Match 9 of the FIFA World Cup 2022 saw Morocco take on the runner’s up from the last world cup, Croatia, who lost to France in the finals in 2018. Croatia walked into the match as favorites and were confident of scoring their first victory of the tournament against a less experienced Morocco at the Al Bayt Stadium.
Luka Modric’s men walked onto the field with their spirits held high after a scintilating performance in the last season. The team was looking to being this season on a winning note. As the match began, we got to witness the quickest foul of this World Cup as Boufal nudged one of his opponents while trying to steer away with the ball. A couple of fouls continued in the next few minutes from both teams until the first attempted goal of the match in the 13th minute by Moroccan forward Ziyech, that didn’t go through as Yassine Bounou blocked the shot. Croatia soon gained pace and control, with Perisic attempting to score in the 17th minute but failed.
The action kept going back and forth as the clock ticked by, and both teams maintaining an attacking gameplay. Croatia tried to build early pressure on the opposition by attacking from the left flank as Luka Modric plays the ball into the D, but the linesman signals an offside. Morocco then got a free kick, outside the D, which is cleared away. There was plenty of action towards the end of the first half, but the score remained 0-0 as the referee blew the whistle signaling the end of the first.
The second half began with Morocco attacking the Croatian defense, quite similar to what the oppositiion did in the first half. 10 minutes into the second half, Sofiane Boufal (Morocco) striked at the Croatian goal but was blocked by the goalie Dominik Livakovic. Another quick attempt followed when Noussair Mazraoui tried to send a diving header past Livakovic, but was blocked again. The attack then shifted quickly to the other side as Croatia sent an aerial pass from the right that was however cleared away. Another swift attack by Croatia to score, but Bounou manages to block and the Moroccan defenders clear the ball away.
With 7 minutes of extra time added, both teams tussled hard to find the perfect opportunity to score. However, Ziyech conceded a free kick at a crucial time as Croatia looked for a quick attack deep in added time, but the Moroccan lineup managed to clear the ball as the referee called the final whistle to end the match as the scoreboard at the full time reads 0-0 for a draw.
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