FIFA World Cup: Croatia secure third place with 2-1 win over Morocco
In the third place of the play-off, two defeated teams nursed their wounds and attempted to win a bronze medal, which is quite reminiscent of the Olympic podium.
Croatia wins the BronzeWith the score at 1-1 after 10 minutes, thanks to a couple of fantastic set-piece goals one by Achraf Dari and by Croatia Josko Gvardiol it was evident that this game would be a tight affair.
Croatia's goal was engineered by a training-ground manuever that culminated in a diving header from a centre-back, which you always love to see.
Croatia's attempt to hold their lead was a complete shambles, which made Morocco's brilliant response possible.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Memories that will last a lifetime 🇭🇷❤️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIFAWorldCup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIFAWorldCup</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/HNS_CFF?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HNS_CFF</a> <a href="https://t.co/XB0fSxYv4b">pic.twitter.com/XB0fSxYv4b</a></p>— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIFAWorldCup/status/1604263358147858432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Mislav Orsic, whose dedication to banter was already established by the hat-trick he scored for Dinamo Zagreb to so magnificently pull Spurs' Europa League pants down a couple of seasons ago, blasted in the goal that ultimately proved to be Croatia's winning score, making the most of a tiny open space.
Due to Morocco's overzealous haranguing of the referee, the second half was not as entertaining as the first. Morocco had a fantastic tournament, and the referees' hesitation to brandish red cards has been another positive aspect, but in this case someone ought to have been dismissed.
The most noticeably terrible decision, and it was stunningly, hilariously, stupidly wrong, was the failure to award Gvardiol a penalty after Amrabat tripped him.
As a result, Morocco's objections to the referee were as perplexing as they were over the top.
It was unbelievable that the officials on the field missed it, and it was even more impressive that VAR didn't even bother to check unless it was a provocative critique of the match's overall pointlessness and the result of an effort to spice things up in the final 15 minutes, in which case fair play.
Croatia managed to hang on and appeared appropriately pleased. Morocco appeared enraged albeit with little justification.
Luka Modric's future
Since the first ball was played in Qatar, speculation about Modric's future in the national team had abounded. However, after the play-off, he is already set to participate in the Nations League finals next summer.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A proud father and son moment. ❤️<br><br>Luka Modric took time to celebrate Croatia's success with his kids.<br><br>The Real Madrid midfielder also enjoyed the moment with one of the pillars of his career as well.<a href="https://t.co/2jStWAN3y3">https://t.co/2jStWAN3y3</a></p>— Sports Brief (@sportsbriefcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/sportsbriefcom/status/1604225891386761222?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
"About my future? I don't know if I will be (playing) until the Euros in Germany," he told beIN Sports when asked about Euro 2024.
"We will see. I need to go step by step. I am enjoying the national team. I feel happy.
"I can still perform on a high level and want to continue until the Nations League.
"Then after, there will be more time to think about the Euros. Now it is go step by step and continue at least until Nations League and then we will see."
Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic is hopeful Modric will play on until 2024, having praised his performances in Qatar.