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FULL-TIME, Croatia 2-1 Morocco: Croatia had to survive a lot of pressure in the second half, but they’ve won a hard-fought battle to finish third in this year’s World Cup after ending their run in Russia as runners-up four years ago. It’s a remarkable achievement for a nation of four million people, and as for Ez Abde and Morocco they’ve achieved the highest-ever finish for an African country and should leave Qatar very proud of what they’ve done.
SECOND HALF KICKOFF! Croatia 2-1 Morocco: Back underway for the final period!
HALFTIME, Croatia 2-1 Morocco: Third-game playoffs are always hugely entertaining, and this one is no different.
GOAL! Croatia 2-1 Morocco (Orsic 42’): CROATIA ARE BACK IN FRONT! After a scramble at the edge of the box the ball finds Orsic who curls a BEAUTY into the top corner off the post!
GOAL! Croatia 1-1 Morocco (Dari 9’): MOROCCO EQUALIZE! An instant response from the Africans as a Ziyech free-kick is deflected at the edge of the box and the ball falls perfectly to Dari who heads it home! What a start to this one!
GOAL! Croatia 1-0 Morocco (Gvardiol 7’): CROATIA TAKE THE LEAD! A very nice set piece routine ends with a Perisic assist and a Gvardiol header into the net!
KICKOFF! Croatia 0-0 Morocco: And we’re underway in Al Rayyan!
WELCOME TO THE 2022 WORLD CUP MEDAL WEEKEND! After one of the most memorable four weeks in the history of the biggest tournament in sports, it’s time to find out who lifts the trophy. But first, we have to decide the order in which the two semi-final losers will finish.
Which brings us to the Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan where Croatia and Morocco will fight for the bronze medal in what promises to be a very fun third-place playoff. These games are almost always a guarantee for entertainment as both sides have nothing to lose and want to leave the tournament with a victory after the disappointment of the semi-final defeat.
Morocco have already clinched the highest-ever finish for an African nation in the World Cup, but Barça loanee Ez Abde and his teammates would no doubt love to end a dream month in Qatar with a top-three finish. Croatia would also like to finish third and follow up on their second-place run in 2018 with yet another deep run against all odds, and after the poor performance against Argentina in the semi-final they will surely look to play better and leave the tournament in high spirits.
This should be all kinds of fun, and you’re welcome to join us to follow and comment all the action. Vamos!
(Note: the comments will be open only when the team news come out, because our commenter people love commenting and sometimes there are too many comments in the comments section)
LINEUPS
CROATIA
Starting XI: Livakovic; Stanisic, Sutalo, Gvardiol, Perisic; Modric, Kovacic; Majer, Kramaric, Orsic; Livaja (4-2-3-1)
Substitutes: Grbic (GK), Ivusic (GK), Barisic, Erlic, Lovren, Sosa, Vida, Juranovic, Jakic, Brozovic, Pasalic, Sucic, Vlasic, Petkovic, Budimir
MOROCCO
Starting XI: Bounou; Hakimi, Dari, Yamiq, Allah; Khannous, Amrabat, Sabiri; Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Boufal (4-3-3)
Substitutes: Munir (GK), Tagnaouti (GK), Aguerd, Saiss, Banoune, Ounahi, Amallah, Jabrane, Hamdallah, Zaroury, Chair, Aboukhal, Ez Abde, Cheddira
MATCH INFO
Competition/Round: 2022 FIFA World Cup, Third-Place Playoff
Date/Time: Saturday, December 17, 2022, 6pm local time, 10am ET, 7am PT (USA), 4pm WAT (Nigeria), 8.30pm IST (India)
Venue: Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (QAT)
HOW TO WATCH
On TV: FOX (USA), SuperSport (Nigeria), Sports18 (India), others
Online: FOX Sports App, Sling TV (USA), others
Matchday Thread Rules
We don’t have a lot of rules here, but there are a few things to keep in mind when joining our matchday threads:
Even if the referee sucks or we lose the game, watch the swearing. It’s just unnecessary. Also, don’t discuss illegal streaming links. Those who do it will be warned, and those who post links will be instantly banned. Finally, be nice to each other. This is a Barcelona community and we don’t need to offend one another.
Have fun with the game! Forever and ever, no matter the competition, VISCA EL BARÇA!
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