Croatia defeated Czechia 2–1 at Prague’s Fortuna Arena in the opening match of Nations League Group A3, surviving a difficult period after conceding an equaliser before Marco Pašalić came off the bench to score the winner.
For Bilić, it was much more than another competitive victory.
His previous match in charge of Croatia had come at Euro 2012. His return therefore represented the beginning of a new era — albeit with one very familiar figure still at the heart of the team. Luka Modrić. And inevitably, it was the captain who struck first.
Modrić Marks Another Milestone
After a goalless first half in which Croatia gradually became the more dangerous side, the breakthrough arrived only two minutes after the restart.
Igor Matanović won possession high up the pitch and the ball eventually fell to Modrić near the edge of the penalty area.
The Croatian captain needed no second invitation.
His finish gave goalkeeper Lukáš Horniček little chance and put Croatia 1–0 ahead.
The goal carried additional significance.
It came in Modrić’s 203rd appearance for Croatia and was his 30th international goal, another extraordinary milestone in a national-team career that continues to defy time.
After the match, however, Modrić was more interested in the result than the personal achievement.
He described the victory as particularly important because Croatia wanted to begin the new campaign positively and give their “new-old” coach a win on his return.
That relationship was visible immediately after the goal, when Modrić celebrated emotionally with Bilić on the touchline.
It was an image that connected two very different periods of Croatian football: Bilić’s original generation and a national team that has since become one of the most consistent tournament performers in Europe.
Czechia Respond — and Croatia Lose Control
Croatia’s lead lasted only seven minutes.
Adam Hložek created the opening and Adam Karabec finished to make it 1–1, bringing the home side back into a match Croatia had appeared increasingly capable of controlling.
That equaliser changed the rhythm.
Modrić later admitted that Croatia began playing a more open, end-to-end game after conceding — precisely the type of football that does not always suit a team built around controlling possession and tempo.
Before Czechia’s goal, Croatia had created enough opportunities to establish a much more comfortable advantage.
Luka Sučić threatened midway through the opening half, while Petar Sučić forced Horniček into an important save shortly before the interval. Matanović also sent an effort narrowly wide.
The failure to convert those opportunities nearly became costly.
But Bilić’s substitutions would eventually change the match.
Marco Pašalić Becomes the Super-Sub
In the 63rd minute, Croatia introduced Marco Pašalić, Mario Pašalić and Ante Budimir.
Fourteen minutes later, one of those changes delivered the decisive moment.
Ivan Perišić found space on the left and sent a cross into the area. Marco Pašalić attacked it aggressively and headed past Horniček to restore Croatia’s lead.
The winger had been on the pitch for barely a quarter of an hour.
It was just the second senior international goal of his Croatia career and perhaps his most important to date.
Pašalić later described Czechia as a difficult, physically strong opponent and said he was delighted that his goal had helped Croatia start the new campaign with a win.
His comments also contained an important note of caution.
Croatia, he acknowledged, still had defensive aspects to improve. Technical quality with the ball has rarely been the national team’s problem, but Pašalić stressed that defensive work would be equally important against the stronger opponents waiting in the group.
That assessment proved especially relevant given what happened immediately after his goal.
VAR Saves Croatia From a Late Twist
Czechia thought they had responded almost instantly.
Matěj Radosta found the net and the home crowd celebrated what appeared to be a second equaliser, but VAR intervened and the goal was disallowed.
Croatia had escaped.
The visitors then came close to making the result safer in stoppage time, when Budimir produced a powerful effort that Horniček managed to stop.
Eventually, 2–1 was enough.
It was not a flawless performance, and Modrić himself admitted as much afterward. Croatia had periods of control but also allowed the game to become unnecessarily stretched after Czechia’s equaliser.
For a first competitive match under a returning coach, however, the result mattered most.
Bilić’s Second Era Begins With a Win
Few international coaches are given an opportunity to begin again more than a decade after leaving the same job.
Bilić last led Croatia at Euro 2012, ending a six-year spell during which he helped establish a new national-team identity and oversaw memorable victories, including the famous win over England at Wembley in 2007.
His second spell begins in a very different environment.
Croatia are no longer simply an ambitious European side capable of upsetting the biggest nations. Since Bilić’s departure, they have won World Cup silver and bronze and reached the Nations League final.
Expectations have changed accordingly.
Before the match, Bilić described representing Croatia as a responsibility, privilege and honour, while making clear how motivated he was to return to the role.
The victory in Prague therefore represented a useful first step rather than a finished product.
And the difficulty of the task ahead was obvious from the group itself.
Croatia were drawn alongside world champions Spain, England and Czechia in League A Group 3. The top two teams advance to the Nations League quarter-finals, while third place leads to a relegation play-off and fourth means automatic relegation to League B.
In that context, winning away against Czechia carried considerable weight.
Three Points Before the Hardest Tests
There was another unusual element to Croatia’s night in Prague.
Because of a UEFA disciplinary sanction relating to incidents during the previous Nations League quarter-final against France, Croatian supporters were barred from purchasing tickets for the away section.
That meant Bilić’s comeback began without the travelling support normally associated with Croatia’s major away fixtures.
His players nevertheless found a way to deliver the result.
Modrić provided the familiar inspiration. Perišić supplied the assist. Pašalić supplied the decisive intervention from the bench.
It was a victory built partly by the veterans who have defined Croatia’s recent history and partly by players trying to establish a larger role in what comes next.
That blend may become one of the defining themes of Bilić’s second spell.
The challenge increased immediately, with Croatia’s next Nations League match sending them to Seville to face reigning world champions Spain.
Prague therefore offered encouragement, but also warnings.
Croatia showed they could create chances, react after losing control and find decisive contributions from the bench. They also showed that periods of defensive instability can quickly change the momentum of a match.
Against Czechia, they survived those moments.
Against Europe’s very best, the margin for error would be much smaller.
For Bilić, however, the first objective was simple: return to the Croatia bench and win. Thanks to a timeless captain and a perfectly timed contribution from Marco Pašalić, that mission was accomplished.
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