As if the elimination against Spain wasn't already painful enough, Luka Modric sent his compatriots a few more sentences home after the 3: 5, which they certainly didn't want to hear.

"Now is not the time to talk about it," said Modric when a reporter from HRT asked him whether this was his last game in the national shirt.

"We will see.

We have to rest well and think of everything, ”said Modric.

His 143rd international match ended in the 114th minute when the score was 3: 5 from a Croatian point of view.

Coach Zlatko Dalic had lost faith that his team could still make a comeback, as they did between the 84th minute and added time when they turned a 1: 3 into a 3: 3.

Dalic took arguably the best Croatian player in history off the field, and an era may end with him.

Modric is 35 years old, but that was not noticeable at this European Championship.

Similar to the World Cup in Russia three years ago, it excelled.

The numerous Croatian fans in Copenhagen celebrated him against Spain with recurring “Luka, Luka” chants.

In contrast to the World Cup, where the Croatians stormed through to the finals, Modric lacked reliable and high-quality competitors this time. Dalic had started a kind of partial upheaval after the World Cup. The remaining seasoned players were joined by young ones, but the mix wasn't right. All the more astonishing for many critical observers at home that the team was able to muster such a feat of strength. "We fought against all odds," said Modric.

Despite the self-sacrificing struggle, there were also critical voices in Croatia. “We should have played more 'Croatian'. Only after the 1: 3 did we show great morale and great quality ”, wrote the newspaper Sportske Novosti. Team spirit and the ability to suffer were denied to this team. After the departure, Ante Rebic in particular met with public anger. Before the Spaniards equalized, Rebic had moved to the sidelines to make it 1-1 to change his shoes.

When Pablo met Sarabia, the Croatians were outnumbered. Coach Dalic tried to downplay the scene afterwards. “Of course I am disappointed. For the fans who were here. For my players who came back after a 3-1 win. The fact that we missed the chance to make it 4-3 when the score was 3: 3 was the decisive moment in my opinion, ”he said. According to Croatian media reports, Modric saw the whole thing a little differently, he is said to have compressed Rebic on the field.

Luka Modric may not be at the upcoming big tournament, the World Cup in Qatar in a year and a half. Time for a final change and young players like Nikola Vlasic. He did not miss the pathos after the painful end - not the worst prerequisite for a successful career in the national jersey. "When we scored the two equalizer goals, my heart was as big as a house," said Vlasic. "But when the Spaniards met again, this house collapsed."