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Scotland end Euro 2020 journey but begin new one as beautiful and brutal Modric twists the knife - Keith Jackson's big match verdict
A galling defeat to Croatia ended our chances but there's plenty to be optimistic about going forward.
He slid a stiletto into Scotland ’s heart at Hampden last night.
But at least Luka Modric did it with such a sense of style and artistry that it was almost possible to forgive him at the same time.
With an outrageous flick of the right boot that doubles up as a magic wand, this wizard with tousled hair destroyed our Group D campaign.
For Scotland, despite restoring a great deal of pride, a group stage once again ended in the kind of abject misery only ever meant for us.
While the Danes and the Welsh find a way towards a happy ending this summer, Steve Clarke and his players may well end up being regarded as this tournament’s hard luck story.
That is, as if we needed another one of them.
In the end it felt like they were going out with a whimper after Modric had conjured a killer third goal for fellow old-timer Ivan Perisic to head home 13 minutes from time.
But the scoreline does not tell the full story.
It rarely does with this Scotland side, who fought back bravely from 1-0 down to level through Callum McGregor just before the half-time whistle sounded.
For a while, that strike had an entire nation clinging to the kind of dreams which always end up the property of someone else.
For the third game in a row there was no shortage of heroic performers in Clarke’s side.
Neither was there any lack of chances for them to miss in front of goal.
All of which just seemed to make it more painful and cruel than we knew it was destined to be.
Having spent two days agonising over how to fill a hole the size of Billy Gilmour ’s gargantuan talent, Clarke finally settled on a return to plan A.
A for Armstrong.
Having started the opener here against the Czechs – and then being benched to make room for Gilmour at Wembley on Friday – Southampton man Stuart returned to midfield, even though his skill set is entirely different to that of the 20-year-old he was replacing.
But with Old Man Modric sitting in the centre of Croatia’s ageing side, the manager was banking on throwing as much energy as he could muster on top of Real Madrid’s little maestro.
In fact, right from the kick-off it seemed as if Scotland’s real game plan was to run all over the top of these men in their famous tablecloths.
Moments in, Kieran Tierney was raking a long diagonal ball into the path of Stephen O’Donnell down Scotland’s right flank.
The rampaging full-back got on the end of it and won a corner inside the opening 20 seconds.
It was Scotland’s way of attempting to set a tempo too ferocious for the visitors to handle.
The only slight problem in all of this was finding the net. Chances came, just like they have done in every one of their group encounters.
But Scotland’s unwanted inability to convert any of them refused to leave them alone.
Che Adams really ought to have helped himself to an opener just five minutes in after Tierney had surged off down the left for the first time.
John McGinn tried to pick the striker out with a floated cross, which was begging to be headed.
Instead, Adams leapt and tried to get his boot on it when any kind of contact would have done.
Croatia’s grateful keeper Dominik Livakovic was then able to claw the ball away from danger but he was not out of the firing line.
Adams did take a crack at his goal from distance soon after, having chased on to a Lyndon Dykes headed flick, but it whistled wide.
When the Croats did manage to get possession, they did everything to take the sting out of this onslaught as if this was a training session rather than a knock-out decider. This plodding pace fooled Scotland into a defensive lull after just 16 minutes when the Croats came lumbering forward without anyone appearing to notice.
Even when Modric picked up possession 20 yards from goal the danger didn’t seem to register.
However, the veteran slipped a pass out to the Croatian right and when the cross came in, O’Donnell was unable to match Perisic in the air.
His cushioned header dropped to Nikola Vlasic who fired home and, in a split second, Hampden was washed over by a horrible silence.
It could have been worse had David Marshall not then pulled off a wonderful fingertip save to keep out a Modric rocket soon after,
even if his stop wasn’t spotted by the match officials who failed to award the corner.
Scotland needed to give themselves a shake before this all got away from them and they did.
McGinn was next to misplace his shooting boots at the other end, tamely side-footing a shot into Livakovic’s grasp after being set up by a Dykes toe-poke.
Then came further bad news when the outstanding Grant Hanley pulled up clutching a hamstring.
He was replaced by Scott McKenna, who was booked for a clumsy first foul before he’d even touched the ball.
But then, just when it seemed Scotland’s luck had run out on them, came McGregor’s moment of magic at the end of another raid on the Croatian box.
The ball was cleared to the Celtic man 20 yards from goal and as soon as he took a touch to get it under control, the rest was never in doubt.
With a firm, assured swipe of his right boot he sent the ball thudding into the bottom corner of Livakovic’s net, rekindling Scotland’s fire until it was raging again.
So here they were, taking us all down to the wire and the final 45 minutes, knowing one slip-up at the wrong moment could end it all.
Scott McTominay must have feared the worst when he overran the ball stepping out from the back. One pass later the Croats had sent Josko Gvardiol thundering in on top of Marshall but the keeper saved the day with a brave block.
Marshall then pulled off another superb stop to deny Perisic after a delightful Modric ball over the top, without realising that the attacker had strayed an inch or two offside.
It was heart in mouth stuff now and when McGinn hurled himself at Armstrong’s cross only to fire wide, it felt as if another big moment had come and gone without being taken.
A couple of minutes later Modric was making sure of it with his wonder strike. He popped up on the edge of the box and with an audacious swipe of his right boot curled one high into Marshall’s top right-hand corner.
It was beautiful and brutal all at once.
And the agony was piled on when Perisic then rose to glance home Modric’s pinpoint corner in the 77th minute.
For Clarke and his side, there is at least the solace of knowing this is only the start of their journey together.
Rampaging? literally speechless.
Scotland end Euro 2020 journey but begin new one as beautiful and brutal Modric twists the knife - Keith Jackson's big match verdict
A galling defeat to Croatia ended our chances but there's plenty to be optimistic about going forward.
He slid a stiletto into Scotland ’s heart at Hampden last night.
But at least Luka Modric did it with such a sense of style and artistry that it was almost possible to forgive him at the same time.
With an outrageous flick of the right boot that doubles up as a magic wand, this wizard with tousled hair destroyed our Group D campaign.
For Scotland, despite restoring a great deal of pride, a group stage once again ended in the kind of abject misery only ever meant for us.
While the Danes and the Welsh find a way towards a happy ending this summer, Steve Clarke and his players may well end up being regarded as this tournament’s hard luck story.
That is, as if we needed another one of them.
In the end it felt like they were going out with a whimper after Modric had conjured a killer third goal for fellow old-timer Ivan Perisic to head home 13 minutes from time.
But the scoreline does not tell the full story.
It rarely does with this Scotland side, who fought back bravely from 1-0 down to level through Callum McGregor just before the half-time whistle sounded.
For a while, that strike had an entire nation clinging to the kind of dreams which always end up the property of someone else.
For the third game in a row there was no shortage of heroic performers in Clarke’s side.
Neither was there any lack of chances for them to miss in front of goal.
All of which just seemed to make it more painful and cruel than we knew it was destined to be.
Having spent two days agonising over how to fill a hole the size of Billy Gilmour ’s gargantuan talent, Clarke finally settled on a return to plan A.
A for Armstrong.
Having started the opener here against the Czechs – and then being benched to make room for Gilmour at Wembley on Friday – Southampton man Stuart returned to midfield, even though his skill set is entirely different to that of the 20-year-old he was replacing.
But with Old Man Modric sitting in the centre of Croatia’s ageing side, the manager was banking on throwing as much energy as he could muster on top of Real Madrid’s little maestro.
In fact, right from the kick-off it seemed as if Scotland’s real game plan was to run all over the top of these men in their famous tablecloths.
Moments in, Kieran Tierney was raking a long diagonal ball into the path of Stephen O’Donnell down Scotland’s right flank.
The rampaging full-back got on the end of it and won a corner inside the opening 20 seconds.
It was Scotland’s way of attempting to set a tempo too ferocious for the visitors to handle.
The only slight problem in all of this was finding the net. Chances came, just like they have done in every one of their group encounters.
But Scotland’s unwanted inability to convert any of them refused to leave them alone.
Che Adams really ought to have helped himself to an opener just five minutes in after Tierney had surged off down the left for the first time.
John McGinn tried to pick the striker out with a floated cross, which was begging to be headed.
Instead, Adams leapt and tried to get his boot on it when any kind of contact would have done.
Croatia’s grateful keeper Dominik Livakovic was then able to claw the ball away from danger but he was not out of the firing line.
Adams did take a crack at his goal from distance soon after, having chased on to a Lyndon Dykes headed flick, but it whistled wide.
When the Croats did manage to get possession, they did everything to take the sting out of this onslaught as if this was a training session rather than a knock-out decider. This plodding pace fooled Scotland into a defensive lull after just 16 minutes when the Croats came lumbering forward without anyone appearing to notice.
Even when Modric picked up possession 20 yards from goal the danger didn’t seem to register.
However, the veteran slipped a pass out to the Croatian right and when the cross came in, O’Donnell was unable to match Perisic in the air.
His cushioned header dropped to Nikola Vlasic who fired home and, in a split second, Hampden was washed over by a horrible silence.
It could have been worse had David Marshall not then pulled off a wonderful fingertip save to keep out a Modric rocket soon after,
even if his stop wasn’t spotted by the match officials who failed to award the corner.
Scotland needed to give themselves a shake before this all got away from them and they did.
McGinn was next to misplace his shooting boots at the other end, tamely side-footing a shot into Livakovic’s grasp after being set up by a Dykes toe-poke.
Then came further bad news when the outstanding Grant Hanley pulled up clutching a hamstring.
He was replaced by Scott McKenna, who was booked for a clumsy first foul before he’d even touched the ball.
But then, just when it seemed Scotland’s luck had run out on them, came McGregor’s moment of magic at the end of another raid on the Croatian box.
The ball was cleared to the Celtic man 20 yards from goal and as soon as he took a touch to get it under control, the rest was never in doubt.
With a firm, assured swipe of his right boot he sent the ball thudding into the bottom corner of Livakovic’s net, rekindling Scotland’s fire until it was raging again.
So here they were, taking us all down to the wire and the final 45 minutes, knowing one slip-up at the wrong moment could end it all.
Scott McTominay must have feared the worst when he overran the ball stepping out from the back. One pass later the Croats had sent Josko Gvardiol thundering in on top of Marshall but the keeper saved the day with a brave block.
Marshall then pulled off another superb stop to deny Perisic after a delightful Modric ball over the top, without realising that the attacker had strayed an inch or two offside.
It was heart in mouth stuff now and when McGinn hurled himself at Armstrong’s cross only to fire wide, it felt as if another big moment had come and gone without being taken.
A couple of minutes later Modric was making sure of it with his wonder strike. He popped up on the edge of the box and with an audacious swipe of his right boot curled one high into Marshall’s top right-hand corner.
It was beautiful and brutal all at once.
And the agony was piled on when Perisic then rose to glance home Modric’s pinpoint corner in the 77th minute.
For Clarke and his side, there is at least the solace of knowing this is only the start of their journey together.
Rampaging? literally speechless.
