Croatia Wins the Bronze in a Hard Tilt Manner Over Morocco at the 2022 World Cup!
“We’ve made a tremendous accomplishment, but we want to do that again. If we can keep getting to the semi-final or final regularly, one day we will win the World Cup.” Croatia’s third World Cup top-three finish has a “golden layer”, manager Zlatko Dalic said after his side clinched a play-off victory over history-making Morocco. Four years after finishing second in the 2018 World Cup, Dalic’s Croatia had a third-place finish in their competition debut to go with their runners-up performance against France four years earlier. Josko Gvardiol scored an impressive diving header for Croatia in the seventh minute of the match, but Achraf Dari equalised two minutes later after nodding home from close range.
Three minutes before halftime, Mislav Orsic curled a sumptuous shot into the side netting from a central position after being fed by a Croatian defender. Morocco couldn’t find an equaliser as a profitable campaign concluded in back-to-back losses. The second half couldn’t match the energy of an exhilarating opening period. “We achieved the bronze, and on top of that there is a layer of gold, so tonight we’ve won the gold.’ “If we had lost in the third-place playoff, that would have been a disaster. This is the end of a cycle, the end of a journey. My players sacrificed everything and got what they wanted.”
Modric makes Croatia function again
No team wants to be involved in this game, but in the end Croatia, a country with a population of less than four million, will be very satisfied with another tremendous performance on the global stage. Luka Modric continues to be a dominant force at the age of 37, captaining Croatia to their first World Cup title. They are one of the favourites to advance to the next round, but they could well be his final tournament with the squad. “Some of my players will be playing their last World Cup matches, but we have a lot of younger players on our team and great optimism for Croatia, ” said Dalic. “Our older players provide them with confidence.
“I don’t think the Croatia era is coming to an end. We have the Nations League and the European Championship in 2024. I think there is a lot of excitement for Croatia’s future.” Ivan Perisic’s free-kick was straight off the training ground, and Gvardiol’s brilliant finish flew through the air to head into the far corner. The looping ball fell into Dari’s path, enabling him to score from a few yards out and excite the fans in the stands. At age 18, Moroccan debutant Bilal El Khannouss displayed confident dribbling but was responsible for Croatia’s second goal, giving the ball away deep in his own half and costing his side the game, even though he made several impressive passes.
Orsic curled a stunning first-time finish past the despairing reach of goalkeeper Yassine Bounou and into the net via the post after Marko Livaja laid the ball off for him. Youssef En-Nesyri had Morocco’s best chances in the late stages, forcing knockout round penalty hero Dominik Livakovic into a sharp save from close range and heading on to the roof of the net. The passion of Walid Regragui’s men lit up this tournament, making history as the first African side to reach the semi-finals. Despite being beaten in the last four by defending champions France and here by Croatia, they will look back on their achievements at this tournament with fond memories.
Regragui said: “Before this tournament, everyone had doubts about whether we could go further. That needs to serve as a precedent for the future.” Football has allowed people to dream, and has kept those dreams alive. I am inspired by the photographs of children, because they represent our mission. “To win the World Cup would be more important to me than winning any games at the World Cup. Children all over Morocco, and all over the world, dream of winning the World Cup, and that means a lot to me.” “We’ve done an extraordinary thing, but we want to do that again. One day, we will win the World Cup if we can continue to make the semi-finals or quarterfinals.”
