2022 World Cup Daily Watch Guide: Dec. 17, Croatia vs. Morocco

Although everyone looks forward to the World Cup final, the third-place playoff is a perhaps surprising source of goals. Over the last four tournaments, the third-place match has averaged 3.5 goals per game, and that's counting 2018, in which Belgium "only" beat England 2-0 match to make that year’s tournament podium. If there's hope of breaking the record for total goals in a World Cup — 1998 and 2014 are tied with 171 — it would help for this match to provide some goals, as teams have combined for 163 goals in the prior 62 matches. 

It will be Croatia and Morocco competing in this year's edition — both teams not present in many people's making-the-semis tier of their brackets. Croatia upset favorites Brazil on its way to the semis, while Morocco shocked the world with victories over Spain and Portugal after winning a group that included Belgium, Croatia and Canada. (The teams faced off Nov. 23 in Group F play, settling for a 0-0 draw.) 

Argentina derailed Croatia’s path to making back-to-back finals with a 3-0 win. France however, achieved that goal by taking down Morocco 2-0. 

Let’s dive into what to look out for in the ultimate World Cup consolation prize. 

The match  

Croatia vs. Morocco, 7 a.m PT / 9 p.m CT / 10 p.m. ET (Khalifa International Stadium, Ar-Rayyan)

How to watch

• Croatia vs. Morocco will be on Fox and Telemundo
• Both matches will be streamed on Peacock, Fox Sports app, and Telemundo Deportes app
• 4K replays of the games are available on Tubi 

What the oddsmakers say

• Croatia +135, Morocco +200, Tie through 90 minutes +240

(odds courtesy of BetMGM)

Narratives we’ll be watching for

For Croatia, this will be the chance to have Luka Modric’s World Cup legacy end with either a bittersweet win or just a plain ol' bitter loss. After leading Croatia to the World Cup finals in 2018 and making the semifinals in 2022, he’s an inspiration for the next generation of Croatian soccer players.   

One of the players set to lead Croatia’s future is 20-year-old center back Joško Gvardiol. The RB Leipzig player has been one of the top performers in the tournament. Although he was beaten by Messi on the dribble for Argentina’s third goal, in video shared around the world, he’s typically disciplined on when to tackle and great on the ball. The tournament not only introduced him to the world but will also bring a huge transfer fee for the Croatian defender. He’s got a huge future in soccer. 

Morocco will look to end a truly historic World Cup with a win. The solid defense of the African side still held strong against the French. France was fortunate to get its pair of goals against a defense that had been amazingly stingy throughout the tournament. 

The two catalysts for Morocco's impressive defensive work rate are defender Achraf Hakimi and midfielder Sofyan Amrabat. Hakimi leads the tournament in tackles and interceptions with 33 and tackles won against dribblers with 16. Amrabat has provided extra cover as he sits deep to shield the Moroccan backline while also making defensive recoveries. 

Not many expected Hakim Ziyech to be on Morocco’s roster due to his fallout with the previous coach, Vahid Halilhodzic. With Halilhodzic’s departure and the appointment of Walid Regragui, Ziyech returned to represent Morocco. The Chelsea man has scored once and assisted once in the tournament, but his impact goes well beyond the stat sheet. His delivery on set pieces and crosses is excellent and he combines well with Hakimi on Morocco’s right side. To claim third place, Ziyech needs to again be a factor in the Moroccan front line. 

If the match goes to a penalty shootout, both teams have excellent goalkeepers with experience. Yassine Bounou played a pivotal role in the victory over Spain with two saves during the shootout. Dominik Livaković has been excellent in two shootouts already during the knockout phases, making three saves against Japan and setting the tone against Brazil by saving the South American side's first penalty. 

What happened Wednesday  

Morocco’s Cinderella run in the World Cup ended as France stuck down the African dream with a 2-0 victory. Theo Hernandez got on the end of a deflected shot to be the first opposing player to get past Yassine Bounou in this World Cup. 

Morocco would fight to get one back, and almost did after Jawad El Yamiq’s bicycle kick hit the post just before the end of the first half. The African side got more momentum during the second half and began to add pressure to the French goal. In the chances that came by, the French defense came through a large part of how the European side kept the clean sheet.

With Morocco sending numbers forward, France began to play off the counter attack and exploit the lack of defensive numbers. Another defender, Randal Kolo Muani, would seal the deal by scoring with his first touch of the game just 44 seconds after coming on. It will be, as a result, back-to-back World Cup finals for Didier Deschamps and Les Bleus.

Although they lost, Morocco inspired all of Africa, becoming the continent's first team to ever make the  World Cup's final four, with a manager who took charge less than six months ago. Regragui and his 26 players are now immortalized in soccer history.