Mario Pasalic scored deep into stoppage time as Croatia beat Slovenia 2-1 in a friendly on Sunday, giving the 2018 finalists a winning win ahead of the World Cup.
The match was Croatia’s final warm-up before traveling to the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States, where it opens its Group L campaign against England in Dallas on June 17.
Captain Luka Modric, making what could be his last home appearance for Croatia, appeared to have put his side on course for victory when he broke the deadlock six minutes into the second half. The 40-year-old midfielder curled a precise effort into the corner from the edge of the penalty area after being picked out by Ivan Perisic, scoring his 29th international goal in his 198th appearance.
Croatia looked set to see the match out comfortably before a costly defensive error gave Slovenia an equalizer in the 83rd minute. Martin Baturina’s misplaced back pass fell kindly to substitute Andraz Sporar, who remained calm and finished from close range.
However, the host had the final say. With the match heading towards a draw, Slovenia failed to clear a bouncing ball in the penalty area and Pasalic reacted quickest to strike home in the third minute of stoppage time.
Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic also played a key role in the victory, producing a number of important saves, including a remarkable stop against Zan Vipotnik.
The victory provided a timely boost for Croatia after the disappointing 2-0 defeat to Belgium in Rijeka last week. Zlatko Dalic’s side will now turn their attention to the World Cup, where they will face Ghana and Panama alongside England in Group L.
Slovenia, meanwhile, was left to rue defensive mistakes on both sides after pushing its neighbors to the limit.
Published on June 8, 2026
