Croatia 2-1 Morocco: Player ratings as Vatreni secure bronze in Luka Modric's likely final tournament appearance | 2022 FIFA World Cup
Croatia beat Morocco 2-1 on Saturday (December 17) in the third place playoff to win bronze at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The Vatreni went in front in the seventh minute through Josko Gvardiol, but Achraf Dari equalised for the Atlas Lions just two minutes later. Mislav Orsic restored Croatia's lead in the 42nd minute. Zlatko Dalic's side held out a wave of Moroccan attacks after the break to secure a third-place finish.
CROATIA TAKE THIRD PLACE AT THE 2022 WORLD CUP! 🇭🇷 https://t.co/QHNaNFpTrU
The game was likely Modric's last in the competition and the 37-year-old bows out with a bronze medal. It was Croatia's second third-place finish, also 1998.
Despite the loss, Morocco can be proud of their 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign, as it was one for the books. The Atlas Lions are the first African team to reach the semis and finish in the top four.
Here are the player ratings for Croatia and Morocco:
Croatia Player Ratings
Dominik Livakovic - 7/10
The Croatian custodian had a comfortable evening, with Morocco not threatening directly, but a clean sheet was not to be.
Josip Stanisic - 7.5/10
He played for the first time in the World Cup and made the most of it with a good performance, creating a nice chance for Kovacic late on.
Josip Sutalo - 7.5/10
Sutalo stepped up whenever Morocco were on the attack, with five clearances to boot.
Josko Gvardiol - 8/10
Gvardiol, 20, put Croatia in front with a wonderful header, becoming the youngest to score for the Vatreni at the FIFA World Cup.
Joško Gvardiol takes his #Batman role seriously and flies to score the opener! 🦇 #CROMAR
#FIFAWorldCup #Qatar2022 #Family #Vatreni❤️🔥 https://t.co/IfpTLj3A9l
Mislav Orsic - 8/10
He restored Croatia's lead with a fabulous strike in the closing stages of the first half.
Lovro Majer - 7/10
A dangerous presence in attack for Croatia, he made three key passes.
Luka Modric - 7.5/10
It was another great performance as Modrid likely ended his World Cup run on a high
A master in the midfield 🇭🇷🪄
If this is the last time we see Luka Modrić at a FIFA World Cup, it's been an absolute pleasure 👏👏 https://t.co/KBFdM72cma
Mateo Kovacic - 7.5/10
His ball-winning ability was on full display and passed the ball around well too.
Ivan Perisic - 7.5/10
The Inter Milan star set up Gvardiol with a lovely headed pass.
Marko Livaja - 7.5/10
Livaja set up Orsic for Croatia's second goal.
Andrej Kramaric - 6.5/10
He huffed and puffed but couldn't offer anything meaningful up front and went off with an injury in the second half.
Croatia Substitutes
Nikola Vlasic - 5/10
He completed just four passes in 29 minutes of action.
Bruno Petkovic - 5/10
A peripheral figure
Mario Pasalic - 6/10
He tried to drive into the box late on but was blocked off by Badr Benoun.
Kristijan Jakic - N/A
Not enough time to make an impact.
Morocco Player Ratings
Yassine Bono - 6.5/10
No clean sheet for the Moroccan wall tonight
Achraf Hakimi - 7/10
The PSG star was realtively quiet. He lifted a good cross in the 90th minute, but it was too high for Benoun.
Achraf Dari - 7.5/10
He equalised for Morocco with his first international strike.
A first Morocco goal for Achraf Dari, who only made his senior international debut in June.🇲🇦 https://t.co/nvDyzuUu0U
Jawad El Yamiq - 6.5/10
The defender made a crucial deflection on Orsic in the second half by forcing the ball out for a corner.
Yahia Attiyat Allah - 6.5/10
He made some good overlapping runs.
Abdelhamid Sabiri - 5/10
The midfielder struggled to get himself in the game during the opening stanza and was hooked off at half-time.
Sofyan Amrabat - 6.5/10
He was lucky not to have conceded a penalty for bringing down Gvardiol in the 74th minute. Morocco had a real let-off there.
Bilal El Khannouss - 6/10
He was caught out in possession early on by Kramaric, and the forward passed it to Livaja, whose poor touch meant the chance went begging.
Hakim Ziyech - 7/10
The Moroccan talisman started slowly but eventually grew into the game. He took almost all the set-pieces for his team on the night.
Youssef En-Nesyri - 7/10
The striker's aerial prowess was there for all to see, but he didn't test Croatia directly enough.
Sofiane Boufal - 6.5/10
He produced a burst of acceleration in the 58th minute, but unfortunately for him, no Morocco player was able to keep up with him, and the chance went begging.
Morocco Substitutes
Ilias Chair (46' for Sabiri) - 6/10
He attempted a desperate cross deep in stoppage time, but it was straight at Livakovic.
Azzedine Ounahi (56' for Khannouss) - 6/10
He was the first to get booked in the game, in the 69th minute for dissent.
Badr Benoun (64' for Dari) - 6.5/10
He made a crucial block on Vlasic as he looked to drive into the box in the closing stages of regulation time.
Anass Zaroury (64' for Boufal) - 6/10
None of his three crosses were accurate.
Selim Amallah (67' for Yamiq) - 6.5/10
He was booked in the 84th minute for dissent.