Croatia wins friendly against Slovenia with late goal; Morocco, Norway draw

Croatia concluded their home preparations for the 2026 World Cup with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Slovenia in an international friendly. The match, played at the Varteks stadium in Varaždin, saw veteran Luka Modrić open the scoring for the hosts in the second half.

Modrić, wearing a protective mask for a cheekbone fracture sustained in April, netted his 29th goal in 198 appearances for Croatia. The goal came after a well-orchestrated play initiated by Ivan Perišić. This appearance marks Modrić's fifth World Cup.

Slovenia, who did not qualify for the tournament, managed to equalize in the 38th minute. A miscommunication between Croatian midfielder Martin Baturina and a teammate led to a turnover, allowing Andraz Sporar to go one-on-one with goalkeeper Dominik Livaković and score. The match seemed destined for a draw until the final moments.

In the 46th minute of stoppage time, Josko Gvardiol delivered a cross from the left flank. After a scramble involving Nikola Vlašić and Igor Matanović, Josip Stanišić controlled the ball and set up Mario Pašalić, who fired a shot past goalkeeper Jan Oblak, hitting the crossbar before finding the net for the winning goal.

Croatia, drawn in Group L, will begin their World Cup campaign against England on June 17, followed by matches against Panama on June 23 and Ghana on June 27. In another friendly, Morocco and Norway played to a 1-1 draw in New Jersey, also as part of their World Cup preparations.

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The footballer will play his fifth World Cup.