Croatia vs Morocco FIFA World Cup 2022 Highlights: CRO seal third-place finish with 2-1 win over MAR

The Moroccan players are not handling this well at all. A number of them trying to get at the referee and then their coach Walid Regragui gets in the faces of the officials. The referees were quite brilliant throughout the match. Morocco will certainly feel hard done by because of the fact that they lost and hopefully, they won't be putting this on them. 

Attiat-Allah's cross from the right. A looping one which is exactly what En-Nesyri would have wanted, flies up but his header goes just over the bar. That will be the last action of the day. 

The Moroccans are surrounding the referee for almost every challenge that Croatia are throwing at them inside the box. Their latest appeal for penalty comes after En-Nesyri went down while competing for a header from Hakimi's cross. 

86 mins: En-Nessyri lays it off for the onrushing Kovacic who enters the box but can't quite find the finishing touch. He had just the keeper to beat there but Kovacic is no striker. 

77 mins: First Gvardiol surges into the area before making a pass to Vlasic and then going down to a challenge from Amrabat. Referee says no penalty. Then Hakimi goes down at the edge of the box to a challenge. There is a VAR check for that and it was deemed that incident happened just outside the box. In between the two incidents was a fantastic save from Livakovic after some confusion between his centre-backs allowed En-Nesyri to collect the box inside the box and take a free shot at his goal.  

71 mins: Amrabat gives the ball away, it goes to Vlasic who takes a shot from 40 yards out. That was a dangerous one. 

Some more fine play between Hakimi and Ziyech before the former sends it in from the right. Sutalo clears it away under pressure from En-Nesyri. 

60 mins: Kramaric is struggling and he is eventually taken off. He is in tears as he hobbles off the pitch, Nikola Vlasic replaces him. 

56 mins: Morocco make the exchange first, with debutant Bilal el Khannouss being taken off for Azzedine Ounahi, who has had a dream of a tournament here. 

Kovacic tackled inside the box but the ball runs to Mayer at the byline. He puts in a low cross that is cleared. 

And Orsic almost scores another belter straightaway! Cuts inside from the left and then sends in a rising drive that took a deflection and hit the side netting. 

Croatia have had more of the ball but only slightly. As far as actual attempts are concerned, Croatia have nine so far while Morocco have just three. However, Croatia taking the lead is a bit against the run of play considering Morocco were pressing the opposition back at the time.

Well go on, pick the bones out of that one. Instead of allowing the game to just drift, these two sides have decided to go out of the World Cup in a blaze of glory. At least that seems to be the case judging by the way they have played the first half. Let's hope they continue the same way in the second as well. 

42 mins: Orsic gets the ball from the left and takes the shot at a tight angle to the far post. It beats Bono, hits the inside of the post and goes in. 

29 mins: Oh, that move breaks down because En-Nesyri ran a bit too much and Hakimi's cross goes behind him. An absolutely fantastic one-two between Hakimi and Ziyech releases the former down the right flank. Hakimi sends a low cross from the byline but Ek-Nesyri has ran beyond the six yard line and has to reach back with his head. It is beyond him. 

23 mins: Croatia are all over the Moroccan defence. Modric sends a couple of defenders sprawling on the floor with some fancy footwork just outside the box before taking a shot right through Dari's legs. It is always awkward for a goalkeeper when the ball goes through the feet of a defender in front of him and somehow, he palms it away from his feet.  

17 mins: Boufal loses the ball in his half and Kramaric pushes forward from the  midfield with Orsic on his left. He gives it to Orsic and gets in the box but the latter cuts inside and takes the shot which clatters into Kramaric. The ball is pinged inside again and this time Kramaric meets it with a header at the near post. Bounou is there to collect it. This is a good period from Croatia, they have done most of the attacking in these last 5 minutes. 

Some fantastic back and forth action here. Orsic cuts in from the right and takes a shot from distance that veers just wide. Dari then stretches to stop Livaja's cross from reaching Kramaric. Third place play-offs are regarded as the one World Cup match that no team wants to play. Well, tell that to these two sides because they have clearly missed the memo and prepared for war here. Excellent stuff. 

9 mins: How do you respond going behind inside the first seven minutes? By scoring a goal, that's how. Achraf Dari has the goal and this one also came from a free kick routine. Ziyech sends it in from just under 30 yards out on the right. Modric unwittingly heads it towards the Croatian goal in an attempt to clear it, Dari latches it on to it and heads it past Livakovic. Wow, what a start this is!

6 mins: A wonderful set-piece goal and Croatia get a much deserved lead. Free kick on the left for Croatia, Modric takes it, pops it to Perisic who heads it further into the box where Gvardiol turns it in. 

2 mins: Jawad El Yamiq slips while trying to clear the ball from the byline, Bounou comes to the ball holding up his hands as if to say, “Keep calm”. He then sees a Croatian player running towards him and terribly miscues his clearance. The ball runs along the ground accross the face of goal, getting dangerously closer and closer to the goalline before going out of play on the other side. Extraordinary!

Croatia get the match underway. Both teams are in their home jersies. 

Hakim Ziyech leads Morocco out with Romain Saiss on the bench. Luka Modrid has the armband for Croatia. The Croatian national anthem comes first after which the Moroccan anthem is belted out by the majority in the stadium.

This marks the first time in this World Cup that two teams are playing each other for a second meeting. The last match between Croatia and Morocco was in the group stage and ended in a 0-0 draw. Little did we know then that Croatia old warhorses would dump the mighty Brazil and reach the semis, or Morocco's inspirational batch of young and experienced players would take football in Africa to new heights.   

Bono; Hakimi, Dari, El Yamiq, Attiat-Allah; Sabiri, Amrabat, El Khannouss; Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Boufal.

Substitutes: Aguerd, Saiss, Ounahi, Hamdallah, Zaroury, Chair, El Kajoui, Aboukhlal, Amallah, Ezzalzouli, Cheddira, Tagnaouti, Benoun, Jabrane.