Croatia took third place in the 22nd edition of the World Cup in Qatar on Saturday at the Khalifa Stadium in Al Rayyan, Doha. The Croatians won 2-1 against Morocco to claim a third podium finish in the history of the World Cup.
It was the first time in history that Croatia, runner-up in the 1998 World Cup, had opened the scoring with a header from Josko Gvardiol (7th minute, 1-0). Morocco, the first African team to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup, equalised immediately, also with a header from Achraf Dari (9th, 1-1).
Mislav Orsic scored a spectacular second goal for Croatia that glanced off the post three minutes before half-time. The second half lacked the thrill of the first and the score remained unchanged as Morocco failed to find an equaliser.
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Morocco, which played a large part in Belgium's early exit from the tournament with a shock win against the Red Devils, has surprised pundits and thrilled fans with its World Cup campaign. Though its last two games have not gone how the team hoped, their overall performance has been inspirational nonetheless.
Morocco turned up and made history 🇲🇦 pic.twitter.com/HJqeANAchX
— GOAL (@goal) December 17, 2022
Captained by 37-year-old Luka Modric, Croatia succeeds Belgium who finished third four years ago in Russia after beating England 2-0 in the playoffs.
On Sunday (16:00), the final will pit defending champions France against Argentina. Both countries are looking to add a third World Champion star to their shirts.
