In the end, it wasn’t quite what Luka Modric wanted. Lionel Messi had seen to that.
But when the veteran schemer looks back in the years to come, he will be immensely proud of what he has achieved, leading Croatia to second and third place finishes at successive World Cups.
The class of 2022 wasn’t quite as sharp as the 2018 vintage. Finding a replacement for Mario Mandzukic has been tough and their lack of punch in Qatar proved, ultimately, to be their downfall. Argentina’s midfielders had Messi at the top of the pitch when they needed something magical. Despite putting four past Canada in their second group stage, Modric and sidekick Mateo Kovacic simply didn’t have a striker whom they could rely on.
They dominated and dictated matches, ably aided for the most part by Inter Milan’s marathon man Marcelo Brozovic, who twice broke his own World Cup record for distance covered at these finals, despite his penchant for cigars and beer.
Modric himself, even at 37, still covers the ground. Often he looks fatigued, as though he’s not got one more sprint left in him. But so often there he is, continuing to sprint into the heart of the action, whether to make an angle for a pass, to intercept, to win a tackle.
Even here, in the fixture that nobody really wants to be a part of the Real Madrid icon was everywhere, both showing deep in his own half to get the Vatreni moving or backing up attacks on the edge of the Morocco penalty area.
In between, he did what he does: taking the pass and giving the pass, feeding between lines, turning away from opponents under pressure and easing into space. And always, always, right decision after right decision.
On his final night at a World Cup, Croatia took the bronze medal, a 2-1 win over Morocco bringing the curtain down on four World Cup finals appearances - 2006, 2014, 2018 and 2022 - for the diminutive playmaker.
Josko Gvardiol - the heir apparent to Modric as the face of the national team - headed home a fine opener after seven minutes before Achraf Dari levelled two minutes later. Mirslav Orsic notched a fine curling winner just before half-time.
For some, namely Walid Regragui, the Morocco boss, this match was merely a “booby prize”. The joy Croatia's pass master and his teammates shared at full-time appeared to suggest otherwise, all seeking out their most-experienced colleague to celebrate with, the delight clear for all to see - even a man with five Champions League titles to his name.
Turning 38 next September and after 162 international matches, you’d be forgiven for thinking this would be the ex-Tottenham man’s farewell from international football full stop. But with Croatia in the UEFA Nations League finals next summer, Modric is set to keep on rolling. Head coach Zlatko Dalic hasn’t given up on persuading him to still be around for Euro 2024.
“I hope that he will be with us,” Dalic said pre-game. “I’m looking forward to that and I think it is quite certain that he will be but Luka Modric will decide personally as well how he feels.
“Knowing how he feels about football and the Croatia national team, I’m quite sure he will, but it is his decision only.”
It’s a decision that Croatia’s greatest footballing export, now with a bronze World Cup medal ready to sit alongside the silver won four years ago, has earned the right to make.
