World Cup Daily: Modric, Croatia cap off campaign with meaningful 3rd place medal

Football

Published 17.12.2022

World Cup Daily: Modric, Croatia cap off campaign with meaningful 3rd place medal

After every matchday of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Sportsnet.ca’s World Cup Daily weblog will recap the day’s occasions and look forward to the following day’s slate of video games.

Here’s what occurred on Saturday in Qatar, in case you missed it…

THE RESULTS

Croatia 2, Morocco 1 in All Rayyan: Match report || Match stats

MAIN TALKING POINT

Croatia, Morocco placed on a present in Third-place match

The third-place match on the FIFA World Cup has obtained a foul rap ever because it was first performed on the 1934 match Italy. A current on-line editorial by the Qatar-based media company Al Jazeera went as far as to ask why can we also have a third-place playoff on the World Cup? “It’s the game that no one wants to play in, it’s the game few may even want to watch… Playing for third? Why bother? The dream is over, the trophy is beyond reach,” James Brownsell wrote.

Croatia and Morocco confirmed on Saturday why this match ought to proceed to happen, combining to placed on an entertaining spectacle earlier than an appreciative crowd of 44,137 spectators at Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan. A 2-1 win by Croatia sealed the nation’s third top-three end on the World Cup since 1998, whereas Morocco capped off a superb run that noticed the Atlas Lions turn out to be the primary African nation to succeed in the ultimate 4 of the match.

Try telling Croatia that the third-place sport doesn’t matter. Try telling Luka Modrić, a former Ballon d’Or winner who was taking part in in his fourth and ultimate World Cup, that Saturday’s contest, which could’ve been his final at worldwide degree, was an enormous waste of time. Explain to Morocco, who furiously pressed for an equalizer as they’d Croatia on the ropes through the second half, that they needn’t have bothered.

There’s no query that this sport serves as solely an appetizer earlier than Sunday’s important course when Argentina clashes with France within the ultimate. But the third-place playoff is a crucial a part of the historical past and custom of the World Cup. It’s on this sport the place legends comparable to Davor Šuker (in 1998) and Salvatore Schillaci (in 1990) clinched the Golden Boot because the match’s prime scorer.

More importantly, the third-place match issues and has worth as a result of it’s a likelihood to have a good time and acknowledge those that fell achingly wanting climbing sports activities’ highest summit.

.acf-block-preview .instagram-twitter-container {
width: 340px;
margin: 0 auto;
}

GOAL OF THE DAY

It took Croatia solely seven minutes to open the scoring off a intelligent, well-worked set piece. Luka Modrić did a faux stepover earlier than teammate Lovro Majer elegantly curled a free kick from 30 yards out over Morocco’s defensive wall and into the field. Ivan Perišić ran away from objective to attach on a glancing header, sending the ball in direction of the center of the penalty space for Joško Gvardiol to attach on a good looking, diving header that nestled contained in the publish from 12 yards out.

MOMENT OF THE DAY

.acf-block-preview .instagram-twitter-container {
width: 340px;
margin: 0 auto;
}

SIX PACK OF STATS

• At age 37, Croatia’s Luka Modrić is the oldest participant to function in seven video games at a single males’s World Cup match.

• Before this sport, Croatia had stored a clear sheet in all three of its earlier World Cup matches towards African sides, beating Cameroon 4-0 in 2014, Nigeria 2-0 in 2018, and drawing 0-0 with Morocco within the group stage this 12 months.

• Only Lionel Messi has been straight concerned in additional World Cup objectives (16) than Croatia’s Ivan Perišić throughout the final three males’s tournaments (11 – six objectives, 5 assists).

• Morocco’s Hakim Ziyech and Achraf Hakimi performed of their tenth World Cup video games on Saturday, equalling Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Al-Daeyea because the Arab gamers with probably the most appearances within the competitors.

• Bilal El Khannous is the youngest-ever starter for Morocco on the World Cup (18 years and 221 days), breaking the earlier file set by Achraf Hakimi in 2018 (19 years and 223 days).

• Croatia has solely misplaced two of its 14 whole matches throughout the final two World Cups (with six wins and 6 attracts): versus France within the 2018 ultimate and Argentina on this 12 months’s semifinal.

Stats courtesy of Opta

THREE STARS OF THE DAY

1) Mislav Oršić (Croatia): The Dinamo Zagreb attacker scored his second objective in 27 caps for his nation with a stunning shot within the forty second minute to seal Croatia’s third-place end.

2) Mateo Kovačić (Croatia): It was one other masterclass effort from the midfield dynamo, because the Chelsea star registered a game-high six tackles and had one shot.

3) Achraf Hakimi (Morocco): The PSG fullback was a relentless attacking menace down the best aspect, finishing 82.4 of his passes whereas additionally making 4 tackles.

LOOKING AHEAD TO SUNDAY

After a month of drama and spectacle, the 2022 FIFA World Cup attracts to an in depth with Sunday’s ultimate between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium (10:00 a.m. ET).

For Argentina, it’s an opportunity to win a 3rd title. For Lionel Messi, it’s one final alternative to win the World Cup after developing quick in his 4 earlier tournaments. For France, it might turn out to be solely the third nation to repeat as champions at a males’s World Cup, and the primary since Brazil received back-to-back tournaments in 1958 and 1962.

John Molinaro is likely one of the main soccer journalists in Canada, having coated the sport for over 20 years for a number of media retailers, together with Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is presently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, an internet site devoted to in-depth protection of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. TFC Republic might be discovered right here.