Morocco and Croatia make their debut in this World Cup in a fantastic game and in Group F, that promises to be exciting until the last day. The world runner-up, with only eight of the players who touched glory in Russia, measures the worth of one of the teams called to be a revelation in this World Cup.
How does Morocco arrive? The Atlas Lions play the sixth final phase of their history in a World Cup with the objetive of taking a step forward and getting into the top 16. They already did it 36 years ago in Mexico, and now they arrive in Qatari lands with a more experienced block and with players who have progressed from promises to authentic top-level realities. They swept their qualifying group with full victories and beat the Democratic Republic of Congo in the tie that gave them the final ticket to be in Doha.
How does Croatia arrive? The generational change in the world runner-up is already a reality, and it is that only eight of those from Russia have repeated the call. The fantastic four -Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic and Perisic- are the base on which everything is built in Croatia, where the irruption of the center-back Gvardiol stands out and also, as is usual, the absence of a top-level differentia killer l. In the qualifying phase they finished first in the group, with only one defeat and four goals against.
Ziyech vs. Perisic. The two top scorers of both calls with Morocco and Croatia. The first, despite having a few weak seasons since his arrival to Chelsea, he is one of the offensive benchmarks due for his high scoring ability and his overflow. The second, eternal and tireless when he puts on the croatian shirt, is a life insurance in the final stages, with four goals in Euro Cups and five in World Cups.
By Fernando Perez (Football Analyst, Spain)
Bengali