The following Real Madrid players were called up to represent their national teams at the Qatar 2022 World Cup: Carvajal and Asensio for Spain; Camavinga and Tchouameni for France; Modrić for Croatia; Courtois and Hazard for Belgium; Rüdiger for Germany; Vini Jr., Rodrygo and Militão for Brazil; and Valverde for Uruguay. Their presence has been quite important with most of them being regular starters. Previously, the group stage sent home Courtois, Hazard, Valverde and Rüdiger, the round of 16 sent home the Spaniards Carvajal and Asensio and the quarters sent home the brazilians. Meanwhile the remaining of them played in the semis and the third place clash where very interesting games were offered for the public.
Argentina vs Croatia
Modric’s Croatia was unable to cause harm to Argentina in the first semifinal game. The Croatians have been quite a strong team throughout the tournament, but the same can be said about the Argentinians, who add to their strength a kind of toughness which resides in each player, making it very difficult for the opponent to deal with it. And on top there is a certain genius called Lionel Messi who has too many traits in his sporting character (which is not a surprise).
As much as the Croatians have loved being one goal down and then fixing everything with the passing of minutes, this was simply not the case. The ball possession from the Balkans could not break the Americano Latinos’ strong and well organized midfield and defense. Adding their great counterattacking abilities and their planning to all of this, made it impossible for the Croatians to bring their ideas into life.
Although the result may seem like a total domination from Argentina, it must be clear that Croatia played a good game, controlled the tempo, worked in unison to progress the ball and had some chances. Modric was as always the man behind the ideas and one of the players who pushed the most to help score at least one goal, which could have been a turning point for the game. Croatia kept the ball, but had trouble creating meaningful chances in the area and had no runners or dribblers to take advantage of the vertical play.
However it is to be said that the opening goal was scored with a penalty that left much room for doubt. However the main discussion should’ve been about how easily Croatia conceded that chance in the first place — with Dejan Lovren misreading a pass and failing to react in time. Livakovic was left to himself and couldn’t do anything. So in a nutshell, Croatia’s midfield was quite great but the defense and the attack were not doing a good job at all.
Croatia were still in the game after the first goal, but didn’t keep themselves in it long enough. Five minutes later, they overcommitted bodies on a set-piece, and the defending in transition was abysmal as Julian Alvarez ploughed through brilliantly, while simultaneously eating up the failed clearances. With the injury of Brozovic early in the 2nd half, it looked like the fate of this match was already decided. In the 69th minute it was Alvarez once more who sealed the victory for his team. In a losing cause, Modric had 93 touches on the ball, had two key passes, and some key interventions in midfield. He came off to a standing ovation in the 80th minute.
France vs Morocco and the virus outbreak
France's national team, featuring Tchouameni and Camavinga, reached the World Cup final and will play Argentina for the title on Sunday (4pm CET). Deschamps' side saw off Morocco in the semi-final (2-0). Tchoaumeni started and played the full 90 minutes, Camavinga didn't take part in the match. Theo Hernandez ('5) opened the scoring with a clinical shot from a difficult angle and Kolo Muani ('79) sealed the victory for France after tapping in a ricochet initiated by Mbappe. The reigning world champions have won five games and lost one in Qatar. Prior to beating Morocco, they finished top of their group and knocked out Poland (round of 16) and England (quarter-finals).
In the biggest game of his footballing career until now, Aurelien Tchouameni played the anchor role and helped the French National Team advance past an impressive Morocco side in the World Cup semi-finals. The youngster had his hands full acting as the midfield organizer against Morocco, who went down a goal in the fifth minute, and were looking to get behind France’s lines early and often. In fact, it was Tchouameni’s interception that led to France’s second goal as well. And that wasn’t the only intervention Tchouameni had. He had four interceptions altogether which was the the second most of anyone on the field.
The French team looked like would win this game easily after the 1st goal but Morocco showed why their arrival in the semis was not a surprise at all. As France was trying to be clinical and safe, the Moroccans did the best they could to put them in difficulty and managed doing so in many cases. Morocco overcame injury blows and showed no deference to France’s reputation, taking the game to them in a gallant effort that added to the glowing reputation they have earned at the tournament. As far as they are a tough and brave team, having the same stats as France and even possessing the ball more, it still wasn’t enough to overcome Les Blues.
The Madridista Tchouameni finished the game with 65 touches, four interceptions, and two key passes. His France side will go all out on Sunday in a bid to win their third World Cup, which would be their second in a row. The reigning champions, with Camavinga and Tchouameni in their ranks, will try to hold on to the title in the final against Argentina to be played at the Lusail stadium (4pm CET). France is seeking to become only the third country in the history of football’s World Cup to win back-to-back championships.
But, France’s preparations for their 2022 FIFA World Cup Final against Argentina have gotten a bit messy. A virus outbreak and accompanying flu-like symptoms have hit members of France’s football team as they prepare for Sunday’s championship match in Qatar. As a result, five players including among others Kingsley Coman, Ibrahima Konaté and Raphaël Varane have been social distancing themselves away from their France teammates. They missed the training on Friday and were not really active on Saturday. However, there is no indication that any of France’s players are severely ill.
The French are trying to manage the virus outbreak amongst the squad "as best they can" ahead of Sunday's World Cup final according to head coach Didier Deschamps. "We are trying to manage the situation as best we can in peace with regard to the different situations that are not similar. But there will be data today. Obviously, I will have some tonight and then until tomorrow to make sure. To be ready for this great game that awaits us", said that french boss.
Third Place, Croatia vs Morocco
However the losers of the semifinal games still had more to show as their clash for the third place produced quite an interesting game. It was a real success for both teams, with the Croatians reaching the third place for the 2nd time and the Moroccans reaching the 4th place not only in their history but also as representatives of the Africa. In contrast to the group-stage match between these teams earlier in the tournament, a drab 0-0 stalemate jokingly called ‘sufferball’ afterwards – the playoff was an exciting affair with end-to-end action with players intent on making a lasting impression before exiting the World Cup. With two quick goals (1 for each side) 10 minutes from the start, the action at Doha’s Khalifa International Stadium settled after 10 frantic opening minutes into an entertaining, if less frenetic, match-up as both teams attempted to end their World Cup journey on a high.
Croatia scored twice in the first half. Both goals were pristine in their own right. The first, a calculated set-piece, finished off by a diving header from Josko Gvardiol. The second, a delicate dink from the left from Mislav Orsic, one that had not much power but simply beat Moroccan custodian Yassine Bounou on flight towards the end of the half. For Morocco, it was one hurdle too many, physically struggling towards the end and seeing four centre backs sidelined by injury. The experience of Croatia to win the key moments and battles, and manage the game well got them over the line. Morocco's run at this tournament in history and there is no need for a medal to prove it. Morocco, not willing to be outshone, had equalised through an Achraf Dari header earlier in the game. These would be the only goals of the game.
But the star of Croatia’s show remained the star of their football for the past decade. This game was a testament to Modric’s understated brilliance. With Brozovic out, Modric had been called upon to do much of the work off the ball, and play in a much deeper role than usual. He has excelled at it, appearing everywhere on the pitch, constantly taking up positions in front of the defence to make interceptions, break up play, and keep Croatia ticking with his long and short passing. There were not many of the trademark flourishes, but they were not needed as much as the workman role, and he fulfilled it brilliantly. If this was his last dance, a performance worthy of it. Two third places and a second place in 6 appearances in WC for Croatians!
The full view of the semis + third place and results is presented as follows:
Argentina 3-0 Croatia (Argentina – Messi 34’, Julián Álvarez 39’, 69’)
France 2-0 Morocco (France – Theo Hernandez 5', Randal Kolo Muani 79’)
Croatia 2-1 Morocco (Croatia – Josko Gvardiol 7’, Mislav Oršić 42’ :: Morocco - Achraf Dari 9’)
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