Croatia, Morocco target third-place medal at World Cup

By: James Robson, The Associated Press Posted: 1:04 PM CST Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — The chances of the winning the World Cup might have gone for Croatia and Morocco, but “immortality” is at stake when the two teams meet in Saturday’s third-place playoff.

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DOHA, Qatar (AP) — The chances of the winning the World Cup might have gone for Croatia and Morocco, but “immortality” is at stake when the two teams meet in Saturday’s third-place playoff.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/12/2022 (1360 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — The chances of the winning the World Cup might have gone for Croatia and Morocco, but “immortality” is at stake when the two teams meet in Saturday’s third-place playoff.

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 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.”

Croatia's Andrej Kramaric kicks the ball during the World Cup group F soccer match between Croatia and Belgium at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Morocco defied the odds to become the first African team to reach the World Cup semifinals. But the Atlas Lions’ run came to an end with a 2-0 loss to defending champions France on Wednesday.

Croatia reached the final in Russia in 2018, but suffered a 3-0 loss to Argentina on Tuesday.

“Eight of us from (the tournament in) Russia understand that feeling of winning a medal at the World Cup and we have a lot of players who haven’t experienced that and would love to do that because it’s something that will stay with you for the rest of their life,” Kramaric said.

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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson