Morocco falls to 4th place after loss to Croatia
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Morocco loses the race for the 3rd place after Croatia was able to secure a 2-1 victory.
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Morocco during their game with Croatia, December 17, 2022, Qatar (Getty Images)
Morocco lost on Saturday third place to Croatia after a daunting match for the North African Arab country against the team that had made it to the finals in the last world cup.
Croatia's Josko Gvardiol scored the opener in the seventh minute, though the Croats only had the upper hand for two minutes as Morocco's Achraf Dari scored a goal in the ninth minute that brought the score to a tie that lasted nearly throughout the first half.
Mislav Orsic scored the decisive goal in the 42nd minute, and there was no response from the Atlas Lions for the remainder of the game.
Check out: Morocco celebrate making history in World Cup
Gvardiol, 20, became the youngest goalscorer of the Croatian national team at the World Cup, surpassing Ivica Olic.
This is Croatia's second bronze World Cup medal since the 1998 World Cup in France, with the second place in 2018 being the team's highest achievement to date.
Disappointment hit Moroccans on Wednesday after their team's semi-final defeat to France, but nothing could efface the feeling of pride in an outstanding World Cup performance that spurred tears of joy across Africa and the Arab world.
As France scored the second goal, Al-Bayt Stadium suddenly went quiet, echoing a sheer silence that trespassed Rabat and Casablanca and landed in Beirut, Cairo, and Dakar.
France defeated Morocco 2-0 on Wednesday to advance to the World Cup championship game against Argentina on Sunday at Lusail Stadium.
Read Next: Fact check: Waving the Palestinian flag is not 'anti-Semitic', taz
The Moroccan national team has garnered a lot of support and sympathy from fans all over the world due to its support for the Palestinian cause, raising the Palestinian flag after every single one of their great wins in the World Cup.
The Moroccan national team celebrated its advance into the World Cup quarter-finals through its victory over Spain with the Palestinian flag, expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people.
The celebration of the win, gained by Morocco through a landslide victory in penalty kicks, garnered a lot of attention on social media, with thousands posting photos and videos of the players celebrating their historic win with the Palestinian flag.
