the opponent’s tempo. The criticism that appeared after the defeat was not aimed only at Modrić, but at the overall balance of the Croatian midfield and at the question of whether Croatia can simultaneously protect possession, close down transitions and defend set pieces against physically strong opponents. In that context, the debate about the captain is actually a debate about the entire structure of the team.
Modrić, according to HNS, emphasised after the match that Croatia must turn the page and that there are still two matches left to achieve the minimum objective. Such a message is important because it comes after a match in which Croatia was not harmless, but was vulnerable in moments when it had to calm the game. Baturina’s goal and Musa’s finish showed that the team has attacking quality and that it can create chances against one of the strongest national teams in the group. At the same time, four conceded goals and a large number of dangerous English entries into the penalty area showed that the problem cannot be reduced to an impression or to an unlucky outcome. If Croatia wants to remain in the fight for progression, the midfield must have a clearer protective role, and the defence must receive more stable help in front of it.
Dalić warned about set pieces and defence
Head coach Zlatko Dalić, after the match, according to the HNS release, congratulated England and stressed that Croatia had good periods in the first half, but that mistakes were punished. He especially highlighted set pieces, an area which he said was England’s greatest threat and in which Croatia failed to control the opponent’s blocks and movements. Dalić assessed that the team was not poor in its positioning and attacking phase, but that the defensive phase was below the required level, especially in situations from which England often creates an overload. His statement that Croatia no longer has the right to make mistakes clearly shows how the defeat in the first round is viewed within the broader tournament logic: one slip-up can be compensated for, but a second could significantly complicate or completely tangle the path toward the knockout phase. In that sense, the match against Panama is no longer just an opportunity to improve the impression, but a test of the team’s ability to react quickly to weaknesses.
Dalić, according to the same source, also spoke about the need for attacking improvement, even though Croatia scored two goals. The message is clear: against opponents such as Panama and Ghana, one must not expect that the quality of possession alone will be enough; more depth, more decisive entries into the final third and a better reaction after losing the ball will be needed. The changes during the match with England showed that the head coach is looking for additional energy and verticality, and the introduction of Marco Pašalić brought liveliness that Dalić specifically mentioned. Still, all tactical changes will have limited effect if the team again allows the opponent easy entries into dangerous zones. At major tournaments, Croatia has often built results on control of rhythm, patience and experience, but against England it was precisely the elements of stability that were most disrupted.
Group L after the first round: Croatia is last, but the calculation remains open
According to FIFA’s Match Report Hub, the first round of Group L brought Ghana’s 1:0 victory over Panama and England’s 4:2 victory over Croatia. This means that after the opening round England and Ghana have three points each, Panama and Croatia remain without points, and Croatia occupies the least favourable position in the group because of goal difference. England is at plus two, Ghana at plus one, Panama at minus one, and Croatia at minus two. Such a table leaves no room for calm preparation, because a new defeat against Panama would almost certainly push Croatia into a very difficult situation before the final round. A victory, on the other hand, would reopen the race for second place, and depending on the result of the England and Ghana duel, it could also be important in the ranking of the best third-placed national teams.
FIFA’s format for the 2026 World Cup further changes the way the table is read after the first round. Since the two best national teams from each of the 12 groups and the eight best third-placed teams enter the knockout phase, four points can often have great value, but that does not mean that every third-place finish is enough. Goal difference, the number of goals scored and other ranking criteria can become decisive, especially in groups where results are distributed very tightly. Croatia therefore seeks not only a victory against Panama, but also a performance that would improve the impression and potentially the goal difference. After the 4:2 defeat, every additional conceded goal carries extra weight because it can affect the overall calculation if the fight for progression is decided outside Group L itself.
Panama as the first opportunity for recovery
Croatia’s next opponent is Panama, and according to FIFA’s schedule, the Group L match will be played on 23 June in Toronto, which according to Zagreb time means 24 June at 1 a.m. Panama lost 1:0 to Ghana in the first round, and FIFA’s results overview confirms that the goal in that match was enough for Ghana to claim three points. Although Panama has often been labelled in the group as a nominally weaker opponent than England and Croatia, such an initial assessment must not obscure the fact that two national teams without points meet in the second round. For Panama, this is an opportunity to remain in the fight for a historic breakthrough, and for Croatia it is a match that must bring a response in terms of the result. That is precisely why Croatia’s approach cannot be cautious waiting for a mistake, but imposing rhythm with better protection against counterattacks.
The match with Panama could determine the psychological direction of the rest of the tournament. A victory would return Croatia to a realistic fight for progression and reduce the pressure before the duel with Ghana, while a draw would leave the team dependent on combinations and make the final round extremely uncomfortable. A defeat, together with the opening loss, would call into question even the possibility of entering among the best third-placed national teams. For that reason, Dalić’s team will have to find a balance between attacking obligation and the caution that was absent in the key moments against England. The most important thing will be to avoid an early goal, reduce the number of fouls and set pieces in dangerous zones and keep the midfield compact enough so that the defence is not left exposed.
Ghana as a potential decisive match
Croatia’s final group match is played against Ghana on 27 June in Philadelphia, starting at 11 p.m. Zagreb time, according to FIFA’s match announcement. If Croatia defeats Panama, the duel with Ghana could directly decide second place or at least a favourable position among the third-placed national teams. Ghana has already made an important first step with its victory against Panama and enters the remainder of the group with a results cushion that Croatia does not have. That changes the pressure: Croatia must chase points, while Ghana can adjust its approach depending on the outcome of the match against England. In such a group, every goal and every point can change the calculation, so it is already clear why the defeat to England has opened so many questions.
For Croatia, it is encouraging that against England, despite the defeat, it found the net twice and showed that it has players who can take responsibility in the final third. Baturina and Musa took advantage of their situations, Perišić confirmed his experience with an assist, and Livaković prevented a more convincing defeat with his saves. But for progression at the tournament, such positive details must be connected into a whole that lasts longer than one half. Croatia cannot build optimism only on occasional flashes, because the opponents in the group now have clear indicators of where it can be attacked. That is why the matches with Panama and Ghana will be both a results and tactical examination for a team that in recent years has been used to going deep in tournaments, but this time has been put under pressure already at the beginning.
What Croatia must change before the continuation of the tournament
The biggest task for the coaching staff will be improving defensive automatisms, especially at set pieces and in moments when the opponent quickly switches from defence to attack. Dalić clearly detected after the match that mistakes were costly, and the statement about the need for better results against Panama and Ghana shows that this is no longer about a long-term plan, but about an urgent reaction. Croatia must shorten the distances between the lines, reduce isolated situations in which defenders are left without help and speed up decision-making in midfield. In attack, it will be important to turn possession into concrete runs behind the defence, because slow ball circulation against a disciplined opponent often leads to sterile domination. Against Panama, patience will be required, but also greater verticality than Croatia showed in parts of the match with England.
The debate about Modrić therefore should not overshadow the broader picture. The captain still brings experience, authority and the ability to change the direction of attack with one pass, but Croatia cannot depend only on his rhythm. Baturina, Sučić, Pašalić, Kovačić and the other midfielders will have to take on a greater share of responsibility in both phases of play, especially if the head coach adjusts the system and seeks freshness. The defeat to England showed that Croatia has enough quality to create chances, but also that against strong opponents every lapse in concentration very quickly becomes a goal. In the remaining two rounds, it will no longer be enough to say that everything is still in Croatian hands; that will have to be confirmed with a result, first against Panama, and then in a possible decider against Ghana.
Sources:
- Croatian Football Federation – official match report England - Croatia 4:2, scorers, line-ups and course of the match (link)
- Croatian Football Federation – statements by Luka Modrić and Croatian internationals after the defeat to England (link)
- Croatian Football Federation – statement by head coach Zlatko Dalić on mistakes, set pieces and the continuation of the group (link)
- FIFA Training Centre – overview of the results of Group L matches at the 2026 World Cup (link)
- FIFA – explanation of the competition format, progression from groups and ranking criteria at the 2026 World Cup (link)
- FIFA – preview of the Panama - Croatia match in Toronto and official data on the match time (link)
- FIFA – preview of the Croatia - Ghana match in Philadelphia and official data on the match time (link)