Two celestial bodies orbited each other, a thousand cameras waited breathlessly, pausing for them to meet. As Luka Modricdestroyed after a defeat of the soul that ended a glittering international career of two decades, he recognized the wishes of his Portuguese rivals, Cristiano Ronaldo he was doing his usual handshakes, relief written all over his face. The snickometer, a microchip in the ball, a technology introduced at Qatar 2022 but not the most commonly used tool, had just disallowed Croatia’s late equalizer in the biggest draw of the Round of 32 to help Portugal win the thriller 2-1 in Toronto.
Portugal vs Croatia
Ronaldo he had converted a penalty after the hour before being substituted, and Goncalo Ramos’ injury-time header took Portugal into a last-16 meeting with old Iberian foes Spain, the European champions. But for now, it was all about Ronaldo and Modric. The ageless Croatian had said before the World Cup that he would retire after the showpiece event. Katia Aveiro, sister of the indefatigable Portuguese, had almost confirmed that this would be “the last dance” of her brother. As the shadow lengthened in Ontario, the two masters, once clubmates, now rivals, finally said goodbye after it was won and lost. A hug, a couple of words, a moment of mutual appreciation, summed up all those years of effort they had put together. Ronaldo joined Real Madrid in 2009 and Modric joined four years later. Together they forged a unit that won the historic Spanish club four Champions League titles in five years.
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Modric was one of the main architects behind the incredible stardom that Ronaldo would achieve in those years. The Croatian teacher has not always received his share of praise; The highest point came in 2018, when he beat Ronaldo for the Ballon d’Or after winning the Champions League and scripting a memorable World Cup campaign in which Croatia finished runners-up in France. Ronaldo, then at Juventus, might have believed he deserved the award. But eight years later, on Thursday, the bitterness, if any, seemed a thing of the past. For now, it was a moment to bask in the soft light of what was left of the day. Modric, 40, typically played his part, pulling the strings for Croatia. From passing from deeper positions to whipping in crosses, he seemed desperate to take this Croatian golden generation, now in its twilight, one step further. But the ever-changing technology in sports had the final call. A moment that could have been one of genuine joy would now forever be etched in Modric’s mind as the scar that finally brought down the curtains on a fantastic career. When Josko Gvardiol bundled the ball, the cameras immediately caught Ronaldo sitting on the line. If that was the goal, I knew it would have been very difficult for Portugal to come back in extra time. Croatia would have had all the momentum in the world, and Portugal would have found it very difficult to match the tireless Croatians in the midfield. In the coming week, the test becomes more severe, with a brilliant Spain on the road. Martinez will have his plans on how to make the best use of the old master, who usually saves his best, remember that terrible hat-trick in 2018?, against the Spaniards. And a large part of the footballverse (which may even include old mate Modric) will be hoping that Cristiano Ronaldo has one more dance.
