2022 World Cup: Croatia takes 3rd place

The 2022 World Cup is fast nearing its finale, but before France and Argentina take the field in the final, Croatia and Morocco faced off to see who would take third place. While many say that a third-place game means nothing, one could tell that the players that just fell short of the final were raring to claim a medal at the 2022 World Cup.

Croatia wins 3rd place at 2022 World Cup

World Cup: Croatia 2 – 1 Morocco

Croatia fell just short of making their second straight final, while Morocco feels proud to be the first African Nation to make a semi-final. Both nations have had a great World Cup run, but they had one more match to play to see who would finish in third and fourth place.

The third-place match started off with some early fireworks. Both teams scored inside the first 10 minutes, as the game was very free-flowing. Croatia struck first after a smart set-piece pinballed around finding the diving header of Josko Gvardiol in the 6th minute.

Just three minutes later, Morocco had a freekick that was deflected high into the air. While almost all were caught ball-watching, Morocco’s Achraf Dari was the first to react heading the ball home to make it 1-1! It was a frantic start, but the match claimed down just before halftime.

In the 42nd minute, Croatia had a good build-up and found Mislav Orasic with the ball on the edge of the box. The angle was tight, but he decided to take a chance on goal floating the ball to the back post. It glided past the keeper, knocked the post, and went in. Croatia was up 2-1 into halftime and they wouldn’t let go of the lead after that.

Morocco had a few more good opportunities to score but Croatia’s keeper, who some are saying has been the best keeper in the 2022 World Cup, Dominik Livakovic stood tall. Croatia wins third-place, after another great performance.

A World Cup to be proud of for Croatia & Morocco

Both Croatia and Morocco had a fantastic 2022 World Cup. These two nations were prided on the structure of their team. Croatia stifled teams pushing many of their knockout round matches to penalties and then had the mental fortitude to win the shootout. Morocco won the group of death at this World Cup and then went on to dispatch European giants Spain and Portugal in the knockout rounds.

Both nations went further than many thought they would before the start of the World Cup, but that speaks to the nature of this game on the biggest stage. Soccer is unpredictable, emotional, and maddening; it’s a religion, it’s pain, and hope. Croatia and Morocco showcase why the World Cup is the most special tournament for the most special sport in the World.