AA / Montreal / Hatem Kattou
The Croatian football team won a place on the podium of the Qatar 2022 World Cup on Saturday following beating its Moroccan counterpart, by the score of two goals to one, on the lawn of the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, in a match. tournament standings.
The first period of the match, officiated by Qatari referee Abdulrahman al-Jassim, whose appointment had been openly criticized the day before the match by Croatian coach Zlatko Dalic, was penalized by the score of two goals to one.
The small final got off to a flying start. Indeed, following nine minutes of play, the score was already one goal everywhere.
After a few minutes punctuated by a hesitation in the Moroccan defense, a similar start once morest France in the semi-finals, Croatia scored the first goal through Josko Gvardiol.
The young Croatian defender (20), who plays in the ranks of the German formation of RB Leipzig, concluded an action launched by Lovro Majer who takes a harmless free kick at the start. The excellent Ivan Perisic heads back to Gvardiol who crucifies the Moroccan goalkeeper, Yassine Bounou, completely beaten.
Note that at this time of the match, in the seventh minute, the Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livaković, had not yet touched the ball.
However, and following this catastrophic start to the match, the reaction of the foals of Walid Regragui was immediate. One minute following the opening of the Croatian score, the “Lions of the Atlas” set the record straight through the equalizer signed Achraf Dari (23 years old).
In an almost similar action, PSG member Achraf Hakimi skillfully fired a free kick which was involuntarily deflected by Lovro Majer to find Stade Brestois central defender Achraf Dari at the far post, forgotten by the defensive marking, who it only remained for him to nestle the leather of the head in the nets of Dominik Livaković.
Then, and three minutes from the end of the first period, the experienced Dinamo Zagreb midfielder, Mislav Orsic doubled the lead for the Balkan selection, when he benefited from a decisive pass delivered by Marko Livaja, to roll up his ball from the right and deceive the vigilance of the Moroccan goalkeeper.
After the lemon break, Hakim Ziyech’s teammates tried to react but without succeeding.
During an intense and tense second half, during which the Qatari referee was “jostling” by the repeated protests of the players, Moroccans in particular, both the “Lions of the Atlas” and the “Vatreni” got themselves several chances but without concretization.
Note that the two teams had already met in the competition during their first match in the group stage.
Indeed, during the opening match of group D, Moroccans and Croats left with a score of zero parity during a confrontation that was insipid and lacking in rhythm, unlike a small final, rhythmic, tense and fun to follow.
Thus, and following a second place at the Russian World Cup in 2018, following a lost final once morest France, Croatia downgrades in the standings but while keeping one foot on the podium.
The “Vatreni” thus repeat their performance at the 1998 World Cup, when they had obtained a third place following having disposed in a classification match, disputed on the lawn of the Parc des Princes in Paris, of the Netherlands by the score of two goals to one.
Morocco, meanwhile, and although concluding its participation in the World Cup with a narrow defeat, achieved the feat by becoming the first Arab and African selection to reach the stage of the semi-finals of a World Cup.
After neutralizing Croatia, beating Belgium without error in a reference match, disposing of an already eliminated Canada, Morocco successively eliminated the two Iberian teams (Spain and Portugal) in the round of 16 and in the quarter-finals, before falling to France.
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