Morocco has managed to grab a goalless draw against the 2018 World Cup runners-up Croatia at Al Bayt Stadium in the first match of their World Cup campaign in Qatar.
The Atlas Lions put in a strong performance against a very strong Croatian side, managing to keep a clean sheet and grab a point. This will be a very positive result for Morocco, and they will be looking to build on this in their next Qualifying match.
Only four players who started in Croatia’s final defeat by France in 2018 were in the starting lineup for this game, and Croatia lacked an attacking spark throughout. The best chance came from Nikola Vlasic’s toe-poked effort, but it was not enough to find the back of the net. Croatia will need to find a way to create more chances if they want to advance in the tournament.
Morocco were impressive against Croatia, but failed to create clear-cut opportunities in the 2022 Qatar World Cup. The Moroccan team looked good in their first game of the tournament, defending well and making some dangerous counter-attacks. However, they were not able to make any of their chances count.
Croatia, who are 12th in Fifa’s world rankings, dominated possession as expected, but they were unable to create opportunities or break down Morocco, who have only lost two of their past 40 games across three years. The Moroccan team was well organised and disciplined, frustrating the Croatian team and preventing them from finding a way through. The game ended 0-0, with both teams struggling to create clear-cut chances.
The best chance of a match that had only two shots on target from each side came in first-half stoppage time, when a left-wing cross was diverted towards goal by Vlasic, but the midfielder on loan at Torino from West Ham was denied by the right leg of Yassine Bounou, who spread himself to close down the angle.
Morocco, who are ranked 22nd in the world, came closest to scoring in the first half when Noussair Mazraoui followed in a deflected shot and saw a back-post header saved. However, the Moroccan team couldn’t maintain their intensity in the second half and failed to register a single shot on target. This allowed the Ivory Coast to take control of the match and eventually score the winning goal.
Paris St-Germain full-back Achraf Hakimi put Dominik Livakovic to the test with a dipping, swerving 35-yard strike, but the Croatia keeper dealt with it easily.
It was a game largely played in the middle third of the pitch, with both sides potentially wary of losing and damaging their chances of progressing to the knockout stages from a group that also includes Belgium and Canada.
In the goalless draw between Argentina and Iceland, neither team was able to find the back of the net. This is the third such draw at this World Cup, after Denmark’s opener against Tunisia and Poland’s match against Mexico on Tuesday. There was only one goalless draw in the entire 2018 tournament in Russia. Neither Argentina or Iceland were able to take advantage of their opportunities, and the match ended in a disappointing scoreless draw.