Modric and Pasalic Secure Dramatic Late Victory for Croatia Over Slovenia in Final World Cup Warm-Up

Key Takeaways:

• On the eve of their World Cup campaign, Croatia edged Slovenia 2-1 with a decisive stoppage-time volley by Mario Pasalic
• Luka Modric opened the scoring in the 51st minute, only for Andraz Sporar to equalise following a defensive lapse
• This result ended Croatia’s run of consecutive defeats, while Slovenia remain with just one win from their last ten matches

Match Analysis

Croatia rounded off their FIFA World Cup preparations with a dramatic 2-1 triumph over Slovenia, snatching victory courtesy of a stoppage-time strike from Mario Pasalic. The hosts showed resilience to break a sequence of back-to-back losses, providing a timely confidence boost ahead of their tournament opener against England.

The reputation enjoyed by the Kockasti as perennial World Cup dark horses is well-founded, following their appearances in the final in 2018 and the semi-finals in 2022. Despite this pedigree, questions have been raised regarding the squad’s advancing age, placing Zlatko Dalic’s men under the spotlight heading into North America.

Luka Modrić scored his 29th goal for Croatia in their final World Cup warm-up match against Slovenia.

He equals Leo Messi on 198 international caps—both are on the verge of joining Cristiano Ronaldo and Kuwait's Bader Al-Mutawa in playing at least 200 games for their country 🍷 pic.twitter.com/MPASMu09bK

— B/R Football (@brfootball) June 7, 2026

First-Half Developments

Croatia almost found the breakthrough in the opening stages, with Ante Budimir steering a header wide after meeting Ivan Perisic’s delivery. Slovenia were quick to respond, forcing a fine right-handed save from Dominik Livakovic to deny Sandi Lovric. The hosts maintained pressure, as Perisic’s acrobatic effort was kept out by Jan Oblak, followed by another Budimir header which failed to trouble the Slovenian goalkeeper.

Slovenia, managed by Bostjan Cesar, sought to capitalise on Croatian errors, notably when Zan Vipotnik intercepted a wayward pass from Mateo Kovacic and fired goalwards, only for Livakovic to parry the attempt to safety.

Second-Half Turning Points

Early in the second half, Livakovic was again called into action, diverting Tjas Begic’s powerful volley over the bar. At the other end, Croatia’s captain and talisman Luka Modric combined with Perisic to open proceedings in the 51st minute, calmly guiding his strike from the edge of the area into the far corner beyond Oblak.

Buoyed by the opener, Croatia pressed for a second. Igor Matanovic sent a header over from a Martin Baturina free-kick, yet Slovenia remained dangerous. Livakovic had to intervene once more, thwarting a further Vipotnik effort.

Slovenia’s persistence paid off, capitalising on a costly mistake from Baturina. The Como midfielder’s errant backpass allowed Andraz Sporar to race through and confidently slot his finish past Livakovic, levelling the match.

Late Decider and Match Statistics

Croatia’s defence, exposed once more, has now gone six matches without a clean sheet. However, that frustration was soon put aside when substitute Mario Pasalic produced a stunning volley in added time, securing victory for the hosts.

This result handed Slovenia a disappointing defeat, extending their poor run to just one victory from their previous ten outings.