Luka Modric at 40 Becomes the Oldest Player to Assist at a World Cup: Croatia Through to the Knockouts

[Glenn84]

Croatia advanced to the round of 32 with a 2-1 win over Ghana on Saturday, with Luka Modric providing the assist for Nikola Vlasic's 83rd-minute winner to become the oldest player in World Cup history to register an assist, at 40 years and 291 days. Petar Sucic had opened the scoring with a strike from 27.4 metres, the second-farthest goal of the tournament so far, before Ghana equalised. Vlasic's late winner, set up by Modric's precise vision and weight of pass, sent Croatia into the knockouts and confirmed Scotland's elimination as the same result put Ghana's goal difference too low to qualify as a third-placed team.

Modric has now led Croatia to the knockout stage at three consecutive World Cups, a remarkable record for a 40-year-old playing his sixth and almost certainly final World Cup. His presence in this team is totemic: he still controls rhythm and tempo in ways that his younger teammates simply cannot replicate, and his reading of the game remains elite even as his physical recovery between matches requires careful management. Croatia face Portugal in Toronto on July 2 in what is one of the round of 32's most intriguing matchups.

Ghana exit the tournament despite showing moments of genuine quality throughout the group stage. The 4-2 opener against England in the first game showcased what they can produce when the energy is right but inconsistency across the three games was ultimately their downfall. Their third-placed position with a goal difference of zero was not enough to make the best third-placed team cut when other groups produced more decisive results.

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[Dave96]

Modric at 40 years old providing a decisive World Cup assist in the 83rd minute of a knockout-round decider is one of those moments that makes you understand why people talk about him as one of the greatest midfielders ever to play the game

[Joanne_24]

Croatia qualifying from a group containing England, Ghana and Panama by finishing second behind England is exactly the sort of resilient, intelligent tournament navigation that Dalic's side has made their signature over the past three World Cups

[Client Wrench]

Portugal versus Croatia in Toronto on July 2 is the round of 32 match I am most interested in. Two intelligent, well-organised European teams, Modric potentially playing his last World Cup game and Ronaldo in need of a big performance after a quiet group stage

[RomanReigns]

Ghana's exit despite beating England 4-2 in the opener tells you how cruel tournament football can be. That first game result looks extraordinary in hindsight given that they did not win again and are now on a plane home

[Liam71]

Sucic's goal from 27.4 metres being the second-farthest of the tournament so far is a reminder of how much quality Croatia have in behind Modric. Sucic at 22 years old is going to be the Croatian midfielder for the next decade

[LurkerPrime]

The record Modric broke belonged to someone 40 years ago. The fact that he is still operating at this level at his age, in a pressure knockout decider, is testament to his physical condition and the sheer football intelligence that compensates for reduced pace

[Highland Builder]

Three consecutive World Cup knockout qualifications under Dalic's leadership despite Croatia never being the biggest nation or the deepest pool is a coaching and organisational achievement that deserves far more recognition than it gets

[Ronaldo]

He just keeps going even in the Nations league

[Mitchell_48]

People comparing him to Messi and Ronaldo are right, but for completely different reasons. He isn't doing everything on his own anymore, which is exactly why he's still valuable at 40. That assist for Vlasic was pure reading of the game. One suggestion though: Croatia needs to stop treating the Nations League as the primary competition and focus on the World Cup proper. If he keeps logging minutes there just for fun, that's a recipe for a late-October injury. The squad has enough youth now, so resting him in those friendly matches makes absolute sense. Let him save his energy for when it truly matters. If anyone else could manage that, I'd be surprised.