Croatia ended their 2022 World Cup campaign with a podium finish, as they beat Morocco 2-1 to finish third in Qatar.
Josko Gvardiol opened the scoring with a header after seven minutes, before Achraf Dari scored a header of his own to equalise two minutes later.
Mislav Orsic grabbed the all-important winning goal with a great finish in the second half as the Eastern Europeans held out for a huge win.
What a player! 😍🇭🇷
Luka Modric celebrates a third place finish in the World Cup with Croatia 👏#ITVFootball | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/qwbWbqT1e5
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) December 17, 2022
Many fans believed that this World Cup would be their captain Luka Modric’s last tournament with the national team, the 37-year old enjoying great success in his 16 years with Croatia.
After the victory over Morocco, Modric broke silence over his future, saying he would like to continue representing his nation for a little while longer.
“About my future, I don’t know if I will play on until the Euros in Germany.
“We will see. I need to go step by step. I am enjoying the national team, I feel happy. I still feel I can perform on a high level and I want to continue at least until the Nations League. Then, after, there will be more time to think about the Euros.”
Vatreni boss Zlatko Dalic also admitted he hopes Modric continues playing, saying: “Some people might think it is the end for him but I think Luka Modric will stay with us for a long time.
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“He’s our captain, he’s our boss, our leader and everybody follows him. He played fantastically well in this tournament. He’s 37 years old but played like a 25-year-old.
“I’m very happy with him, and this trophy is also for him.”
It’s a fitting end to 2022 for Modric and Croatia, as the nation holds its breath as they await their captain’s final decision on his future.