Mislav Orsic’s fantastic strike gave Croatia victory over Morocco in the World Cup third-place play-off.
The 2018 finalists took the lead after seven minutes through a diving header from Josko Gvardiol, after Ivan Perisic headed Lovro Majer’s set piece across the area.
This only lasted two minutes before Achraf Dari headed home from close range after Hakim Ziyech’s free kick was inadvertently flicked over the defence by Luka Modric.
Three minutes before the interval, the entertaining bronze medal encounter was decided when Orsic, from just inside the left edge of the penalty, opened his body up and curled an effort over Bono, off the post and over the goal-line.
Croatia dominated most of the second half and were unlucky not to get a penalty when Josko Gvardiol was brought down by Sofyan Amrabat, but Morocco’s spearhead Youssef En-Nesyri also had two late chances to put the game into extra time.
In the first instance, he was denied by Dominik Livakovic from close range, and then deep into injury time, he could not keep down a header after a trademark prodigious leap from Yahia Attiyat Allah’s cross.
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