Morocco vs Croatia LIVE: World Cup 2022 result, final score and reaction today
Morocco 0-0 Croatia: The Group F clash ended goalless with Luka Modric and co frustrated at the Al Bayt Stadium
Croatia‘s bid to emulate their World Cup exploits of four years ago began in stuttering fashion with a frustrating Group F stalemate against Morocco. The 2018 runners-up controlled possession at Al Bayt Stadium but lacked a cutting edge in a forgettable 0-0 draw against opposition with just two World Cup victories in their history.
Nikola Vlasic went close to an opener in first-half added time, while Noussair Mazraoui and Achraf Hakimi threatened winners for Morocco in the second period. The result leaves both sides with hope of reaching the knockout stages - albeit with plenty to do - in a group also containing Belgium and Canada. Croatia‘s starting XI contained five players who were involved in their 4-2 World Cup final defeat to France in Russia, including influential captain Luka Modric.
Manager Zlatko Dalic also remained from that match in Moscow and saw his side struggle to create in a tight, uninspiring opening period largely devoid of clear openings. Tottenham’s Ivan Perisic lashed narrowly over from distance, while Chelsea forward Hakim Ziyech wastefully fired a well-positioned free-kick straight into the wall at the other end.Croatia saved their best first-half attempts for added time.
Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou was finally tested when he repelled a close-range poke from Vlasic with a thigh, before Modric smashed over just before the whistle. Walid Regragui only took charge of the Atlas Lions three months before the tournament and was yet to see his new side concede a goal.
They remained resilient at the back after the restart and also improved from an attacking perspective, with Bayern Munich full-back Mazraoui, who was later stretchered off injured, seeing a header pushed away by Dominik Livakovic. Paris St Germain defender Hakimi then had a superb long-range effort denied by Croatia keeper Livakovic after being teed up by Ziyech at a free-kick before the contest faded away into the third goalless draw in the competition’s last four games. Croatia continue their campaign against Canada on Sunday afternoon, with Morocco facing Belgium earlier that day.
Germany vs Japan: The teams are out!
It’s a terrific sight at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha as the two starting XIs make their way onto the pitch!
Now time for the national anthems!
Germany vs Japan: We’re almost set at the Khalifa International Stadium!
Germany are looking to bounce back after a disappointing two tournaments, following a group-stage exit four years ago in Russia and a last-16 exit at Euro 2020.
For Japan, who were so close to knocking out Belgium in 2018, they will be targeting an upset in Doha!
Germany vs Japan: Germany have ‘opportunity’ to wear OneLove armband at World Cup, claims vice chancellor
German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck has said he would wear the multi-coloured ‘OneLove’ armband at the soccer World Cup 2022 and see what happened, but he took care to add it was not for him to decide what national team captain Manuel Neuer does.
Habeck’s comments late on Tuesday came amid a row over the symbol in Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal.
Asked by broadcaster ZDF whether players should wear the armband, Habeck replied: “I am not the media advisor of the DFB (German football association) and I am not Manuel Neuer but the opportunity is there.”
“I’m a politician trying to do my job properly, but what would happen if it happened now? I would like to know and I would take my chances,” he added.
The comments come after soccer’s global governing body, FIFA, cracked down on players wearing the armbands in support of diversity at this year’s World Cup.
In response, Rewe, one of Germany’s biggest supermarket chains, scrapped its advertising campaign with the DFB.
Germany urged to take ‘opportunity’ to wear OneLove armband at World Cup
Fifa have threatened unspecified sporting sanctions against players who wear the rainbow band
Germany vs Japan: Germany’s ‘Bambi’ Jamal Musiala no longer a deer in the headlights
Germany fans are hoping Bayern Munich wunderkind Jamal Musiala will slash their pre-tournament title odds once the World Cup starts, with the teenager having quickly become a key player in Hansi Flick’s team.
Few would have thought just two years ago that Musiala, with his light frame, medium height and innocent demeanour, would become one of the leaders of the Germany team for the 2022 World Cup and Bayern’s second-top scorer so far this season.
A Germany and England youth international, Musiala opted to play for his birth country at senior level with then Germany coach Joachim Low giving him his first start last year.
In some 18 months he has become indispensable with his exceptional reading of the game in midfield, his speed, change of pace and turns and his goalscoring ability proving crucial.
“Jamal has this completeness that is just so good for us as a team,” Flick has said about the player he knows since his Bayern coaching days.
Nicknamed Bambi by his Bayern team mates for his youthful appearance, Musiala is anything but a deer caught in headlights when he is on the pitch, having already bagged seven goals and four assists in the Bundesliga so far.
While he enjoys his attacking midfield role he is equally at ease as a winger or even as a defensive midfielder.
Germany’s ‘Bambi’ Jamal Musiala no longer a deer in the headlights
The Bayern Munich wunderkind is trying to help his country bounce back from their earliest World Cup elimination for 80 years
Germany vs Japan: When East Germany met West and caused one of the greatest World Cup shocks
Arriving at Hamburg airport in their matching light grey jackets, green shirt and yellow ties, the East Germany squad and management team were all smiles. The departure to their camp in Quickborn was delayed when a replacement bus needed to be found as the one emblazoned with “DDR” (Deutsche Demokratische Republik) and flag designated to pick them up went ‘missing’. Given West Germany didn’t even recognise the DDR as a proper country — the national tabloid Bild even referred to the East in inverted commas — this was hardly a surprise. No doubt the slight was documented in forensic detail by one of tourists.
At their base for the first group stage, agents of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany’s Ministry for State Security, better known as the Stasi, among the entourage relaxed their surveillance a touch, presumably overawed by the chance to sample some of the pleasures of the West. With this new-found freedom, a trip to the Reeperbahn was organised by the owners of the Sporthotel in Quickborn. A night on the tiles beckoned.
The West German hosts even offered everyone from the East German delegation a free TV. The officials declined — fraternisation with the West was a strict no-no, more so the receiving of illicit Western goods — but some of the players noticed that all the televisions were gone by the time they left.
A 2-0 win over Australia in the East Germany’s first ever game at a World Cup finals was followed four days later by a 1-1 draw with Chile in their second. A somewhat unexpected scoreless draw between their first two opponents, mere hours before kick off, had meant that the pressure was off by their third. Both West Germany and East Germany had already qualified for the knockouts, just leaving the thorny issue of the most politically charged football match of all time to traverse.
Coaches of the DDR-Oberliga teams were invited to attend the all-German clash, but Hans Meyer, coach of Carl-Zeiss Jena, was notable by his absence. “On the day, I had stomach pains and had to stay home,” Meyer later recalled. Meyer is well-known in Germany for his sarcasm and irony — he certainly wasn’t ill on the day of the game.
He had turned down the offer on the grounds that he had to catch a train from Gera at 4am, then “travel with the fans to Hamburg, wave my hammer and sickle flag, get stared at by the other fans like some exotic creature, get straight back on the train after the game, and then get back home in the middle of the night”. He saw straight through the absurdity of the situation and presumably watched the game at home, ohne flag.
When East Germany met West and caused one of the greatest World Cup shocks
East Germany 1-0 West Germany: At the 1974 World Cup, Hamburg played host to an extraordinary meeting of two rival sides. The result was even more unbelievable, writes Adam Bushby
Pep Guardiola signs two-year Man City contract extension
Pep Guardiola has signed a two-year contract extension with Manchester City, tying him down to the Etihad club until 2025.
The 51-year-old previously had eight months remaining on a deal set to expire at the end of the current season.
Guardiola has held talks with City executives in Abu Dhabi during the Premier League‘s mid-season break for the World Cup.
The Premier League champions have taken the interruption to the regular schedule as an opportunity to secure Guardiola’s future.
Full story here:
Pep Guardiola signs two-year Manchester City contract extension
‘From day one I felt something special being here. I cannot be in a better place,’ said Guardiola
Morocco 0-0 Croatia: In-demand Josko Gvardiol sets solid platform for Croatia to find attacking improvements
Not a fixture for those fond of excitement and goalmouth incidents, but Croatia’s goalless draw with Morocco owed as much to those steady at centre-back as it did to a lack of incisive passing in the final third.
Front and centre amongst them even ahead of kick-off was Josko Gvardiol; the youngest on show, which is always cause for extra attention, but also one of the players most-linked with a big money transfer.
Ahead of the World Cup it was Chelsea in particular he was said to be interesting, but Europe’s other top sides will all be keeping a close eye on the Leipzig defender’s availability. Against Morocco he showed why that is, albeit not exactly in the face of relentless pressure in his own defensive third.
On the other hand, that’s part of the attraction: the best teams dominate and need the back line to display concentration and reliability at the irregular moments they are called upon.
Eminently visible due to his beard-and-mask combo, Gvardiol’s defensive acumen was certainly visible at times, against both set-piece situations and Morocco’s counter-attacking threat.
Twice he made excellent covering runs behind his full-back on the left channel, showing both his buccaneering pace as well as the learned inclination he now has after serving at full-back himself with regularity.
In-demand Gvardiol sets platform for Croatia to find attacking improvements
Morocco 0-0 Croatia: The central defender was rock solid to keep a clean sheet on his competition debut
German Vice Chancellor encourages team to wear OneLove armband
German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck has said he would wear the multi-coloured ‘OneLove’ armband at the soccer World Cup 2022 and see what happened, but he took care to add it was not for him to decide what national team captain Manuel Neuer does.
Habeck’s comments late on Tuesday came amid a row over the symbol in Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal.
Asked by broadcaster ZDF whether players should wear the armband, Habeck replied: “I am not the media advisor of the DFB [German football association], and I am not Manuel Neuer, but the opportunity is there.”
“I’m a politician trying to do my job properly, but what would happen if it happened now? I would like to know and I would take my chances,” he added.
Full story:
Germany urged to take ‘opportunity’ to wear OneLove armband at World Cup
Fifa have threatened unspecified sporting sanctions against players who wear the rainbow band
Germany vs Japan: Match odds!
Germany win 4/9
Draw 18/5
Japan win 11/2
Morocco 0-0 Croatia - MATCH REPORT
By Ben Burrows at the Al Bayt Stadium
If Croatia are to match the heroics of four years ago in Russia in Qatar, they will have to make their own bit of history after opening their tournament here with a frustrating stalemate with Morocco.
The Croatians have now failed to win their opening match of a World Cup on four of their six appearances. Following the other three they failed to make it out of their group.
Losing finalists last go around, Luka Modric and Co have high hopes again and with many of the heroes of that famous run suiting up one more time for a last dance, there is still every chance they could do it. But this result, a 0-0 at the Al Bayt Stadium to begin Group F, and the performance to go with it was far from what they were looking for. Indeed it will be group rivals Belgium and Canada who are happiest with the outcome here.
Played out in blazing afternoon sun it was hardly surprising for the tempo of this one to be set early by Croatia, their ever-dependable midfield trio taking charge and controlling things from the middle. At the heart of it was Modric, playing what will surely be his final major tournament of a glittering career, still the arch metronome he has always been, seemingly dictating the pace of everything around him without any remote concern, his otherworldly powers somehow also extending to ensure he avoided any further action for a number of mistimed challenges in defence.
Ivan Perisic, a star four years ago, arrowed over with a speculative long-range effort as they pushed to add some potency to their early possession.
Morocco’s best moments of a largely uneventful first-half came, predictably, through the returning Hakim Ziyech, the Chelsea wide man now back in from the cold under new coach Walid Regragui. A blocked snap shot and dangerous whipped cross in the early exchanges hinted at where their main threat would come. A free-kick bang in range 25 yards out was wastefully hit straight at the wall.
Croatia miss chance to ignite World Cup bid after Morocco stalemate
Morocco 0-0 Croatia: Luka Modric and co. were left frustrated at the Al Bayt Stadium in a result that will please Group F rivals Belgium and Canada
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments