Friday 13 June 2014 20:54, UK
Luka Modric is an injury concern for Croatia heading deeper into their World Cup campaign after picking up a knock.
Head coach Niko Kovac has revealed that the Real Madrid playmaker is nursing a foot complaint following Thursday’s 3-1 defeat to hosts Brazil.
Modric is integral to the Croatia cause and will have a leading role to play in their Group A fixtures to come against Cameroon and Mexico.
Kovac acknowledges as much and is hoping for a positive update from his medical staff.
He told HTV: “Luka is in Salvador and our doctors are with him in the hospital.
“He has to go though some exams and then we will see how serious it is.
“God forbid that something serious happens to him. That would be a huge blow for us.”
Meanwhile, Vedran Corluka has become the latest Croat to have his say on the standard of officiating against Brazil – with Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura having come in for criticism after awarding a second half penalty for a nudge by Dejan Lovren on burly forward Fred.
The former Tottenham Hotspur defender told Index: “This doesn’t make any sense at all. Now it is clear that no-one will beat Brazil in this competition.
“Everyone who watched the game saw that the penalty didn’t exist and that was, of course, the key moment.
“The referee could hardly wait to give a penalty for Brazil.
“He was ignorant all the way through. It is unbelievable that he only communicated with us in Japanese – no English, no other world language. It’s just unbelievable.”
