Johannesburg - Morocco’s fairytale at the Fifa World Cup ended with a fourth-place finish after they were beaten 2-1 by Croatia in the third-place play-off match on Saturday.
Nonetheless, Africa will still be proud of the Atlas Lions’ exploits, as they were the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of the Fifa World Cup.
IOL Sport's Mihlali Baleka looks at five takeaways from the Croatia and Morocco’s run at the World Cup in Qatar, including Luka Modric’s age-defying performance.
Morocco v Croatia surprised everyone ...
Morocco and Croatia weren’t expected to reach the semi-finals but they did it with so much passion, heart and desire.
Their incredible runs will give many of the ‘smaller’ football nations belief that they can achieve the improbable with a team effort.
Morocco, the pride of Africa ...
Morocco rewrote history in Qatar. becoming the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of the Fifa World Cup.
They finished top of Group F to qualify for the last-16, where they beat Spain to seal passage to the last eight. They then beat Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal to make history.
They came short in the semi-final, though, beaten by defending champions France before losing to Croatia on Saturday. But they’ve made Africa extremely proud.
Another medal for indefatigable Luka Modric ...
Modric will go down in history as one of the best players of this generation. He’s won almost every trophy up for grabs in football with his club Real Madrid and was voted the best player in the world in 2018.
He has come close in the last two World Cups - 2018 in Russia and 2022 in Qatar - to adding that World Cup winners’ medal, but having a silver and a bronze is not too shabby.
At 37 years of age it also doesn’t look like he is slowing down any time soon.
Top three finish for Croatia ...
After finishing second in the 2018 edition of the World Cup, Croatia were eager to go a step further and win the global showpiece for the first time.
But they couldn’t go all the way. They were stopped in their tracks by Argentina in the semi-finals before beating Morocco 2-1 in the play-off match. Croatia should still be proud of their exploits.
Morocco focuses on Afcon ...
Morocco’s fairytale might have ended with a fourth-place finish in Qatar, but they will be looking to create more history at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Coach Walid Regragui said they have to win their African showpiece first before focusing on the global one. And the time to do that is in 2024.
@Mihlalibaleka