Luka Modric has slammed referee Daniele Orsato after Croatia’s World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina, labelling him a ‘disaster’.
The South Americans defeated Croatia 3-0, with Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez scoring twice and Lionel Messi scoring from the penalty spot.
After 34 minutes, Alvarez got a penalty that was hotly debated by those watching, and Modric believes his goalkeeper, Dominik Livakovic, did not foul the forward.
In fact, the seasoned midfielder believed the referee’s overall performance was as poor as it gets, as he decided to speak out against him when he normally would not.
‘I don’t like to talk about referees, but this is one of the worst,’ Modric said, as reported by TyC Sports. ‘I don’t have a good memory of him, he’s a disaster.
‘For me it wasn’t a penalty. Despite this, I don’t want to detract from Argentina. The penalty killed us. We have to recover for third place and win that game.’
‘Argentina was a fair winner of the game, they were better, they deserved to win, but these have things have to be mentioned,’ the Real Madrid star added.
‘I generally don’t do them but today they have to be done.’
💥 It’s fireworks in the studio!!
❌ The pundits say no.
✅ Peter Walton says yes!🤔 Is this a penalty for you…?#ITVFootball | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/KSQsvhrN4Y
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) December 13, 2022
Modric was not the only Croatia player to criticise the referee’s decision to give the penalty.
Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic added: ‘We lost by a penalty, but it is what it is.
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‘Both situations seem incredible to me, first that he did not give a corner and then that. I never talk about the referees, they are capital errors and it cost us defeat.’
Modric will be 40 years old by the next World Cup, thus the tournament in Qatar was most likely his last.
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