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Croatia earned a 2-1 win over Morocco to secure a third-place finish at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Josko Gvardiol opened the scoring for Vatreni in the seventh minute of the game. Luka Modric lifted a nice free kick to the near post, which Ivan Perisic cushioned to the middle of the box. Gvardiol, who has been one of the defenders of the tournament, scored a diving header to open the scoring.
The Atlas Lions leveled the scoring within 112 seconds. Achraf Dari was alert as Hakim Ziyech's free-kick looped into the box, and he headed home in the ninth minute.
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Mislav Orsic regained the lead for Zlatko Dalic's team in the 42nd minute. He struck a brilliant shot from the left of the box. The ball went past an outstretched Yassine Bounou as it hit the post and wrapped into the back of the net.
Despite persistent efforts from Walid Regragui's team in the second half, the Atlas Lions were unable to find the equalizer.
Here are some of the best reactions across Twitter after the third-place clash between Croatia and Morocco in the 2022 FIFA World Cup:
Croatia finish on the podium of the FIFA World Cup for the second time in a row after their win against Morocco
The win against Morocco meant Croatia finished third in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Zlatko Dalic's team finished in the second spot in 2018. They have managed yet another podium finish in 2022.
It has been a great achievement from Vatreni considering the country consists of only 4 million people. Their midfield with players like Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic has been a thing of beauty.
The clash against the Atlas Lions also marked, in all likelihood, the end of Modric's World Cup career. The 2018 Ballon d'Or winner is now 37. In four years' time, he will be on the wrong side of 40. Hence, the chances of seeing him feature again in the World Cup are slim.
Players like Dominik Livakovic and Mislav Orsic were the finds of the tournament for Dalic's team. Once again, veteran Ivan Perisic delivered when his nation needed him.
Walid Regragui's team can return home proud of their performances during the tournament in Qatar. They defied all odds to emerge as the fourth-best team in the tournament.
