Morocco remains only fourth place in the World Cup
Croatia magically win the small final
12/17/2022 5:54 p.m
The penultimate game of the soccer World Cup in Qatar starts spectacularly. In the first ten minutes of the duel for third place between Morocco and Croatia, two quick goals are scored. After that, only the team around superstar Luka Modrić scores. For Morocco, the World Cup soaring ends in disappointment.
Croatia denied Morocco’s fabulous World Cup a happy ending and gave their veteran champion Luka Modrić a dignified farewell – if he even wants to leave. The “Fiery” won the game for third place 2-1 (2-1), for Modric it could have been the last appearance in the checkered jersey. The 37-year-old left it open until the end, a whole nation would like to see him at the 2024 European Championship. The big moments belonged to others, Josko Gvardiol (7th) from RB Leipzig and Mislav Orsic (42nd) scored to win, Croatia is on the World Cup podium for the third time. In 1998 the small country from the Balkans was third, most recently in 2018 even vice world champion, Croatia has obviously arrived among the best in the world.
Croatia: Livakovic – Stanisic, Sutalo, Gvardiol, Perisic – Modric, Kovacic – Majer (from 66. Petkovic), Kramaric (from 61. Vlasic), Orsic (from 90.+5 Jakic) – Livaja (from 67. Pasalic). – Trainer: Dalic
Morocco: Bono – Hakimi, El-Yamiq (from 67th Amallah), Dari (from 64th Benoun), Attiat-Allah – Amrabat – El Khannouss (from 56th Ounahi), Sabiri (from 46th Chair) – Ziyech, En-Nesyri , Boufal (from 64. Zaroury). – Trainer: Regragui
Referee: Abdulrahman Al Jassim (Qatar)
Gates: 1-0 Gvardiol (7′), 1-1 Dari (9′), 2-1 Orsic (42′)
Viewers: 44.137 (in Ar-Rayyan)
Yellow cards: – Ounahi, Amallah
Morocco looked tired and, after losing to France (0:2) in the semifinals, missed a big win in the small final as well. Achraf Dari’s equalizer (9th) wasn’t enough. The team made history nonetheless, no African country had made it into a World Cup semi-final before.
And Modric? Will international match number 162 have been the last for the world footballer of 2018? That was the question before that not only concerned Croatian football. Modric himself left his fans alone saying it was “not the right time to talk about it,” he said. And coach Zlatko Dalic announced talks to take place after the game, after the World Cup.
Orsic hits artfully
Because it was still about the podium at this World Cup, about another historic success for Croatia. And in front of 44,137 spectators at the Khalifa International Stadium, Modric and his team got off to a better start. The early 1-0 came from a creative Croatian free-kick variation that saw Lovro Majer swing the ball wide, where former Bundesliga pro Ivan Perišić (Dortmund, Wolfsburg, FC Bayern) headed it in front of goal. There the only 20-year-old Gvardiol, who was still in tears after the 0-3 semi-final defeat against Argentina, headed him into the goal. He is now Croatia’s youngest World Cup goalscorer.
However, the equalizer came just two minutes later, again preceded by a free kick and a Croatian header, and again Majer was involved. The defensive midfielder involuntarily extended, Dari scored from close range. Modrić, meanwhile, was very busy initiating Croatia’s build-up play, had few actions in the last third, only once he finished dangerously (24′). Orsic then took over the artful: from inside left he shot inside, over Bono he hit the inside post – the renewed lead for Croatia.
Orsic also opened the second half of the game with a shot at the side netting (47′), but the momentum then petered out. Both teams were initially hardly dangerous, the encounter reminded more and more of the first meeting in the preliminary round group F: a tough 0:0. When Gvardiol fell in the opponent’s penalty area after contact with Sofyan Amrabat, things got intense again and the Croatians demanded a penalty (74′). Referee Abdulrahman Al Jassim (Qatar) did not whistle.