After an incredible run at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Morocco are looking to clinch third place in the tournament in their play-off against Croatia today.
Fresh off of the disappointment of losses in their semi-finals, the two teams will face off at the Khalifa International Stadium at 6pm Doha time (3pm GMT).
Morocco lost out on a place in the finals in a 2-0 semi-final defeat to defending champions France, while Croatia were beaten 3-0 by Argentina.
Despite their loss to France, the Atlas Lions have stoked pride across the African continent, the Arab world, and beyond with their performance.
They were the first ever African or Arab team to make it to the World Cup semi-finals.
The World Cup final between Argentina and France takes place tomorrow, at 6pm Doha time (3pm GMT).
Thank you for following The New Arab's live coverage of the Qatar World Cup 2022 for today.
We'll be back tomorrow with the very last game of the tournament, as defending champions take on Messi-led Argentina.
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You can catch up on the full post-match analysis here:
FULL TIME: MOROCCO 1 - 2 CROATIA
It's over. Morocco's marathon effort in this historic World Cup has ended in defeat to fellow tournament upstarts Croatia, after putting up a really good fight.
The whole team looked dead on their feet by the end, being kept going by the outstanding Moroccan support
Full match analysis to follow.
Anyone thinking that this game is just a formality - think again.
Both teams have been putting everything they have on the pitch here. Morocco have been opening up the Croatian midfield at will, just lacking that final finish in front of goal to pull level.
Croatia have been typically disciplined in defence, and clinical in attack.
It certainly feels like there's more goals to come though, as a month of non-stop football starts to show in these players' legs.
An delightful, cruel, curling effort from Mislav Orsic stuns the Moroccan crowd for a few moments, scoring a peach in off the right post.
It's not often that Yassine Bounou is beaten twice in the Moroccan goal.
2 minutes of stoppage time added onto this half. Can Morocco reply as quickly as they did last time?
First it's Josko Gvardiol to break Moroccan hearts, snaffling in a header off a set piece to put Croatia ahead.
Then what a response from Morocco - Achraf Dari gets on the end of a looping high cross off a free kick.
Carnage. Both teams looking for a bit of calm now.
Today's match is being refereed by the only Qatari referee at the tournament - 35 year old Abdulrahman al-Jassim.
It's time for kick-off! Cue the deafening whistles as Croatia takes possession.
Both sets of players are now out on the pitch for the national anthems after a really spectacular fireworks display kicking off proceedings.
Let's hope we get some on the pitch today.
Judging by the levels of noise accompanying the Moroccan national anthem, the atmosphere is going to be electric.
In the unlikely event that you missed it... here's that adorable moment Moroccan hero goalkeeper Yassine Bounou got interrupted mid-interview by his son mistaking the microphone for an ice cream.
Yassine Bounou's son thinking the 🎤 to be 🍦 is supremely adorable! ❤️ #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/YTorvQwDvM
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 14, 2022
Just in case you needed any more reasons to love the Moroccan team.
With one hour to go, it's becoming clearer who's going to be starting for Morocco today.
Both teams have made several changes to their starting lineups, with both coaches giving opportunities to players benched during the tournament.
Morocco will be without skipper Romain Saiss who lasted only 21 minutes in the semi-final defeat by France before he was substituted, with head coach Walid Regragui saying it was a risk worth taking at the time but not for the playoff.
"We won't be taking risks... especially Saiss. He's been ruled out. But I'm confident and trust in our group," Regragui had said on the eve of the game.
In defence, Achraf Hakimi and Jawad El Yamiq retain their place, with Achraf Dari and Yahya Attiat-Allah coming in for the injured Saiss and Nayef Aguerd.
Reporting by Reuters
Both sides in today's battle for third place will know just how much this game still means.
Croatia forward Andrej Kramarić dispelled the notion it would be a meaningless contest at Khalifa International Stadium.
“I think if you ask this question to Moroccan players, I don’t think they will look that way," he said at a news conference on Thursday.
“They’re fighting for their lives because if you win a medal at a World Cup you become an immortal hero in your country. That’s the same thing we are going to do.”
An delightful, cruel, curling effort from Mislav Orsic stuns the Moroccan crowd for a few moments, scoring a peach in off the right post.
It's not often that Yassine Bounou is beaten twice in the Moroccan goal.
2 minutes of stoppage time added onto this half. Can Morocco reply as quickly as they did last time?
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