Croatia were held to a draw in their FIFA World Cup (WC) finals opener for the first time ever in their sixth appearance at the tournament, as a lacklustre contest with Morocco ended in a 0-0 stalemate at the Al Bayt Stadium.
Croatia gained first hand experience of just how gruelling this competition can be when finishing runners-up four years ago, but with a new-look side featuring only four starters from the 2018 final, there was optimism they could once again challenge the world’s elite.
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The only shot on target before the break came in added time, as Nikola Vlašić met Borna Sosa’s low cross, only to be denied by Yassine Bounou from inside six yards.
Sofiane Boufal was denied a penalty when his shot seemingly struck the arm of Southampton alumni Dejan Lovren, whilst Achraf Hakimi tested Dominik Livaković with a wicked curling free-kick, though the keeper managed to parry the strike.
Morocco are still yet to concede under their manager three months into his reign whilst Croatia failed to win for the first time in five competitive matches, with both now looking ahead to ties against Canada and Belgium to paint the picture of Group F.
