The last World Cup of Luka Modric (37, Croatia), the “midfield maestro,” ended in third place. Modric’s ‘Last Dance’ was greatly helped by Mislav Orsic from the K-League.
Croatia defeated Morocco 2-1 in the 2022 Qatar World Cup 3rd and 4th place match held at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar on the 18th (Korean time).
The match between the two teams, which failed to advance to the final, blew fire from the beginning. It was Croatia who scored the first goal. Yoszko Gbardiol, who raised the stock price by showing ‘iron wall defense’ in this tournament, scored a goal by connecting Ivan Perisic’s header pass with a diving header in the 7th minute of the first half from a free kick.
Morocco, the ‘Lion of Atlas’, immediately launched a counterattack. Two minutes after the goal was conceded, Ashraf’s leg penetrated the free kick after it hit the opponent’s defense and flew, and connected it with a header.
After that, both teams battled it out. Croatia’s Orsic and Modric aimed for the goal with bold mid-range shots. In the 28th minute of the first half, Morocco’s Ishraf Hakimi penetrated to the front of the goal and raised a cross, but the pass was not connected to the striker. In the 38th minute of the first half, Youssef En Nesiri’s header missed the post slightly.
Croatia broke the balance again in the 42nd minute. Orsic, who made a name for himself in the K-League under the registered name ‘Orsha’, was the main character. Orsic took over Marco Livaja’s pass and connected it with a fantastic right-footed shot from the left side of the penalty area. Orsic’s shot hit the post and was sucked into the goal.
Morocco made a substitution at the start of the second half. In the 30th minute of the second half, Morocco had a one-on-one chance with Nesiri, but could not break through Riva Kochibi, one of the candidates for the ‘Yasin Award’. The game ended in a 2-1 Croatian victory as Croatia stopped Morocco’s offensive at the last minute. 안전놀이터
Following the runner-up in 2018, Croatia succeeded in winning two consecutive competitions by climbing to third place in this competition. Morocco took the lead with a record of 1 win and 2 draws. Morocco stayed in fourth place, but left the World Cup stage with a new milestone, such as reaching the semifinals for the first time among African and Arab countries.
Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic said in a press conference immediately after the match, “The bronze medal we won this time is like a gold medal. “We are one of the top 3 teams in the world,” he said. “After a hard time, we were rewarded. We trained for this moment,” he said. “There are so many great young players who give us hope,” he added. “Croatia has nothing to fear with this generation.”
Modric, who participated in virtually the last World Cup, announced his intention to remain in the national team. When asked whether he would continue to play for the national team, he said, “That is the plan,” and “I want to remain for the Nations League.”