Master Modric still the man

ROTTERDAM, the Netherlands — Veteran midfielder Luka Modric scored an extra-time penalty to seal a thrilling 4-2 victory for Croatia over the Netherlands and a place in the Nations League final.

Thousands of ecstatic red-and-white clad Croatia fans chanted "Luka! Luka! Luka!" after the 37-year-old completed the scoring from the penalty spot in the 116th minute on Wednesday.

"We couldn't believe how many fans for Croatia there were in the stadium. That was really phenomenal," Modric said through an interpreter. "They give us great support and that's something that drives us and moves us forward."

It was Modric's 165th appearance for his country. He said after captaining Croatia to victory over Morocco in the third-place game at the World Cup in Qatar he wanted to "continue until at least the Nations League and after we will see".

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic heaped praise on the star playmaker.

With Modric edging closer to the end of a stellar career, Dalic was hopeful he would be able to call on the playmaker for some time to come.

"He can be the one to help us win the gold medal," Dalic told reporters, before addressing Modric's future.

"Luka will decide for himself after the finals, but with him we are way better, we have far more quality."

Croatia finished third at the World Cup in Qatar in December, four years after a runner-up finish at the tournament in Russia.

Dalic hopes they can finally win a major tournament to crown a golden era for the national team.

"It would be a great reward to win the gold medal, I think we have deserved it," Dalic said.

"We have been a team of constant quality for the past six years."

Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman also couldn't hide his admiration, saying Modric was "in one word: fantastic".

"Sometimes there's a player for the opponent who is so decisive and so good that I can — it's hard to say — enjoy watching," Koeman said.

Koeman said Croatia gave the Netherlands a valuable lesson.

"There were clear moments that showed where we need to improve," Koeman told reporters.

"They were just a bit smarter, a bit more secure in possession, and overall they deserved the win."

Koeman has not hit the ground running in his second term as head coach of the Dutch national team, after succeeding Louis van Gaal following the Qatar World Cup.

In his first games back in the job in March, Koeman's side was crushed 4-0 by France and labored to a 3-0 win against minnow Gibraltar.

Koeman said his team had definitely improved from those matches, but it was not yet at the level it hopes to reach.

"We clearly had a team now that had the right energy, that put up a fight. That's something we can build on," Koeman said.

"But we played against a Croatian team that showed why it finished second and third at the most recent World Cups. We need to learn from that."

Croatia was runner-up at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and third last year in Qatar.

Substitute Bruno Petkovic also scored in extra time with a shot from just outside the penalty area that flew low into the corner, just out of the reach of Justin Bijlow as staunch Dutch resistance finally crumbled.

Another substitute, Netherlands forward Noa Lang, had forced the game into extra time with a volleyed equalizer six minutes into stoppage time.

Earlier in the pulsating match, a 55th-minute penalty by Andrej Kramaric — awarded for a foul on Modric — and a shot by Mario Pasalic in the 73rd minute canceled out Donyell Malen's 34th-minute opener to keep Croatia and Modric in the hunt for their first major international title.

It ended the Netherlands' latest attempt to add another international trophy to the European Championship the country won in 1988. The Netherlands has finished as runner-up at three World Cups — in 1974, '78 and 2010.

Lang scored only his second international goal after coming on in the 85th minute. But he squandered a great chance in the second half of extra time when he shot into the side netting with Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic out of position.

Modric found the net in the 24th minute, but referee Istvan Kovacs had already stopped play because of Pasalic's overhead kick that floored Nathan Ake.

Spain played Italy in the other semifinal in the eastern Dutch city of Enschede on Thursday. The final and third-fourth playoff of the third edition of the Nations League are on Sunday.

The Netherlands lost 1-0 to Portugal in the first final of the biennial Nations League during Koeman's first stint as coach of the national team. Two years later, in 2021, Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe scored as France beat Spain 2-1 to take the title.

Agencies Via Xinhua