Croatia 2-1 Morocco: Orsic stunner seals World Cup third-place playoff

Croatia beat Morocco 2-1 on Saturday in Qatar to seal third place at the World Cup in Qatar. 

While both sides will still be disappointed to have fallen at the final hurdle before Sunday's final, which is between France and Argentina, both exceeded expectations making it this far. 

Croatia were not among the pre-tournament favourites despite reaching the final four years ago, while Morocco defied the odds to become the first African and Arab team to reach a semifinal. 

Josko Gvardiol gave Croatia a seventh-minute lead on Saturday in an entertaining first half. 

Achraf Dari pulled one back for Morocco almost immediately, but Croatia went in ahead at the break thanks to a good goal from Mislav Orsic. 

There were no further goals in the second period as Croatia closed out the win to end another impressive World Cup campaign. 

Third in 1998, second in 2018 and third in 2022 represent a fine achievement for a nation of just under four million people. 

Morocco's success in Qatar has also been significant and will hopefully pave the way for other African and Arab teams to continue to upset the traditional powerhouses in future tournaments.