Modric helps Croats break opening duck

IN a stadium built on a swamp, Croatia finally laid down foundations for a half decent World Cup campaign.

It is too early to say their golden generation will deliver anything worthwhile in what might be their last hurrah, but crucially they have kicked their nation’s bad habit of opening with a whimper.

In each of their past three trips to the World Cup — in 2002, 2006 and 2014 — they were beaten in their first match and in each of those competitions they failed to get out of the group.

So this was a good win, not least because Group D is arguably the toughest and they now lead it ahead of engagements with Argentina on Thursday and Iceland the following Tuesday.

The damage was done with a first-half own goal from Oghenekaro Etebo, who this week signed for Stoke City, and a penalty by Luka Modric midway through the second. The rest of the match? Largely forgettable, particularly from a Nigerian perspective, which is strange as they arrived with a moderately enterprising squad and none of the usual baggage of bonus rows to distract them. They were awful.

Croatia were less than brilliant themselves, certainly not the full sum of excellent parts, but they created far more, albeit with shots from distance rather than any great piece of craftsmanship. Indeed, they managed to finish the first half in front despite failing to get a single shot on goal. On 14 minutes, Inter Milan’s Ivan Perisic was at the end of a onetouch blitz from left to right and was only marginally over with his shot from the edge of the area. A couple of minutes later, Andrej Kramaric put one wide and Ante Rebic had an effort deflected a fraction off course. All reasonably close calls from a side with four forwards on the pitch.

And Nigeria? They were woeful for a side that beat Argentina last year. They were inhibited, limited and found no spark in Victor Moses or Alex Iwobi, while the service for the former Watford striker Odion Ighalo was pitiful.

Modric was the architect of the move that saw them go behind, with a corner that Rebic flicked towards the far post and Juventus forward Mario Mandzukic nudged on again with a diving header. The ball was heading off target until it struck the standing leg of Etebo and diverted in for an own goal.

Nigeria went further behind when they conceded a 71st-minute penalty as William Troost-Ekong wrestled Mandzukic to the ground — a clumsy challenge that summed up his team. Modric buried the kick and Nigeria.