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Belgium beat hosts Croatia 2-0 in a friendly on Tuesday night as part of the teams’ preparations for the 2026 World Cup, confirming their readiness ahead of the tournament, while the hosts will continue to search for harmony before entering official competition.
The first half was evenly matched for the most part, with Croatia having a relative advantage, but Belgium were able to capitalize on one of their few chances when Youri Tillmans opened the scoring with a perfect left-footed strike in the 38th minute after great work from Jeremy Doku and Maxime de Kuyper’s indirect set-up.
Croatia almost hit back after just three minutes when veteran captain Luka Modric curled in a superb outside-footed shot from the edge of the area, but goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois brilliantly blocked it to deny the hosts an equaliser.
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A special night for Modric
The match was a special stop for Modric, who won his 197th international cap for Croatia before leaving the pitch in the 58th minute to a standing ovation from his fans as he continued his exceptional career with the national team. Croatia pressed for an equalizer in the second half and Ante Budimir went close to scoring with a header in the 61st minute and Mario Pasalic’s effort went over the bar in the 87th minute, but Belgium’s defense remained united.
The two managers made a number of substitutions and Belgium introduced striker Romelu Lukaku in the 73rd minute and he made his mark after scoring the second goal in the 6th minute, capitalizing on a counter-attack to end Croatia’s hopes of a comeback.
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Croatia will play in Group 12 with England, Ghana and Panama, while Belgium will compete in Group 7 with Egypt, Iran and New Zealand at the next World Cup.
