Croatia, a country of less than four million people, has been represented at six FIFA World Cups™. It now has medals from three of them.
That is the remarkable achievement this proud football nation can bask in after beating Morocco 2-1 to claim bronze at Qatar 2022.
Although the third-place play-off was the match that neither of these teams wanted to be involved in, both contested it with a passion and intensity befitting the final itself.
And after Croatia prevailed at Khalifa International Stadium, the celebrations – captured by FIFA+ – showed just how much these latest medals meant to them.
A sad end to a fantastic campaign
Morocco have thrilled everyone at Qatar 2022, slaying more than one giant en route to the country’s best-ever World Cup finish. But there was to be no place on the podium, and the reaction of Hakim Yiyech and his team-mates betrayed how much they had wanted a medal to show for their extraordinary efforts.
Pride and passion
Croatia’s World Cup journey began in 1998 with a historic bronze in France, and Luka Modric and Co have written their names into their nation’s sporting folklore with their achievements in Russia and Qatar. Joy abounded as they collected their latest World Cup mementos.
Together until the end
Though evidently crestfallen, Morocco’s players took time to offer thanks to their supporters and offer a united prayer in the wake of this bruising defeat.
Coach and captain
Zlatko Dalic has said that he is “quite certain” that Modric, 37, will play on at least until UEFA EURO 2024. Given the midfielder’s performances in Qatar, and the evident bond between Croatia’s on and off-field leaders, it’s no wonder he’s desperate for his evergreen skipper to play on.
