As the countdown to the World Cup continues, several national teams took to the field for friendly matches this past Sunday, just four days before the tournament's grand opening. Among these fixtures, Croatia made a notable farewell to its home fans by securing a 2-1 victory against Slovenia in Varazdin. The match saw the return of veteran midfielder Luka Modric, who played with a protective facial mask following a cheekbone fracture sustained during a Milan match about a month and a half ago. Modric, at the age of 40, made a significant impact by scoring the opening goal in the 51st minute, while Mario Pasalic sealed the win with a late goal in injury time at the 93rd minute. Slovenia managed to equalize temporarily through Andraz Sporar, but ultimately, the match ended in favor of Croatia, which will commence its World Cup journey on June 17 against England in Toronto, followed by a clash with Panama on the 23rd and Ghana on the 27th in Philadelphia.
In another friendly featuring teams already in the United States for the World Cup, Morocco and Norway played to a 1-1 draw in New Jersey. Morocco took an early lead with a goal from Brahim Díaz in the 8th minute, but Norway responded with an equalizer from Martin Odegaard in the 75th minute, just three minutes after making seven substitutions. Morocco's World Cup debut is slated for Saturday, June 13, against Brazil, followed by matches against Scotland on the 19th and Haiti on the 24th. Norway will face Iraq on Tuesday, June 16, Senegal on the 22nd, and France on the 26th.
Meanwhile, Ecuador, also present in the United States, triumphed over Guatemala with a convincing 3-0 victory in Columbus. The goals came from Jordy Caicedo, who converted a penalty in the 19th minute, followed by Nilson Angulo's header in the 73rd minute, and Pervis Estupiñán’s strike in the 78th minute, despite the team fielding a majority of substitutes. Under the guidance of coach Sebastián Beccacece, Ecuador is set to begin its World Cup campaign next Sunday against Ivory Coast, continuing in Group E with matches against Curacao on the 20th and Germany on the 25th.
As reported by montevideo.com.uy.
