Croatia beat Czech Republic and Modrić matches Messi's international appearances record

Croatia returned to winning ways as they beat the Czech Republic 2-1 on Sunday evening at the Opus Arena in Osijek, in the UEFA Nations League, ending a run of four consecutive defeats and securing third place in their group.

Croatia started the match strongly, with Ivan Perišić opening the scoring after just two minutes, benefiting from a pass by his teammate Dion Drena Beljo, following an impressive effort from Mateo Kovacic in building the attack.

The hosts maintained their lead until the final minutes, before Adam Hložek managed to equalise for the Czech Republic in the 84th minute. However, Croatia's response was swift, as substitute Lovro Majer unleashed a shot from outside the penalty area that settled in the bottom corner of the net, giving his national team the winning goal.

The match saw a new achievement for Croatia captain Luka Modrić, who played his 208th international match, equalling the record of Argentine star Lionel Messi, and is now 26 matches away from matching the record held by Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 234 international appearances.

With this victory, the Croatian national team secured third place in the group, allowing them to compete in a relegation playoff in the UEFA Nations League, with home and away matches scheduled for March 2027. Their opponent will be announced next week.