Croatia's World Cup curse: Why giants fear them?

England vs Croatia opens Group L at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 17, a rematch of the 2018 semifinal Croatia won in extra time. A nation of 3.8 million people has reached three World Cup podiums and never lost a World Cup penalty shootout. This is how, and why Luka Modric at 40 is still the reason. Chapter: 00:00 The Smallest Giant in Football 00:33 Out of the Ashes of War 01:31 The Myth of 1998 and the Heart of a Metronome 02:26 A Legendary Summer of Defiance 03:40 Penalty Shootout Hosts 04:28 Modrić’s Weightless Fifth Stand Disclaimer: The content in this video is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. Please note that all information, opinions, and visual materials are used under Fair Use for informational purposes. We claim no ownership over copyrighted materials. Viewer discretion is advised, and your own research is recommended. AI Usage: We want to be transparent and thats why this video was produced with the help of AI technologies for research, script optimization, thumbnails, and voiceover. Content is double checked and serious. Licensed footage and original Scripts. All remaining elements were crafted by our human team. Tools we are using: Pikzels: https://pikzels.com?via=secretfactshd (Thumbnails) VidIQ: http://www.vidiq.com/ (Thumbnails, SEO, Analytics, Content Ideas, Title improvement) OpusClip: https://www.opus.pro/?via=0588e9 (AI driven Shorts, Thumbnails, Subtitle) Google Flow: flow.google.com for creating alternative Video content and images #WorldCup2026 #Croatia #FIFAWorldCup #Modric #EnglandVsCroatia #LukaModric #Vatreni #England #WorldCupHistory