Croatia finish third place in World Cup with 2-1 win against Morocco

Croatia have claimed third place in the 2022 World Cup after a narrow 2-1 victory against Morocco.

The runners-up from 2018 secured a medal for a second consecutive tournament once the final whistle blew at Khalifa International Stadium this evening.

Croatia had a running start, with Josko Gvardiol putting the side ahead with a header into the goal at the seventh minute.

However, just two minutes later, Moroccan defender Achraf Dari scored an equalising goal, spelling a frantic start to the third-place playoff.

But Mislav Orsic's helped seal his team's victory three minutes from half-time with a curling shot from just inside the area.

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Croatia have once again exceeded expectations during the tournament. Credit: AP

Croatian captain Luka Modric has yet to call time on his international career but this was likely to be his last World Cup appearance.

This year the 37-year-old Real Madrid midfielder once again led an unfancied Croatia further than some of the biggest names of the game.

The second half became an attritional affair as the strain of playing seven games across the tournament began to take its toll on the two sides. Both Jawad El Yamiq and goalscorer Dari limped off for Morocco while an emotional Andrej Kramaric was forced off for Croatia.

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FIFA President Gianni Infantino congratulates Croatia's Luka Modric. Credit: AP

Croatia felt they should have had a penalty when Gvardiol was clipped but their calls were turned away by Qatari official Abdulrahman Al Jassim. With players tiring, the evergreen Modric ploughed on, becoming the oldest outfield player to feature in seven World Cup matches in one tournament and still chasing down defenders in the closing stages as he bowed out of the tournament with another medal.

The FIFA 2022 World Cup final will take place tomorrow and will kick off at 3pm UK time (6pm local time). The final will be aired live on both ITV 1 and BBC One, and can also be streamed via ITVX and the BBC iPlayer.

ITV's live coverage of the match build-up starts from 1.30pm (GMT).

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