second-smallest country by population (after Uruguay) and land mass (after the Netherlands) to reach a World Cup Final. In the 2018 World Cup Final they lost to France 4–2, finishing second-place and securing the silver medal. The match was controversial for its refereeing. Luka Modrić became the first Croatian to win the Golden Ball. The team was welcomed by an estimated half a million people at their homecoming in Zagreb. The team entered the Nations League's inaugural 2018–19 edition in League A, along with England and Spain in January 2018. Croatia lost 6–0 away to Spain in their first game, the side's record loss in a match. Croatia drew 0–0 home with England, played behind closed doors due to UEFA sanctions. The team then overtook Spain 3–2 with a goal in stoppage time, followed by a 2–1 away defeat to England. Croatia were set to be relegated to League B until a tournament rule change retained them in League A, grouping them with Portugal, France and Sweden in the 2020–21 tournament. Croatia lost to France and Portugal, but a single victory against Sweden was sufficient to avoid relegation to League B. The team topped their group for the qualifying campaign of Euro 2020, with a loss to Hungary, and draws against Azerbaijan and Wales. The 2020 finals were delayed into 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. Overall, winning only two out of eight games in 2020, Croatia achieved their worst aggregate win-rate in their history. Croatia finished second in their Euros group, with a 1–0 loss to England, a 1–1 tie with the Czech Republic and a 3–1 win over Scotland. They advanced to the round of 16, where they lost to Spain 5–3 after extra time. The loss to Spain led to heightened criticism against Dalić and the team by the Croatian public, a faction of whom called for resignations. Dalić refreshed the team roster by introducing younger debutants for the remainder of World Cup qualifying in 2021. Croatia qualified for the 2022 World Cup with one loss, two draws and seven wins. The team advanced from group stage after a 0–0 draw with Morocco, a 4–1 win with Canada, and finished ahead of Belgium by a single point after drawing 0–0. They won against Japan in a penalty shootout in the round of 16 where Dominik Livaković saved three of four Japanese penalties, equalling a record