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With two deflated teams after disappointing semifinal losses, Croatia and Morocco have one final match to play at the football World Cup in Qatar to decide the third place holder in the tournament.
Both teams will be coming in with a sense of disappointment to have not made it to the summit event but will nevertheless be raring to finish on a high as Walid Regragui marshalls his side to a potentially historic third-place finish against the Croats under Zlatko Dalic.
Due in large part to Croatia’s dependable midfield trio of Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic, and Marcelo Brozovic, who played flawlessly against Brazil in the quarterfinals, Dalic’s team performed a superb job of fending off the opposing onslaught, especially the formidable Brazil in the quarterfinals. The Croatian midfield has been successful at controlling the centre of the field and preventing the supply to the forwards.
Additionally, they have had immaculate passing, as evidenced by the sophisticated succession of quick passes they used to escape several difficult situations. After largely holding off the Brazilians for more than two hours, Croatia defeated the Selecao in the shootout to go to their second straight World Cup semifinal, where they bowed out.
Morocco has had a fantastic tournament thus far, pulling off upset after upset. First and foremost, the African team’s feat in even making it to the knockout rounds was enormous. One of just three teams to complete the group stage unbeaten, the Moroccans overcame Belgium en route to the round of 16.
Since then, Regragui’s men pulled off two enormous upsets, eliminating Portugal and Spain en route to the semifinal. Hakim Ziyech, a standout for Chelsea, has been fantastic in attack for the Atlas Lions, enabling their qualification. Since then, the Atlas Lions have adopted a more defensive style of play, which makes sense given that they have preferred to take games to the penalty shootouts.
Before striking the knockout blow in the shootout, they were successful in holding off the Spanish attack. In contrast, they were able to advance against Portugal thanks to a powerful header from Youssef en-Nesyri in the opening period. Sofyan Amrabat has been fantastic for his country, putting forth some outstanding performances, with his workrate being the most astounding aspect of his game. Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou’s outstanding performances also significantly aided they ascent to the semi-finals.
Key players
Luka Modric has been in outstanding form for his club and nation as his team made a third trip to the World Cup knockout rounds. The Real Madrid midfielder, who is 37 years old, doesn’t appear to be slowing down at the slightest.
The maestro’s passing, vision, and overall play are still at their peak, and he could be a deadly force against a Moroccan defence that has generally been strong but has occasionally displayed weakness. Defenders have been known to be tantalised by his relationship with Perisic and Andrej Kramaric on either side of the field. Modric might be the one in charge if Croatia is able to secure third place.
The dynamic Ivan Perisic, like Modric, has only become better after Croatia’s stunning march to the 2018 World Cup final. The Tottenham Hotspur arracker is a serious threat on the left and may wind up inspiring a lot of creative moves for his side due to his exceptional versatility in attack and defence. If Dalic’s team is to walk away with the bronze, Perisic’s form will be essential.
Unquestionably, Paris Saint-Germain full-back Achraf Hakimi player is one of his team’s best players. He has distinguished himself with outstanding performances for his nation thanks to his gifts of rapid pace and respectable defensive fortitude. Hakimi, who originally played as a winger, is also gifted with a great shot and might be a major contributor if Morocco manages a historic third place finish at the World Cup.
Sevilla custodian Yassine Bounou has excelled for Morocco in this competition. The seasoned player has made several incredible saves that have kept his team in the game.
Brilliant reaction saves from Bounou have proven to be very useful throughout the Moroccan campaign. After his exploits against Spain, Bounou’s services will be crucial, considering that Regragui will be without some key defenders.
Prediction
With both teams deflated after a heartbreaking loss in the semifinals, there can be reasonable doubt that either set of players will be overly excited to play in the third-place match.
However, this very fact gives Morocco a slight edge, as they have exceedingly overachieved in the tournament. Croatia’s squad is perhaps better than Morocco, especially considering their injured stars, giving them the slight edge. Nevertheless, a Moroccan upset will be far from shocking.
