Watch: Croatia fans celebrate after finishing third in the FIFA World Cup 2022

Croatia ended up taking third place at the World Cup after a 2-1 win over Morocco at Khalifa International Stadium on Saturday. Croatia fans came out to the streets and thronged the huge tv screens. They lit flares and celebrated into the night in the country’s capital city of Zagreb.
Luka Modric high-fived and embraced his Croatia teammates after what was likely the midfield great’s last appearance at the World Cup.
Some of the Morocco players sank to their knees in dismay, while others went in search of the referee to complain.

The scenes!!! ❤️#FIFAWorldCup #HRV #Vatreni pic.twitter.com/j63Eqsz0wa
— Croatian Football 🇭🇷🇺🇦 (@CroatiaFooty) December 17, 2022
So much for this being a meaningless game.
“It is as if we have won the gold,” said Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić, whose team lost in the final four years ago.
To some, the third-place match is considered to be little more than an exhibition between two losing semifinals. The day before the match, Morocco coach Walid Regragui described it as a “boo prize.”
However, as the final whle blew on Morocco’s horic run at the World Cup, the disappointment was clear to see.
So, too, was the delight on Croatian faces.
Modric, at the age of 37 and a serial winner of soccer’s biggest prizes with Real Madrid, could not keep the smile from his face as he went up to collect his bronze medal.
“This medal is very important for us, for me, for my country, for Croatia as a national team,” Modric said. “We confirm with this medal that Croatia is playing an important role in world of football. We are leaving Qatar as winners.”
The World Cup final between defending champion France and Argentina is scheduled for Sunday at Lusail Stadium.
Mislav Orsic scored the decisive goal for Croatia shortly before halftime to ensure Modric finished on a winning note, if this does indeed turn out to be his last World Cup match.
“Now it is step step step and continue until least the Nations League and after we will see,” Modric said.
Defender Josko Gvardiol put Croatia ahead in the seventh minute with a diving header, but Achraf Dari evened the score in the ninth.
It is the second time Croatia has taken third place at the World Cup. The team also achieved that feat in its first appearance at the tournament as an independent nation in 1998.
“These are the moments we live for, we work for, we train for,” Dalić said. “That’s the most emotional moment of the World Cup for us, tonight’s match and the win.”
Croatia’s Luka Modric, right, Ivan Perisic, center, and Mateo Kovacic celebrate with their medals after the World Cup third-place playoff soccer match between Croatia and Morocco at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022. Croatia won 2-1. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
After becoming the first African team to reach the World Cup semifinals, Morocco’s tournament ended in two losses. But the team’s achievements in Qatar will be remembered for the outpouring of pride among Arab nations.
“Of course we are disappointed, but when we wake up tomorrow we will realize how much we have achieved,” Regragui said. “We had 0.01% of winning this World Cup at the outset and we managed to get through to the last four. We played against some of the footballing powerhouses of the world.
“We are now one of the top four teams in the world and if you had told me that before the World Cup and that Morocco would be No. 4 in the world, I would have accepted that straight away.”
Morocco’s run to the semifinals was the unlikeliest story of the tournament, topping a group that contained Croatia and second-ranked Belgium. The team then beat Spain and Portugal in the knockout stages.
“For me, football makes people dream and children in particular,” Regragui said. “In Morocco and Africa, we have kept those dreams alive. It means more than a victory at the World Cup.”Subscriber Only StoriesPremiumPremiumPremiumPremium
– With AP inputs