Croatia secured a 2-1 victory over Morocco in the World Cup third-place play-off on Saturday, with Mislav Orsic scoring the winning goal with a curling strike.
The match, held at the Khalifa International Stadium in Qatar, saw Josko Gvardiol put Croatia in the lead in the seventh minute with a header, but Morocco’s Achraf Dari quickly equalized with a header of his own.
Orsic’s goal late in the first half secured the bronze medal for Croatia, making it the 11th consecutive World Cup in which a European team has finished third.
The match was a far cry from the cagey 0-0 draw between the two teams in the group stage, with both sides showing a strong offensive presence.
Morocco had a late penalty appeal turned down and Youssef En-Nesyri narrowly missed a header, but ultimately were unable to find a way past Croatia’s Dominik Livakovic in goal.
