In the match for third place at the Qatar World Cup, fate brought together the teams who started the current tournament with a head-to-head encounter. In the group with Belgium and Canada, these teams were considered direct competitors for the second playoff spot, with bookmakers favouring Roberto Martinez's side for first. Nevertheless, the Belgian 'golden generation' was rightly sent off by the Croats and Moroccans to build a new team outside the Mundial. Before the start of the World Cup, the Croatian team was ranked 12th on the list of title contenders with an odds of 60, while Morocco were quoted 21st with an odds of 230. The participation of both opponents in the match for third place can be regarded as sensational, even though the Croats only folded in the match against Argentina to become the reigning vice-champions of the world.

After a nil draw in the first round of the group stage against their upcoming opponents, the Croats did not start the match against Canada with much confidence, conceding first, but immediately proved their advantage over their opponents with four goals in a row. The game against Belgium could well have been a loss for Zlatko Dalic's side had Lukaku converted at least one of his four chances. The playoffs were the peak of Livakovic's glory as he won two penalty shoot-outs for his country. The semi-final encounter with Argentina was a bit of a setback for the Croats, who conceded unexpected goals and failed to create pressure, rightly losing out to Messi and company.

Morocco are the real discovery and sensation of the Mundial. Since the group stage, Waghid Regraghi's team have alternately left Belgium and Canada, Spain and Portugal out of the tournament. Despite the loss to France, it is fair to say that Ziesch and company progressed from match to match and played very decently in the semi-final meeting. In the first half of the second half, the Moroccans even locked the French in their half of the field and managed to pass the echeloned defence of the world champions through quick work with the ball.

The African team seemed psychologically better prepared to win the bronze medals of the World Cup.