After defeating Morocco on Saturday in the third-place playoff at the Khalifa International Stadium, Croatia won the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Morocco, which is already famous for becoming the first country from Africa to reach a World Cup semifinal, performed admirably throughout. Nevertheless, the Croatian team made advantage of their opportunity to win the bronze medal, headed by the steadfast Luka Modric, who earned his 162nd cap in what was probably his final World Cup game.
Given their incredible consistency over two consecutive World Cups, the nation, which has a population of less than four million, must now be viewed as one of global football’s powerhouses. Four years ago in Moscow, the nation finished second to France.
After just seven minutes, Croatia took the lead thanks to a well-placed nudge from star defender Josko Gvardiol. However, Achraf Dari responded just two minutes later, making for a tense start to the game.
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As the first 45 minutes came to a close, Morocco, who had been so good over the previous four weeks in Qatar, continued to advance and had established themselves as maybe the better team.
However, that was before Mislav Orsic of Croatia curled in one of the tournament’s best goals just before halftime. His slanted drive rebounded off the post and into the goal, leaving Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou a helpless bystander.
Unsurprisingly, the second half wasn’t as as hectic as the first 45 minutes.
Croatia was mostly content to wait on its lead, but they did have a late chance through Mateo Kovacic of Chelsea, and in stoppage time, Youssef En-Nesyri of Morocco narrowly missed the crossbar while Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic was frozen to the spot.
In the end, Croatia emerged as deserving champions, and it was a fitting finale for one of the greatest midfielders in history, Luka Modric, to the sport’s premier competition.
The silver and bronze medals earned over the past four years are a fitting homage to possibly his country’s greatest-ever player, even though the World Cup title ultimately eluded him.
Morocco was the tournament’s surprise package, but ultimately the third-place playoff proved to be too much for them. Nevertheless, they returned home having defeated teams like Belgium, Spain, and Portugal and being the first African team to ever compete in the World Cup’s last four.
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