Qatar World Cup 2022: Fans rejoice as Croatia clutches third spot; Morocco acclaimed for fighting spirit

Qatar World Cup 2022: Croatia tamed Morocco 2-1 to take third place on Saturday, thanks to goals from Josko Gvardiol and Mislav Orsic. While fans rejoiced for the Blazers, the Atlas Lions were acclaimed for their fighting spirit.

It was a competitive encounter between the Russia 2018 runner-up Croatia and Morocco in the third-place play-off of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Played at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha on Saturday, the former edged past with a 2-1 conquest, thanks to strikes from Josko Gvardiol (7) and Mislav Orsic (42). At the same time, Achraf Dari (9) scored for the latter in what turned out to be a consolation. It is the best-ever performance by the Atlas Lions in the event. Earlier, it became the first African side to enter the semis, having scripted a series of upsets throughout the tournament, thanks to its never-give-up attitude. While the fans applauded the Moroccans' fighting spirit in this tie, it was also rejoicing for the Croatians.

As for the contest, Croatia opened the proceedings in the seventh minute, with Gvardiol heading in Ivan Perisic's assist. However, just a couple of minutes later, Morocco equalised through Dari's header. However, Orsic restored the Blazers' lead in the 42nd, thanks to a swift assist from Marko Livaja, while the former's strike was a beauty to watch, which sailed into the right post before darting back into the net.

While none of the sides had any luck scoring in the subsequent half, it was an evenly poised match in possession. Croatia attempted the most shots (12-9), whereas Morocco created more good chances (2-1). Both sides missed a possible scoring opportunity through a shot on target once each. The Blazers registered the most accurate passes (412-400), and the Atlas Lions committed fewer fouls (11-13).

Both sides fell into the off-side trap on two instances each, while the Morrocans led with the most corners (6-2). Meanwhile, as for the stats from the game:

• Perisic has been involved in WC goals on second most occasions (11) after Lionel Messi (16).
• Croatia has lost only a couple of contests in its last 14 matches of the event.