Even so, Croatia are often seen as a dark horse team. Vatreni – the nickname for Croatia – managed to get rid of several strong teams to qualify for the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup like Belgium (group stage) and Brazil (quarter-finals). Croatia cannot be underestimated. Croatian midfielder and captain Luka Modric is still capable of showing great performances even though he is 37 years old.

Reported by okezone.com, Croatia also have an amazingly capable keeper, Dominik Livakovic. The 27-year-old goalkeeper was key to Croatia’s success in beating Brazil via penalty shootout, so it’s reported he’s now on Bayern Munich’s radar. On the other hand, Morocco are the team with the most surprising achievements in the 2022 World Cup. Being an unseeded team, the Atlas Lions – Morocco’s nickname – are actually able to surprise by beating several big teams.

In the preliminary round of Group F, Morocco surprisingly qualified for the Round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup as the group winners. This was achieved after Morocco held off Croatia and also beat Belgium (2-0) and Canada (2-1). Then in the round of 16, Morocco revived their extraordinary appearance by repelling Spain until extra time. Morocco finally qualified for the quarter-finals after beating Spain 3-0 on penalties.

It didn’t stop there, Morocco also beat Portugal 1-0 in the quarter-finals. Unfortunately, Walid Reragui’s team’s steps stopped in the semi-finals after they were beaten by defending champions France 0-2. Despite everything, Morocco managed to make history by becoming the first African team to qualify for the semi-finals of the World Cup. Of course, Morocco can record a better story if they finish in third place in the 2022 World Cup. When it comes to overall performance, Morocco tends to be more favored to win the game.

The fight for “3rd place” or the third best World Cup result seems to have a story. The first time that FIFA imposed this format was during the 1954 World Cup, that is to say 24 years after the start of the World Cup. At that time, the winner was Austria who beat Uruguay 3-1. When first applied, this “3rd place” contest apparently drew criticism.

Reported by detik.com, many football observers at the time felt that the race for 3rd place was just an entertainment game and too much pressure on the mentality of the players who had lost in the semi-finals. Even so, FIFA remained “serious” and awarded the bronze medal. Over time, apparently, the battle for “3rd place” remained in demand and exciting. In fact, many goals are created.

In the last five editions alone, the total goals scored in the race for “3rd place” in the World Cup have registered 19 goals. Compared to the final match, only 12 goals. South Korea, the only Asian team to play in the 3rd place match at the 2002 World Cup, but lost 2-3 to Turkey. Over time, the battle for ‘3rd place’ in the World Cup has been rewarded with hefty broadcast rights. Even the winners will also receive a considerable cash prize.

The winner of the “3rd place” at the 2022 World Cup will receive 22 million euros or the equivalent of IDR 365 billion, the loser will receive 20 million euros or the equivalent of IDR 332 billion. FIFA will also continue to impose 3rd place at the next World Cup. List of World Cup ‘3’ winners: Germany (three times but one of them is always West Germany), France (twice), Poland (twice), Austria, Chile , Portugal, Brazil, Italy, Sweden, Croatia, Turkey, Netherlands, and Belgium. 7

PLAYER PREDICTION
Croatia (4-3-3): Dominik Livakovic; Josip Juranovic, Dejan Lovren, Josko Gvardiol, Born Sosa; Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic, Mateo Kovacic; Nikola Vlasic, Andrej Kramaric, Ivan Perisic. Coach: Zlatko Dalic.

Morocco (5-4-1): Yassine Bounou; Achraf Hakimi, Jawad El Yamiq, Nayef Aguerd, Selim Amallah, Noussair Mazraoui; Hakim Ziyech, Azzedine Ounahi, Sofyan Amrabat, Sofiane Boufal; Youssef En-Nesyri. Coach: Walid Reragui.