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It has gone by so quickly. There is now only one day left now at World Cup 2022 and just one more match.
On day 28 in Qatar, Croatia beat Morocco 2-1 in the third-place play-off to claim the bronze medal.
That leaves only the final left to play as Argentina take on France for the game’s greatest prize at the Lusail Stadium on Sunday.
But before that, a look at the biggest takeaways from the penultimate day of action at Qatar 2022:
Modric still gold as Croatia take bronze
Watching Luka Modric is an absolute joy for football fans and the Real Madrid midfielder has graced yet another major tournament. Sadly, this may be his last.
Since making two substitute appearances at the 2006 World Cup, Modric has been an integral part of the Croatia team at a number of major tournaments.
He has now played at four European Championships (2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020) and four World Cups (2006, 2014, 2018 and 2022), helping his side to the final four years ago and to third place this time around.
Modric will be 38 in October and although he continues to defy age by producing oustanding displays for club and country, it might be too much to expect him to carry on until Euro 2024. But what a player he has been.
Morocco’s achievement is immense
It was not a happy ending for Morocco as the Atlas Lions missed out on third place and the bronze medal, but their achievement in getting this far is immense.
Morocco became the first African team to reach the World Cup semi-finals after knocking out both Spain and Portugal, sparking huge celebrations in their nation, among their people living away from home and across the Arab world.
The semi-final against France was a step too far, but Walid Regragui’s side competed so well in that match and were unfortunate not to score. They also had a good penalty shout turned down.
In Saturday’s third-place play-off, Morocco looked tired after their exerts against France, but they have made history in Qatar – and made their people proud.
Third-place match still has value
There is too much football now. Everyone agrees. And on Friday, FIFA president Gianni Infantino revealed there will soon be even more, with the announcement of a 32-team Club World Cup from 2025.
With that in mind, many suggested that the third-place play-off was superfluous. Indeed, it is often said. And wouldn’t the two beaten semi-finalists rather just go home instead of playing out a somewhat meaningless match?
Sometimes, yes. But that was not the case as Croatia took on Morocco on Saturday. Clearly, this meant a lot to both teams and Croatia’s celebrations showed it was anything but meaningless to them.
It is also a nice tradition, an appetiser for the main event the following day and an opportunity for some fringe players to have the experience of playing in the World Cup. It would be a shame to scrap it now.
More VAR inconsistency
It didn’t affect the result in the end but Croatia should surely have had a penalty after Morocco’s Sofyan Amrabat caught Josko Gvardiol in the latter stages of Saturday’s third-place match.
The referee waved play on and was seen in communication with the VAR team but he was either not told to or decided against viewing the incident for himself.
In the knockout stages, far fewer incidents have been reviewed by VAR and the inconsistencies remain. So much for technology ending the controversy.
VAR was largely effective at Russia 2018. But at this tournament, it has been much more hit and miss. More consistency is definitely needed in future.
The grand final awaits
Of the 64 matches at the 2022 World Cup, only one remains. The grand final awaits on Sunday: France vs Argentina.
The fixture pits the defending champions against the pre-tournament favourites. It’s also Kylian Mbappe versus Lionel Messi. And so much more.
France look to become the first team to retain a World Cup since Brazil won back-to-back tournaments in 1958 and 1962. Both finalists have won it twice before, but Argentina have not taken home the trophy since 1986.
It will be Messi’s final appearance in the global tournament and victory would help to cement his status as the greatest player of all time, but PSG team-mate Mbappe is looking to win his second World Cup at the age of just 23.
Four years ago, France beat Argentina 4-3 in an entertaining encounter en route to the trophy. The Albiceleste have improved considerably since and Sunday’s match should be close – a fitting finale to an exciting tournament. Shame it’s almost all over.
