Orisic gives Croatia halftime lead against Morocco
DOHA : Mislav Orsic curled in a brilliant goal in the 42nd minute to give Croatia 2-1 lead over Morocco at halftime in an open and entertaining World Cup third-place play-off on Saturday.
Lovro Majer Sport News
Croatia and Morocco make several changes for third-place World Cup playoff
DOHA: Croatia and Morocco made several changes to their starting lineups for their World Cup third-place playoff at Khalifa International Stadium on Saturday (Dec 17), with both coaches giving opportunities to players benched during the tournament.
Croatia and Morocco make several changes for third-place playoff
DOHA :Croatia and Morocco made several changes to their starting lineups for their World Cup third-place playoff at Khalifa International Stadium on Saturday, with both coaches giving opportunities to players benched during the tournament.
Modric shares World Cup stage with Lionel Messi in loss
LUSAIL, Qatar: Luka Modric pulled his shirt up over his face as he trudged over to the sideline.
'The cycle is over' - Tite indicates his Brazil reign is done after Croatia loss
Tite suggested his time as Brazil coach is over but defended his penalty tactics after they crashed out of the World Cup to Croatia. Marquinhos' decisive spot kick hit the post after Dominik Livakovic had saved Rodrygo's opening effort in the shootout to send Croatia into the last four with Neymar never getting a chance to step up. Croatia did not miss with Nikola Vlasic, Lovro Majer, Luka Modric, Mislav Orsic all scoring to send them through 4-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra time. Neymar had given Brazil the lead in the first-half of extra time - the Paris St Germain star equalling Pele's Brazil scoring record with 77 FIFA-registered goals - only for Bruno Petkovic to level with three minutes left. But it was heartbreak for Neymar and Brazil with the striker due to go fifth in the shootout, yet there was no regret from Tite. He said: "The fifth is the decisive one, there is more pressure and the players who are more mentally prepared are the ones to take this last penalty kick. "The players know about my commitment and they know how proud I am of their performance. It's the entire team who loses.
Croatia surprised by Japan's run but ready to handle their speed
DOHA : Croatia were as surprised as anyone by Japan's group-stage wins over former champions Germany and Spain at the World Cup, but while they will not underestimate their last-16 opponents on Monday they also feel ready to handle the Asians' need for speed.
Dalic: Canada coach Herdman has to 'learn some things'
Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic told Canada counterpart John Herdman he has "to learn some things" after claiming the pair did not shake hands after their World Cup finals clash. Dalic saw his side come back from Alphonso Davies' early strike - the Canadians' first goal at the men's finals tournament - to win the Group F encounter at the Khalifa International Stadium 4-1 on Sunday. Before the match, the Croatia head coach had urged his opposite number to show some respect after Herdman told his players to make life uncomfortable for their opponents in industrial language and had further words of wisdom for the Englishman after the game. He said: "I did not see the other head coach after the match. Whether I lose or win, I always congratulate the other head coach. "He wasn't there and that's his way of doing things. He's obviously mad. He is a good coach, he is a high-quality professional, but it will take some time for him to learn some things."
Canada eliminated from men's World Cup contention despite Alphonso Davies's historic goal
Canada wasted little time Sunday ending its scoring drought at the men's World Cup via Alphonso Davies but could not hold off Croatia, losing 4-1 to end its hopes of reaching the tournament's knockout round in Qatar.