Croatia beat Morocco to Finish Third in Qatar World Cup

Croatia beat Morocco to Finish Third in Qatar World Cup (photo: Sorin Furcoi/ Al Jazeera)

Doha, MINA – Morocco’s dream run at the 2022 FIFA World Cup ended in defeat as Croatia held on for a 2-1 win in the third-place playoff on Saturday, Anadolu Agency reported.

A frantic start at the Khalifa International Stadium saw Croatia take the lead in just the 7th minute through a diving header from defender Josko Gvardiol that capped off a cleverly worked free kick routine.

It took Morocco all of two minutes to level matters with a headed goal of their own from defender Achraf Dari.

Mislav Orsic put Croatia ahead minutes before the break, curling in a majestic strike from the left side of the box.

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Both sides had several attempts in the second period, but Orsic’s stunner proved to be the game’s winning goal.

This was Croatia’s second third-place finish at the World Cup, repeating their feat from 1998, and follows a remarkable 2018 campaign that saw them finish as runners-up to France. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)