Croatia will meet Morocco in the third-place play-off at the World Cup. Croatia lost in the semi-finals to Lionel Messi-led Argentina. While Morocco was beaten 2-0 by France in the second semi-final. After leading Croatia to back-to-back World Cup semi-finals. Modric’s World Cup title bid ended in the semi-final against Argentina. Croatia knocked Brazil out of the World Cup by beating the five-time champions 4-2 on penalties. They reach the semi-finals for the second time in a row. Croatia vs Morocco 3rd Place Match.

Croatia won just one of their six games in the regular season. In their first meeting, they drew 0-0 with Morocco and then beat Canada 4-1. Their final group game, against Belgium, again ended 0-0. Croatia needed penalties to beat Japan in the round of 16 and did the same against Brazil. France halted Morocco’s stunning run at the World Cup. Which saw them defeat three of the world’s top 10 teams, in the semi-finals. They conceded early thanks to a stunning close-range strike from Theo Hernandez. But the North African recovered and threatened for most of the match before Randal Kolo-Mouane extended France’s lead in the second half.

Morocco and Croatia have only met twice, with the Europeans winning on penalties after a 2-2 draw at the Hassan II Cup. A friendly hosted by North Africa. Their second match came in the World Cup group stage, where they drew 0-0.

Match details

We may not have seen any more goals in the second half. But it was an interesting watch as both teams took the lead as the game wore on. Croatia showed their class at this level and had better scoring chances even as Morocco chased the equalizer.

A few Moroccan players floored the referee at the end. But if nothing else, it was Croatia who should have been awarded a penalty in that second half. Morocco can have no complaints. They looked for free kicks at every turn as that match wore on, but were beaten by the best team of the day. Croatia created several good chances in the second half 2-1 and finished a deserved third in the World Cup. It wasn’t a great performance from the Atlas Lions. But they were a great team throughout the World Cup.

They lived up to their reputation as a great national team after following up their second-place finish in 2018 with a bronze medal here. Modric and his team look happy, as you’d expect, with the result after a difficult 90 minutes. Players like Hakim Ziyech, 29, and Romain Sayess, 32, may struggle to reach the next World Cup in four years. At least not at their peak. However, the rest of the players in this Moroccan squad are mostly in their twenties. So they should be in good shape come 2026.

Croatia’s thrilling 2-1 victory dispelled any fears that this match would somehow fall apart due to fatigue and injuries on both sides. Attention now turns to the big game tomorrow as France and Argentina battle it out for their coveted third World Cup. A thrilling play-off for third place went the way of the pre-match favorites. Croatia vs Morocco 3rd Place Match.

Full Time

HIGHLIGHTS: CROATIA VS MOROCCO (CRO vs MAR): Croatia prevented Morocco from becoming the first African to win World Cup medals and make history as they beat Atlas Lions 2-1 in the World Cup third-place match FIFA 2022.

Defender Josko Guardiol opened the scoring with an early free-kick header. Morocco needed just 112 seconds to equalize on a free-kick of their own through Achraf Dari. A superb strike from Orsic gave Croatia the lead in the first half, which they ably maintained in the second half. He breaks to play at the back, plays Vlasic into a promising position and makes a late run into the penalty area that presents a challenge. He stayed put and claimed a penalty as Morocco split Hakimi in the scoring position. Modric on the back for mood. Croatia vs Morocco 3rd Place Match.

Moments later, Morocco exploded. Jvardiol couldn’t make a way and En-Nesyri couldn’t capitalize as he managed to save Levakovic. Hakimi receives the ball on the edge of the penalty area and lays down the challenge on Petkovic, claiming a penalty but it is denied. The captain was the catalyst for many of Morocco’s attacking threats, and by taking over from Sabri in the first half, Regargui gave him a free-roaming role in the middle. Like their opponents, they play with four alternating strikers.