Viewers who have been watching the 2022 World Cup in Qatar already know that the two national teams, Morocco and Croatia, managed to reach the final four, but neither reached the final. Where are their successes and shortcomings?
Overview of the Croatian men's national football team
Now I will break it down for you as follows:
First, the success of the Moroccan team
The author has already written an article "The secret of the re-emergence of the Moroccan team, what is the enlightening effect on the revitalization of Chinese football", introducing that the Moroccan team from the second round of the last World Cup group stage to this successful four finals, the secret of its rapid rise stems from the overseas recruitment plan of "Let the Genius Return to the Homeland", and its establishment of a sound and effective domestic football system.
Take a look at the rising Moroccan team that came to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, most of whose players played in Europe's top five leagues, with an average age of 26.3 years, making it the 8th youngest team in the round of 32.
The team is led by Paris Saint-Germain defender Ashraf, Bayern defender Mazraoui, Chelsea midfielder Hakim Ziyech, La Liga Sevilla striker Ennesri and goalkeeper Bonnu, who also plays for Sevilla, and has the ability to compete with any strong team.
After the start of the match, the "Atlas Lions" from North Africa played the role of the biggest "dark horse" of this cup: in the group stage, they drew 0-0 with the previous runners-up Croatia in the first game, defeated the favorites and world number two Belgium 2-0 in the second game, and then picked Canada to qualify strongly in the group.
Morocco vs. Spain
In the quarter-final, Morocco and Spain were unable to score in regular time and extra time, and the two sides went into a penalty shootout. In the penalty shootout, Morocco helped Morocco eliminate Spain by virtue of the magical play of goalkeeper Bunu and saved two penalties from Spanish players.
In the 1/4 final of the World Cup on December 10, Morocco defeated Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal 1-0 to successfully advance to the semi-finals, becoming the first African team to reach the final four of the World Cup. What's even more amazing is that the Moroccan team did not concede a goal in the regular season time of the previous game, except for an own goal from its own player.
The outstanding results before reaching the final four fully demonstrated that Morocco has a strong defensive line, first in the game to solidify the defense, and then wait for the opportunity to quickly counterattack to score. But in the semi-final against France, Morocco showed their attacking talent again.
The fact that a goal by France in the opening five minutes gave the leading Frenchman a strategic retreat, which gave the Moroccans, who did not admit defeat, a chance to show themselves, and they also showed the world a hidden side: sharp attack.
Moroccan team jersey
I saw that Ziyech and Buffa began to take turns attacking the Frenchman's wing, and before the end of the first half, the Moroccan hit the post of the French goal, and they were only a little away from scoring. The statistics in midfield are astounding: Morocco has 56% possession and 272 passes, 244 of which are successful. Three days ago against Portugal, they had just 229 passes in the game.
The Moroccans, who had no way back, launched a more violent attack in the second half, showing their offensive ability and confirming Deschamps' judgment that the Moroccans had excellent defense, they had more than just defending. Ziyech, Buffal, Onassi and others took turns to enter the box from the wing, Deschamps' double back protected the core again and again, and even Griezmann returned to the small box more than once to break the siege.
Morocco's constant forward pressure eventually led to another goal conceded. Mbappe's successive passes at key moments gave Muani the opportunity to push an empty goal, and although the situation was decided, Morocco was still attacking until the 93rd minute, but Conde blocked the ball in front of goal.
Morocco coach Regragi said after the game: "We have done everything we can and this defeat cannot erase everything we have done before. "It's true that the Moroccan team didn't go any further, but they lost a lot.
Croatia celebrates victory
Successful experience of Croatia
Although the Croatian men's national football team was only formed after Croatia's independence in 1991, they finished shockingly third after qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in 1998, when Croatian striker Suck won the World Cup Golden Boot.
At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Croatia's performance was even more impressive: they reached the World Cup final for the first time, but unfortunately lost 2-4 to France and finished second. The tournament set Croatia's record for the best World Cup result.
People born in the era of war have basically experienced the baptism of war since childhood, so that they know better how to survive, how to withstand this pressure, and transform it into motivation to fight. The 37-year-old current Croatian captain Modric is the most typical representative, and his experience as a cattle herder has tempered his excellent psychological quality and the quality of will to never admit defeat, which will be reflected in future matches.
In Modric's dictionary, there is no word "give up", so you can see that when others are no longer running, he can still complete overtaking, known as "The Magic Flute". This time in Qatar, although Modric and several teammates around him are no longer young, under his inspiration, the whole team twisted into a rope, and everyone gave full play to their maximum energy, fighting from beginning to end.
Croatian star Luka Modric
Anyone who watched Croatia's performance in this World Cup may feel the same way, that is, "if you want to win Croatia, please solve the battle in 90 minutes", because as long as it drags on to extra time and penalties, they will definitely be the more dominant side. Known as the "King of Overtime".
Croatia did not stand out in the group stage of this World Cup, having drawn 0-0 with Morocco and Belgium respectively, beating Canada 4-1 before advancing to the knockout stage in second place in the group.
In the subsequent knockout rounds, Croatia continued to create miracles: after the regular season + extra time + penalty shootout, they eliminated Japan with an aggregate score of 4-2 and advanced to the quarterfinals; They eliminated Brazil 5-3 on aggregate and reached the semifinals.
Three. The shortcomings of both teams
In the semi-finals of this tournament, Morocco and Croatia fell at the feet of France and Argentina respectively and failed to advance to the final. Their shortcomings are mainly due to the lack of rich football culture in their country, the lack of rich experience in big games, the focus on defensive tactics, and the lack of superstars who can lead the team to turn the tide.
Croatian goalkeeper Livakovic saved the penalty
Neither country currently has a perfect and popular domestic football league, sending new blood to the national team and cultivating superstars; The experience of participating in international competitions such as the World Cup is not as much as that of the world's strongest teams such as Argentina and France; There is a lack of world-class stars like Argentina's Lionel Messi and France's Kylian Mbappe who can revitalize the whole team and hit the nail on the ground.
Also, both teams like defensive counter-attacking tactics, which are backward strategies and tactics, and when encountering teams that are good at attacking, they often appear caught off guard when the score is behind, causing more goals conceded, leading to eventual defeat.
However, we should applaud Morocco and Croatia for their miraculous performances in this tournament and look forward to their continued performances in the race for third place. The author's personal opinion: the Moroccan team has a stronger desire to win, I wish them to go to the next level.
Coach and player of the Moroccan team
This article is original by "Old Wu Kan Guo Xue Jin", welcome to follow, learn together, and make progress together!