FIFA World Cup: Croatia beats Morocco 2-1 to take third place

Croatia defeated Morocco 2-1 to take third place at the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar on Saturday night (December 17).

In the third-place play-off game at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Croatia, which was runner-up in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, rode on two first-half goals to finish on the podium.

Also read: Full coverage of FIFA World Cup 2022

Josko Gvardiol gave Croatia the lead in the seventh minute. However, the advantage vanished two minutes later when Achraf Dari scored.

In the 42nd minute, Croatia was back in the lead with Mislav Orsic’s goal.

Morocco fought till the end for an equaliser but could not score. The Atlas Lions created history in Qatar by becoming the first team from Africa to reach the World Cup semi-finals where it lost 2-1 to defending champion France.

This was most likely Croatia’s captain and star midfielder Luka Modric’s last appearance in the World Cup.

Argentina and France will play in the FIFA World Cup 2022 final at the Lusail Stadium on Sunday (8:30 PM IST).