Luka Modric led Croatia to third place in what was likely the midfield great’s last appearance at the World Cup.
The runners-up from four years ago secured another medal by beating Morocco 2-1 in the third-place match.
Mislav Orsic scored the decisive goal shortly before halftime at Khalifa International Stadium to ensure Modric finished on a winning note, if this does turn out to be his last World Cup match.
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At the age of 37, that seems likely, even if there are hopes he will lead his country at the 2024 European Championship.
“It is as if we have won the gold,” said Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić, whose team lost in the final four years ago.
The day before the match, Morocco coach Walid Regragui described it as a “booby prize”, but as the final whistle blew on Morocco’s historic run at the World Cup, the disappointment was clear to see.
So too, was the delight on Croatian faces.
Modric, at the age of 37 and a serial winner of soccer’s biggest prizes with Real Madrid, could not keep the smile from his face as he went up to collect his bronze medal.
“This medal is very important for us, for me, for my country, for Croatia as a national team,” Modric said.
“We confirm with this medal that Croatia is playing an important role in world of football. We are leaving Qatar as winners.”
Modric said even if it was his final World Cup match, he still had a little bit of fight left in him.
“Now it is step by step by step and continue until least the Nations League and after we will see,” Modric said.
Defender Josko Gvardiol put Croatia ahead in the seventh minute with a diving header, but Achraf Dari evened the score in the ninth.
It is the second time Croatia has taken third place at the World Cup. The team also achieved that feat in its first appearance at the tournament as an independent nation in 1998.
“These are the moments we live for, we work for, we train for,” Dalić said. “That’s the most emotional moment of the World Cup for us, tonight’s match and the win.”
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