Gvardiol Shines at World Cup as Croatia Wins 3rd-Place Match

Gvardiol Shines at World Cup as Croatia Wins 3rd-Place Match
Croatia's Josko Gvardiol heads the ball during the World Cup third-place playoff soccer match between Croatia and Morocco at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022. AP Photo/Hassan Ammar
The Associated Press
Updated:

AL RAYYAN, Qatar—In what may have been Luka Modric’s final World Cup match, Josko Gvardiol made a play to be Croatia’s next go-to guy.

Modric has been the man in the middle for Croatia for more than a decade, leading the team to the World Cup final four years ago and the semifinals of this year’s tournament. But at 37, his time at the top is surely coming to an end.