Morocco managed to hold tight against Croatia to register a goalless draw in their opener at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
Morocco fans were celebrating their draw over the 2018 World Cup runners-up after picking up a point in a tough match against reputable and experienced opponents.
The large community of Moroccans at Al Bayt stadium, teamed up with fellow North African fans from Tunisia, to silence Croatia supporters during the hotly contested match, driving them forward to victory.
Tunisia had previously shared points with Denmark on a goalless draw yesterday.
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The World Cup has seen plenty of dark horses prove they have what it takes to take it to the next and if the trend continues this World Cup might witness an equally unfamiliar country emerge as the winner of the quadrennial competition.
Both sides really came close to scoring and had plenty of near-miss attempts on target, with Nikola Vlasic going close for Croatia at the end of the first half while Noussair Mazraoui had his header saved for Morocco.
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Coach Zlatko Dalic claims that he had earlier urged Croatia to exercise caution following Saudi Arabia’s shock win over Argentina, a result Morocco captain Romain Saiss said had “opened the door” for the tournament’s less-fancied teams.
at the same time, Morocco seemed to have piled their hopes on Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech, for an inspirational win but later held on to their faith in their experienced defence marshalled by Dejan Lovren.
There was more action when play resumed in the second half after Morocco had raucous appeals for a penalty waved away after Sofiane Boufal’s shot appeared to hit Dejan Lovren’s arm, seconds before Mazraoui’s header was saved by Dominik Livakovic.
However, it was Modric who received the Man of the Match award after a splendid day out in the middle of the park, demonstrating the same zeal as he does when leading Real Madrid’s midfield, only for the Moroccan defence to fend off attacks crafted by the maestro.
Morocco faces Belgium while Croatia takes on Canada in their next fixtures on Sunday, November 27.
