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  "path": "/2026/06/18/gary-neville-claims-england-targeted-croatia-star-world-cup-win-28822687/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-18T00:08:44.000Z",
  "site": "https://metro.co.uk",
  "tags": [
    "Football",
    "Sport",
    "Croatia football team",
    "England men's football team",
    "Gary Neville",
    "Luka Modric",
    "World Cup",
    "Three Lions romped to a 4-2 victory",
    "Harry Kane",
    "Jude Bellingham",
    "Marcus Rashford",
    "Sign up here",
    "full of praise of England’s midfielders",
    "AC Milan",
    "Elliot Anderson",
    "pic.twitter.com/c25UkHpDNo",
    "June 17, 2026",
    "half-time team talk",
    "check our sport page",
    "Facebook",
    "Twitter",
    "Instagram",
    "Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source",
    "@itvfootball"
  ],
  "textContent": "Former England defender Gary Neville (Picture: Getty)\n\nGary Neville praised England for hounding Luka Modric out of the game, claiming their intensity was ‘too much’ for the veteran Croatia midfielder.\n\nModric became just the fourth European player to have participated in five World Cups as he took to the field in Dallas for Croatia’s opening group-stage game against England.\n\nHowever, it was an evening to forget for the 40-year-old as the Three Lions romped to a 4-2 victory courtesy of a Harry Kane brace as well as second-half goals from Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford.\n\nAfter struggling for large parts of the encounter, Modric was hauled off and replaced by Mateo Kovacic shortly after Bellingham’s well-taken goal.\n\n##  Don't miss anything from the World Cup\n\nStill got it (Picture: MB Media/Getty Images)\n\n\nA Lionel Messi hattrick. A Kylian Mbappe screamer. Erling Haaland's first World Cup goals. We've got it all in today's World Cup newsletter. Oh, and we're looking ahead to England's crucial opener against Croatia.\n\nSign up here.\n\nAnd Neville was full of praise of England’s midfielders in how they nullified the potential threat posed by the experienced AC Milan midfielder.\n\n‘What we were worried about at the start of the game was Luka Modric was going to run the game,’ Neville told ITV.\n\n‘That didn’t happen. He’s a great player but he went off after 55 minutes – it was just too much for him.\n\nLuka Modric struggled against England (Picture: Getty)\n\n‘Elliot Anderson, in particular, really targeted him, got around him and didn’t let him dictate the game.\n\n‘In years gone past, England teams have stood off players like that and let them have one hundred passes – these lads didn’t do that today, to be fair to them.’\n\nRoy Keane was equally impressed by England’s approach to Modric, saying: ‘When you’re playing in the middle of the park, your experience can be vital, but if you’re not at it and people are running over you, that experience can cost you.\n\nEngland were brilliant in the second half (Picture: Getty)\n\n‘He’s 40 years of age and England dominated the midfield and that was a big part of them winning the game. I don’t think England paid Modric any respect in that sense.’\n\nBut assessing their overall performance, Keane noted that the nature of England’s first-half performance will keep Thomas Tuchel and his team honest in the days ahead.\n\n‘They’ll be delighted,’ the former Republic of Ireland midfielder added.\n\n> \"He was absolutely FUMING with that first half performance\" 😠\n>\n> Gary Neville reflects on how important the half-time team talk was for England's mentality going into the second half pic.twitter.com/c25UkHpDNo\n>\n> — ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 17, 2026\n\n‘Scored four goals, the attacking players obviously having an impact, subs coming on and doing well, controlling the game.\n\n‘They looked dangerous at set pieces and I think it’s good, though strange, that they conceded a couple of goals because it keeps them on their toes.\n\n‘I think if they’d won three or four-nil the two lads [Neville and Wright] would have been on the table!’\n\nNeville, meanwhile, was quick to laud Tuchel for his half-time team talk, which brought about a much-improved second-half performance.\n\n‘He’s [Thomas Tuchel] given them an absolute rocket at half-time hasn’t he?’ he said. ‘They’ve come out and for 20 minutes in that second half they were breath-taking.\n\n‘What I liked about it then is they had to sit off and play a bit deeper. He [Tuchel] makes the substitutions and they have a big impact and we go and get that fourth [goal]. It was a really good second half and some of the stuff in the first 10 minutes was fantastic.’\n\nEngland’s World Cup campaign resumes next Tuesday in Boston against Ghana.\n\n**For more stories like this, check our sport page**.\n\n**Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on**Facebook,** Twitter and Instagram**.\n\nComment now Comments \nAdd Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source\n",
  "title": "Gary Neville claims England ‘targeted’ Croatia star during World Cup win"
}