Croatia beat injury-hit Morocco 2-1 in the 2022 FIFA World Cup third-place playoff on Saturday to leave Qatar on a high after again surpassing expectations following its run to the final in 2018.

Despite defeat, Morocco's players will also leave with heads aloft after becoming the first African side to reach a World Cup semifinal.

Mislav Orsic's late first-half strike was enough to settle the contest after two early goals inside the first nine minutes set the tone for a pulsating encounter, with Achraf Dari canceling out Josko Gvardiol's opener for Croatia.