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Barcelona superstar Robert Lewandowski has opened up about Real Madrid legend Luka Modric's goal in their international clash on Sunday, September 8. The latter scored the only goal in a 1-0 win for Croatia over Poland in the UEFA Nations League A Group 1 match at the Opus Arena.
Poland came into the game on the back of a 3-2 win over Scotland while Croatia suffered a 2-1 defeat against Portugal. Zlatko Dalic's side controlled the ball for most of the first half despite being a little sloppy at times. They created a few chances as well but were unable to finish.
In the second half, the pattern of Croatia dominating possession continued and it paid off in the 52nd minute. Skipper Luka Modric scored from a stunning free-kick from just outside the box. Vatreni created numerous chances but couldn't add to the scoring and survived a late push from Poland.
After the game, Poland captain Robert Lewandowski shared his thoughts on Real Madrid and Croatia captain's free-kick, saying (via Madrid Xtra):
"Modrić scored from a position that was very close to the goal. Sometimes it's more difficult to score from such positions. His shot was perfection. Our goalkeeper didn't even see the ball. It was hard to guess that he would score. But in football, sometimes you score, and sometimes you concede such a goal."
Modric was excellent against Poland and played the entire game. He completed 98/103 passes, made five key passes, won 10/15 duels, completed 3/4 dribble attempts, and won 3/6 tackles.
Real Madrid star Luka Modric on his retirement from Croatia national team
The 39-year-old's future with the national side has been under speculation for a few years now. However, he keeps performing at the highest level. There was speculation that he might retire after the UEFA Euro 2024 but he's still continuing.
After leading Croatia to the win over Poland, Modric was again asked about his future and he answered (via Madrid Universal):
“With me, you never know. We have to take it game by game. I can’t think about the future. When I no longer feel the fire in me, I’ll retire. Only I can feel that fire and make the decision."
The Real Madrid man made his 180th international appearance on Sunday. He is only behind Cristiano Ronaldo (213) on the list of most caps as a men's European player and tied with Sergio Ramos.
For Real Madrid, meanwhile, the midfielder has featured in all five games this season across competitions, starting just one.
