World Cup 2018 runner-up shares points with Morocco
(Baonghean.vn) - Although controlling the game better, they did not create more opportunities than their opponents, so Croatia was forced to share points with Morocco in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup.
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Croatia was deadlocked against a well-organized defense from Morocco. |
Although considered the favorite, Croatia had difficulty approaching Moroco's goal. In the first half, Modric's team controlled the ball slightly better than their opponent (59%). However, the number of opportunities Croatia created was not much more than their opponent. Moroco's systematic defense is one of the plus points that helps this team not be inferior to Croatia. To find opportunities, Modric and his teammates mainly had to rely on shots from outside the penalty area. In the first 15 minutes of the match, Croatia only created one significant opportunity. The dangerous situation came from Ivan Perisic's long-range shot, but unfortunately the ball went higher than Morocco's goal.
Contrary to expectations, Hakimi's team was not at all inferior to their opponents. If they had taken advantage of the opportunity, Morocco could have taken the lead.
In the second half, the game did not change much compared to the first half. Surprisingly, Morocco was the team that scored first. In the 65th minute, from a set piece, a teammate passed the ball to help Hakimi take a straight shot, the ball went hard and dangerous but the Croatian goalkeeper caught it.
In the final minutes, Morocco was the team that took the initiative. However, their strikers still lacked a bit of sharpness. Therefore, the match ended without either team scoring a goal.
In the next match, Morocco will meet Belgium and Croatia will face Canada./.