Croatia leads Nigeria 1-0 at halftime
An own-goal by Nigeria's Oghenekaro Etebo gave Croatia a 1-0 halftime lead in their World Cup opener.
Etebo deflected the ball just inside the post in the 32nd minute after Mario Mandzukic's diving header off a corner kick.
Croatia, with Modric and Ivan Rakitic controlling the midfield, largely dominated the first half at Kaliningrad Stadium.
Ivan Perisic came close to giving Croatia the lead in the 14th minute, firing just over the crossbar.
A win for either team would take it to the top of Group D after Iceland held Argentina to a 1-1 draw in the group's first match earlier Saturday.
Etebo deflected the ball just inside the post in the 32nd minute after Mario Mandzukic's diving header off a corner kick.
Croatia, with Modric and Ivan Rakitic controlling the midfield, largely dominated the first half at Kaliningrad Stadium.
Ivan Perisic came close to giving Croatia the lead in the 14th minute, firing just over the crossbar.
A win for either team would take it to the top of Group D after Iceland held Argentina to a 1-1 draw in the group's first match earlier Saturday.