World Cup farewell: Luka Modric made what will surely be his final appearance on football’s biggest stage
(Picture: Getty Images)Luka Modric bowed out on a high as Croatia beat Morocco 2-1 in the third-place play-off in what was surely the 37-year-old's final appearance at a World Cup.
Modric's side found the cutting edge which was so sorely missing from their semi-final defeat by Argentina, with goals from Josko Gvardiol and Mislav Orsic either side of Achraf Dari's equaliser for Morocco.
Modric has given no indication that he is ready to retire from international football and his performances at his fourth finals suggest there should be no ruling him out of competing in the European Championship in Germany in 18 months' time.
The same applies to Ivan Perisic, 33, who created Croatia's opening goal for centre-half Gvardiol with a magnificent header to ensure that only Lionel Messi (16) has been directly involved in more goals across the last three tournaments than the Tottenham wing-back's 11.
In the seventh minute, Perisic peeled away to the left side of the penalty box for Lovro Majer's free-kick and headed powerfully back into the mixer, where Gvardiol rose to plant a flying header inside the post.
A superb finish will not stop the abiding memory of Gvardiol's tournament being Messi turning him inside out for Argentina's third goal on Tuesday night, but was no less than he deserved for a series of commanding displays in Qatar.
Morocco were level inside two minutes, also from a free-kick, although this one more fortunate than well-worked. Hakim Ziyech's set-piece deflected off Majer's head and fell for the grateful Dari to head home from a few yards out.
The conundrum at the heart of this third-place play-off was whether it was entertaining because the players cared or whether it was entertaining because they didn't.
In Morocco's case, the players' reaction to every decision which did not go their way suggested they were determined to put on one final show for a partisan crowd at Khalifa International Stadium, although Croatia appeared to be playing with the freedom of a side no longer under pressure.
Whatever the case, both teams threw men forward in search of further goals. Modric fired in a low shot which extended Yassine 'Bono' Bounou and Youssef En-Nesyri flicked a corner just beyond the far post.
It was Croatia who struck again, Orsic curling a superb effort off the inside of the far post three minutes before the interval, following good work from the other Croatian-based member of the side, Marko Livaja. Fans of Chelsea, West Ham and particularly Tottenham should remember Orsic, who has scored against all three London clubs in Europe in the past two years - including a hat-trick to eliminate Jose Mourinho's Spurs from the Europa League.
The second half had no fewer chances but developed a ragged quality as both teams' efforts to reach the final week began to tell.
Morocco, who were already without captain Romain Saiss and centre-half partner Nayef Aguerd, lost their replacements Dari and Jawad El Yamiq to injury in a few minutes around the hour mark, while Croatia's Andrej Kramaric was forced off in tears, perhaps suffering a serious injury.
Mateo Kovacic should have wrapped it up for Croatia but fired past the far post after a good piece of skill, while En-Nesyri twice went close to an equaliser, forcing a great save from Dominik Livakovic before heading onto the roof of the net with practically the final touch of the game.
For Croatia, the bronze is another impressive feat, even if they could not match their achievements from 2018, leaving Modric, Perisic and Co. among the great World Cup overachievers.
Morocco's players also join those ranks, leaving Qatar having won the respect and admiration of the globe by setting new standards for African football and the Arab world.
