Croatia defeated a determined but worn-out Morocco 2-1 to win and clinch third place at the World Cup.
Although Lionel Messi and Argentina tore apart Zlatko Dalic’s team in the semi-finals, they played much better today as they controlled the game and created the majority of the chances.
After losing to France in the semifinals, Morocco’s magic appeared to have run out. The Atlas Lions conceded after only six minutes when Josko Gvardiol headed the ball home from a complex set-piece routine.
But just two minutes later, Morocco equalised the score with a goal that was entirely consistent with their World Cup performance. Center-back Achraf Dari was able to take advantage of the confusion in the opposing penalty area after breaking through the lines to put Croatia under pressure and earn a free kick. He then headed the ball in from close range.
It was the ideal first 10 minutes of a match that many feared would feel like a dead rubber, with both sides obviously motivated to end this World Cup on a high note.
As the half went on, both teams continued to make each other work, but just before halftime, Croatia took the lead once more. After a Croatian attack, Morocco failed to clear the ball, allowing Marko Livaja to set up Mislav Orsic, who curled a beautiful finish past Yassine Bounou and in off the far post.
Due to Morocco’s numerous injuries, which required Walid Regragui to switch midfielder Sofyan Amrabat to central defence, the second half lacked the pace and end-to-end excitement of the first.
The biggest talking point occurred with 20 minutes remaining when Gvardiol was brought down in the box and calls for a penalty were rejected by referee Abdulrahman Ibrahim Al Jassim.
Replays confirmed that Amrabat had in fact swept the defender’s foot away, but strangely VAR decided against getting involved.
Even though Morocco fought back and came close in the final seconds thanks to Youssef En-Nesyri, Croatia managed to hold on to win 2-1 and claim third place.
Despite the fact that both teams will have been hoping to make a desired World Cup final, they did themselves proud today by making it a legitimate match.
Croatia player ratings (3-5-2)
GK: Dominik Livakovic – 7/10
CB: Josip Stanisic – 7/10
CB: Josip Sutalo – 6/10
CB: Josko Gvardiol – 8/10
RWB: Lovro Majer – 6/10
CM: Mateo Kovacic – 7/10
CM: Luka Modric – 7/10
LWB: Ivan Perisic – 8/10
AM: Andrej Kramaric – 7/10
ST: Mislav Orsic – 7/10
ST: Marko Livaja – 6/10
Substitutes
SUB: Nikola Vlasic (61′ for Kramaric – 6/10
SUB: Mario Pasalic (66′ for Livaja) – 5/10
SUB: Bruno Petkovic (66′ for Majer) – 6/10
SUB: Kristijan Jakic (95′ for Orsic) – N/A
Manager
Zlatko Dalic – 7/10
Morocco player ratings (4-3-3)
GK: Yassine Bounou – 5/10
RB: Achraf Hakimi 6/10
CB: Jawad El Yamiq – 6/10
CB: Achraf Dari – 7/10
LB: Yahia Attiyat Allah – 5/10
DM: Sofyan Amrabat – 6/10
CM: Abdelhamid Sabiri – 5/10
CM: Bilal El Khannous – 6/10
RW: Hakim Ziyech – 7/10
LW: Sofiane Boufal – 6/10
ST: Youssef En-Nesyri – 5/10
Substitutes
SUB: Ilias Chair (46′ for Sabiri) – 5/10
SUB: Azzedine Ounahi (56′ for Khannous) – 6/10
SUB: Anass Zaroury (64′ for Boufal) – 6/10
SUB: Badr Banoune (64′ for Dari) – 5/10
SUB: Selim Amallah (68′ for El Yamiq) – 5/10
Manager
Walid Regragui – 6/10
Player of the Match – Ivan Perisic
