Muthanna Al-Ahmad / Anatolia
FIFA President Gianni Infantino handed, on Saturday, the bronze medal to the players and managers of the Croatian national team, following defeating Morocco with two goals to one in the third and fourth place match for the Qatar World Cup 2022.
Croatia’s goals were scored by defender Jvardiol and Mislav Orsic in the 7th and 42nd minutes, while Ashraf Dari scored Morocco’s goal in the 9th minute.
Croatian coach Zlatko Dalic commented on his country’s victory in third place, in press statements following the bronze medal, during which he expressed his great happiness at achieving another distinguished achievement for the second edition in a row.
Dalic said: “This medal is dedicated to the entire Croatian people, everyone who follows us and loves us. Getting two medals in two consecutive World Cups is great. I congratulate the players.”
He added, “For me, this bronze is gold, hardly anyone can repeat such a result in four years. This is our seventh match in the tournament, it was good and we will go home, it is good to return home winners.”
Croatian midfielder Lovro Mager, his coach, shared the joy, and stated in statements reported by “Koora”: “I am proud to participate with this team, and happy to win over Morocco.”
Regarding the performance of the “Atlas Lions”, Majer said: “The Moroccan national team achieved a great achievement by reaching the Golden Square, for the first time in its history. It is a dangerous team on the offensive level and organized on the defensive level, thanks to its coach Walid Rekragui, who presented a wonderful tournament.”
On the other hand, Walid Regragui, coach of the Moroccan national team, expressed his regret over the defeat, telling BN Sports following the match: “It is a bitter loss, but I think it is well deserved. We saw a team that did not give up.”
He added, “We will remember many matches, and we will come back stronger. We united our country for a month, and everyone was happy.”
For his part, Anas Al-Zarzouri, the Moroccan national team player, expressed his “regret for losing third place,” but stressed “the importance of Morocco’s achievement in the World Cup” and described it as “a cause for pride.”
Local Moroccan websites reported statements by Al-Zarzouri, in which he said: “It is sad to lose the match, but we made everyone proud of us, not only Moroccans, but all Arabs and Muslims. We felt that support and it is sad that we did not win this match.”
He continued, “We were very close to third place, and at the end of the match we had many chances, and we might have scored a draw or even won.”
Ashraf Dari, Mahrez’s only Moroccan goal once morest Croatia, told Al-Kass channel, saying: “Of course, this football has a winner and a loser, and we might not win today in order to make the Moroccan fans happy.”
And he continued, “The Moroccan fans were thirsty for us to be in the final, but that was not written for us, just as it was not written for us to win today, and I hope that we will make Moroccans happy in the upcoming tournaments, God willing.”
Croatia had previously won third place in the 1998 World Cup in France, and was runner-up in the previous edition in Russia 2018.
While the “Atlas Lions” became the first Arab and African team to win the fourth place in the history of the world finals, following a wonderful journey through which it reached the semi-finals before losing to the defending champion France with two unanswered goals.
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