Croatia clinched the third spot in the FIFA World Cup 2022 by defeating Morocco 2-1 on Saturday. .
The match started on a high note with both teams scoring one goal each within the beginning 10 minutes. While Josko Gvardiol scored for Croatia in the 7th minute, Morocco's Achraf Dari registered a goal in the 9th minute.
In the match played at the Khalifa International Stadium, Croatia's Mislav Orsic scored a goal in the 42nd minute to take the team to a lead of 2-1, which Morocco failed to change in the remaining match.
Team Stats:
- Shots: Croatia - 12, Morocco - 9
- Possession: Croatia - 51%, Morocco - 49%
- Passes: Croatia - 488, Morocco - 469
In the semifinals, while Argentina beat Croatia 3-0, France defeated Morocco 2-0.
Interestingly, this was the second time that Croatia played their third place play-off in the World Cup. Their previous game was back in the year 1998, when they emerged victorious against the Netherlands. On the other hand, Morocco is the only African nation to reach this far in the World Cup history.
Croatia's road to third-place:
- 1st Round: Croatia vs Morocco - Draw (0-0)
- 2nd Round: Croatia vs Canada - Winner (4-1)
- 3rd Round: Croatia vs Belgium - Draw (0-0)
- Round of 16: Croatia vs Japan - Winner on penalties (3-1)
- Quarterfinals: Croatia vs Brazil - Winner on penalties (4-2)
- Semifinals: Croatia vs Argentina - Loser (3-0)
- Third place play-off: Croatia vs Morocco - Winner (2-1)
Argentina and France are set to face each other in the final clash of the tournament on the 18th of December, Sunday at the Lusail Stadium.
