Argentina 0-3 Croatia: The best & worst players, World Cup 2018
Argentina's World Cup campaign just went from bad to worse after the 3-0 mauling at the hands of a crackerjack Croatian side. Ante Rebic, Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic all bagged a goal apiece in the second-half to propel the Blazers into the last 16 of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The Albiceleste painted themselves in a corner with a thoroughly abject display in the second-half compounded by costly defensive mistakes and a goalkeeping blunder by Willy Caballero. Lionel Messi was anonymous again while Jorge Sampaoli's questionable tactics were laid bare.
Argentina are now dangling by a thread, and need favourable results from other games to qualify whilst also beating Nigeria by a minimum of 4 goals.
Here are the best and worst players from the evening:
#1 Best - Luka Modric
Let's open up with truly the best player of the evening by all accounts. The Real Madrid metronome pulled the strings from the centre of the park as he was the pintel around which Croatia burgeoned. Modric helped his side maintain pressure with his short, slick passes upfield and also helped out at the back by lunging into tackles. He completed 100% of his take-ons, won 100% of his duels and also strung 42 passes.
With virtually no one to man mark him, Modric made the most of the fact by bossing the midfield and also had a hand in creating Rebic's opener. His best piece of the game though, was when he slipped clear of Otamendi and unleashed an absolute belter of a shot into the far post beyond the despairing dive of Caballero.
Confidence, skill, power - the goal encased every bit of what Modric imbued on the evening as he turned in another man-of-the-match performance.