Croatia finishes third in Qatar 2022 after beating Morocco 2-1

Croatia beat Morocco 2-1 this Saturday at the Khalifa stadium in Doha, and achieved third place in the Qatar World Cup 2022moving down a step on the podium after finishing second in Russia 2018, while the “Lions of the Atlas” leave with the best historical classification of an African team.

Appetizer of the final that Argentina and France will play on Sunday, the losers in the semifinals staged an entertaining duel in the battle for the “bronze”.

The Balkan team took the lead with a header from Josko Gvardiol (7) and the North African immediately responded in kind through Achraf Dari (9). Mislav Orsic made the final 2-1 in minute 42.

Runner-up in 2018, Croatia they were also third in the 1998 World Cup, beating the Netherlands 2-1.

Gvardiol removes the bad taste from the mouth

Both teams met for the second time, after colliding in their debut in the World Cup with an insipid goalless draw that did not predict the exceptional tours that they staged later.

Five games later, they quickly uncorked. The first goal, a masterpiece of strategy: Luka Modric faked the free-kick, Lovro Majer executed it, Ivan Perisic combed from the left and Gvardiol entered the plate to decorate his outstanding World Cup with a goal.

Marcar also served the 20-year-old central defender to erase the bad taste in his mouth that Argentina’s 3-0 defeat in the semifinals left him, when Lionel Messi He asked him to dance before giving Julián Álvarez the pass of death.

The Moroccan draw had less preparation. Also after taking a free kick, Majer cleared badly with his head and put the ball in the small area, where Dari appeared to put his head in and equalize.

With 1-1, the fluid Croatian game dominated while Morocco endured the well-organized pull on the field, leaving some dangerous starts.

Modric was about to leave his signature after a couple of feints that ended with a poisonous shot between a forest of legs (24).

The Balkan legend faced a promising new “lion” two decades younger, Bilal El Khannouss. Only 18 years old, he was born in Belgium, a team he played with in the lower leagues, before opting for Morocco. It was his international premiere.

The Khannouss, ways and shortcomings

Ways were seen, such as on the wall that he returned to Sofiane Boufal, who shot high (33). But also her shortcomings, mainly when the ball was stolen from her up front in the play that made it 2-1.

After the recovery, Croatia cooked up the play and Orsic finished it from the left with a subtle shot to the opposing team on a ball that Bono caressed in his stretch.

The Balkan team started the second half better and Orsic came close to the double (47) with a very hard shot that a defender cleared for a corner.

Morocco suffered and his coach Walid Regragui decided to retire (55) El Khannouss, whom he received with a paternal hug, to give entry to Azzedine Ounahi, one of the mainstays of the historic Moroccan tour in Qatar.

His heroic team was breaking down. Dari and Jawad El-Yamiq, the central pair this Saturday, had to be substituted just two minutes apart (64 and 66). They both left putting their hands on a thigh.

Pushed by their fans, the majority among the 44,000 spectators present at the Khalifa, Morocco was unable to reach it and became entangled in protests with the referee in the final stretch.

In discount, Youssef En-Nesyri had the tie with a header. But it did not give for more. They leave Qatar as the first African team to reach the semi-finals.

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