Croatia and Morocco will no longer be seen as the same teams after the World Cup in Qatar.
For Croatians, the tournament was a chance to reaffirm their new status on the world stage, proving that their runner-up finish in 2018, the best performance of the generation led by Luka Modric, 37, was not luck or the work of chance.
Since 1991, with the dismemberment of the former Yugoslavia, it is the third time that they have been among the four best teams in the world. The first was in 1998 in France.
For Moroccans, it was a bit more. They now own the best campaign by an African and Arabic-speaking nation in the history of the competition.
The most reached by an African had been the quarterfinals: Cameroon, in 1990, Senegal, in 2002, and Ghana, in 2010.
The fact that Croatia won this Saturday (17) the dispute between the two countries for third place, by 2 to 1, at the Khalifa stadium, was just a backdrop in trajectories of which the fans of both countries can be proud.
Even so, they still played a great game.
Third place disputes tend to have cold games, with teams without much spirit, as if playing was just an obligation. This was not the case for Croatia and Morocco, both determined to win from the first minute.
The Croatians from the beginning sought to occupy the attacking field. Although a little further from the area, almost like a steering wheel, Modric moved from one side to the other, carving spaces for his teammates to infiltrate the defense. In his farewell to the Cups, he wanted to show his entire repertoire.
After being forced to change their style against France, in the semifinal, when they conceded an early goal, the Morocco team resumed their pragmatic football, betting on counterattacks. Not even when he conceded an early goal, in a beautifully rehearsed play by the Croatians, did they change their stance.
It even looked like a choreographed dance, something coach Zlatko Dalic isn’t a fan of. At least, not on the field. But the free kick that opened the scoring, in the 7th minute, was orchestrated by him.
After a cross to the left of the penalty area, Perisic assisted Gvardiol, also from above, to try hard for the back of the net.
As it has done in every game in this Cup, the Moroccan crowd grew just at the moment when the team most needed it. This time, the players did not take long to react. At 8, they returned the goal with the same venom. Ziyech crossed into the penalty area and Dari headed the ball towards the goal.
When the tie looked as if it would extend until the break, even with the Croatians prowling the opposing area more, Orsic surprised the good goalkeeper Bono with a curved shot, which hit the crossbar before dying in the back of the net, in the 42nd minute.
After the break, it was Morocco’s turn to be more present in the attack, in search of a draw, but the Croatians proved again that they are good at defensive tactical application.
They locked Brazil that way in the quarterfinals. They just couldn’t do the same with Argentina in the semifinal.
In the 32nd minute, the Moroccans still claimed a penalty, supposedly conceded by Gvardiol. Disgusted with the non-marking of the penalty, the crowd shouted “Fifa mafia.”
The defeat does not erase the great feat of Morocco, which achieved the best record of an African team in World Cups in this edition. A result that also filled the Arab nations with pride, precisely in the first edition held in the Middle East.
Since they passed the group stage, eliminating Belgium, the Moroccans started to be treated as the big surprise of the World Cup. The label bothered Walid Regragui. For the Moroccan coach, the results were the fruit of “hard work”.
It took years to put together the team that conquered fans in Qatar and around the world. The formation began with the search for athletes who could defend the country, but who until some time ago were off the radar.
It was the children and grandchildren of migrants who, most of the time, chose to defend teams from European countries where their family members settled in search of a better life.
Reversing this flow and incorporating the talent of athletes with the nation’s DNA into the Moroccan national team was the work that resulted in the formation of a squad with athletes born in the Old Continent. They made the difference.
French-Moroccan Romain Saiss, for example, scored in the victory over Belgium. Born in the Netherlands, Ziyech made his mark against Canada. In one of the most emotional moments of the competition, Achraf Hakimi, born in Madrid, converted the last penalty in the victory over Spain, in the round of 16.
After going through Belgium, Spain and Portugal, Morocco only lost to France, current champions. But he sold the 2-0 defeat in the semifinal dearly, showing that he wasn’t there by chance.
As Regragui is proud to say, all the result of hard work, now recognized.
Something Croatians are more used to, especially Modric, who honorably played in his last World Cup.
As a seasoned news journalist, I bring a wealth of experience to the field. I’ve worked with world-renowned news organizations, honing my skills as a writer and reporter. Currently, I write for the sports section at News Bulletin 247, where I bring a unique perspective to every story.
