In the opening match of Group F at the 2022 World Cup, Morocco and Croatia drew 0-0.
It was a cagey start, as is proving to be the case with a number of games in Qatar, and neither team was able to seize the initiative.
Early on, Croatia had an advantage in possession of the ball, but Morocco appeared to be the more dangerous of the two forward-looking teams, getting into good positions but lacking the finishing touch.
However, after 17 minutes, Ivan Perisic was the first to come close to scoring as his long-range shot went just over the crossbar.
The remainder of the first half was very uneventful until Nikola Vlasic’s attempt on a Borna Sosa cross was saved by Bono, and Luka Modric’s attempt, which dropped to him at the edge of the box, went just over the crossbar.
Given how much extra time is added in most games, the fact that there was just two minutes of stoppage time says a lot about how quiet the first 45 minutes were.
After the break, Morocco had their first significant opportunity of the game when Noussair Mazraoui’s diving header from close range was saved by Dominik Livakovic. They also had a penalty appeal denied because they thought Sofiane Boufal’s attempt had been blocked by an arm.
Then, in the 51st minute, Bono snatched away a corner kick that Modric had swung dangerously across the face of goal.
At that time, it appeared as though the game might begin to open up, but that did not turn out to be the case. There was little activity at either end until the 64th minute, when Achraf Hakimi, who had been set up by Hakim Ziyech, had a long effort deflected away by Livakovic.
Following that, Croatia took the initiative, with the majority of the match taking place in Morocco’s half, but the 2018 champions found it difficult to open the scoring.
Morocco regained some control in the waning minutes, but despite six minutes of additional time, neither team managed to generate even a remote opportunity.
Both teams likely deserved a point from their first game, but nothing more, as the game finished in a draw.
Morocco (4-3-3)
GK: Bono – 7/10
RB: Achraf Hakimi – 6/10
CB: Nayef Aguerd – 6/10
CB: Romain Saiss – 6/10
LB: Noussair Mazraoui – 6/10
CM: Azzedine Ounahi – 6/10
CM: Sofyan Amrabat – 7/10
CM: Selim Amallah – 5/10
RW: Hakim Ziyech – 5/10
CF: Youssef En-Nesyri – 5/10
LW: Sofiane Boufal – 4/10
SUB: Yahia Attiyat Allah (60′ for Mazraoui) – 5/10
SUB: Abdessamad Ezzalzouli (66′ for Boufal) – N/A
SUB: Abderrazak Hamdallah (81′ for En-Nesryi) – N/A
SUB: Abdelhamid Sabiri (81′ for Ounahi) – N/A
Manager: Walid Regragui – 7/10
Croatia (4-3-3)
GK: Dominik Livakovic – 6/10
RB: Josip Juranovic – 6/10
CB: Dejan Lovren – 6/10
CB: Josko Gvardiol – 7/10
LB: Borna Sosa – 6/10
CM: Luka Modric – 5/10
CM: Marcelo Brozovic – 6/10
CM: Mateo Kovacic – 5/10
RW: Nikola Vlasic – 4/10
CF: Andrej Kramaric – 4/10
LW: Ivan Perisic – 5/10
SUB: Mario Pasalic (45′ for Vlasic) – 4/10
SUB: Marko Livaja (71′ for Kramaric) – N/A
SUB: Lovro Majer (79′ for Kovacic) – N/A
SUB: Mislav Orsic (90′ for Perisic) – N/A
Manager: Zlatko Dalic – 4/10
Player of the Match – Sofyan Amrabat
