Scotland’s shot at reaching the knockout stage of a major tournament for the first time were ended in a 3-1 defeat to a Luka Modric-inspired Croatia at Hampden Park on Tuesday that took the World Cup runners-up into the last 16 of Euro 2020.
After ending a 23-year wait just to qualify for a major tournament, another historic feat was beyond Steve Clarke’s men who were undone by a moment of magic from Modric.
Callum McGregor cancelled out Nikola Vlasic’s early opener to give the hosts hope heading into half-time.
But Modric showed the class that made him the man to break Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s grip on the Ballon d’Or in 2018, a stunning strike with the outside of his foot just after the hour mark restoring Croatia’s lead.