Modric to change preparation after watching Schmeichel penalties all morning

Modric had an extra-time penalty saved by Kasper Schmeichel, before converting in the shoot-out as Croatia recorded a 3-2 win after the encounter finished locked at 1-1.

The Real Madrid star revealed he had spent the morning watching Schmeichel facing penalties – a decision he later regretted.

“It was hard, but I stayed calm. I was sure I would score because all morning I watched videos how he stops penalties and then I shot like that,” Modric said.

“For sure I will never do that again, I will never watch before a game how they make saves.”

Croatia never reached their best in Nizhny Novgorod, where Mario Mandzukic cancelled out Mathias Jorgensen’s first-minute opener.

While Schmeichel saved Modric’s penalty and two more in the shoot-out, Croatia goalkeeper Danijel Subasic made three stops of his own to lead Zlatko Dalic’s men to victory.

Modric said the conditions made it tough for his team as the midfielder was left relieved to set up a quarter-final meeting with Russia.

“It was very tough to play, there was big humidity. It was hard for us to run and move,” he said.

“We could’ve solved it before the shoot-out, but it seems we can’t do it without the extra drama. Thank God, this time it came back for us.”