Modric helps Croatia beat Ronaldo-less Portugal in friendly

Updated: Jun 8, 2024, 03:45 pm

Goals in each half by Luka Modric and Ante Budimir got Croatia a historic first win over Portugal in eight matches when they beat the hosts 2-1 in an international friendly on Saturday, as Cristiano Ronaldo remained on the bench.

Vitinha brought down Mateo Kovacic in the box soon after kick-off, resulting in a penalty. Portugal keeper Diogo Costa rightly guessed where Modric would aim, but his dive to the right fell just short as the Real Madrid midfielder scored his 25th goal for Croatia.

But half-time substitute Diogo Jota brought Portugal level three minutes after coming on, when fellow substitute Nelson Semedo found him inside the six-yard box with a short cross from the right. The Liverpool forward made no mistake with the close-range finish.

Luka Modric's converted penalty helped Croatia beat Portugal for the first time.
Diogo Cardoso/Getty Images

But Croatia restored their lead eight minutes later, despite Costa's best efforts as he did well to deflect Budimir's attempt to the crossbar. The rebound went right back to Budimir who headed it into the net with ease.

Ronaldo joined Portugal on Friday after finishing his club campaign with Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia. The 39-year-old is set to make a record sixth appearance at the European Championship. Men's international soccer's all-time leading scorer with 128 goals, Ronaldo helped Portugal win the European title in 2016.

Portugal, who won six of their previous seven matches against Croatia, begin their Euro 2024 Group F campaign against Czechia on June 18. Croatia face Spain in their first Group B fixture next Saturday. 

Information from Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.