When Abdulrahman Al Jassim blew the final whistle at the packed Khalifa International Stadium, it sparked scenes of pandemonium.

The entire Croatia squad rushed onto the pitch to celebrate their memorable top-three finish at the World Cup. In sharp contrast, a contingent of outraged Moroccan players swamped the Qatari referee over some of his controversial decisions. There was quite a bit of pushing and shoving and Achraf Hakimi had to be dragged away by teammates as the Paris Saint-Germain star's anger boiled over.

Who said the third-place playoff would be a meaningless booby prize?

While the chance of achieving the ultimate glory has gone for Croatia and Morocco, both sides displayed remarkable passion and dedication to end the showpiece event on a high note.

In a thrillingly maniacal opening, Josko Gvardiol, who was notoriously embarrassed by Lionel Messi in one of the stunning moments in this World Cup, shrugged off the disappointment of the semifinal defeat to Argentina by giving Croatia the lead inside seven minutes.

True to form, Croatia's veteran captain Luka Modric, who won his record 162nd cap against Morocco, was the instigator of the breakthrough. The 37-year-old feigned to take a free-kick and created room for Lovro Majer to send a cross into the box instead. Ivan Perisic smartly nodded the ball into the goalmouth where Gvardiol dived in to head past Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

Achraf Dari restored parity for Morocco just two minutes later as the unmarked defender took advantage of a defensive mix-up and headed in from close range. However, the resilient Moroccan side, who earlier made history as the first African team to reach a World Cup semifinal, could not deliver one last miracle as Mislav Orsic settled the tie with a marvelous curling shot that sneaked past Bounou via the post. 

Despite Morocco's valiant efforts to find another equalizer, Croatia, runners-up in 2018, held on for the 2-1 win and cemented their status as one of the emerging football powerhouses.

"We won the bronze medal and it has a golden layer, it is like we have won the gold medal tonight," beamed Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic. "Fighting for the third place play-off and losing would have been a disaster. This is the end of a cycle, end of a journey. My players spared no efforts and these are what we work for.

"It was a difficult, great match. I want to extend my congratulations to Morocco, they put up a great fight until the last minute, despite the fatigue. They can be proud, they remind me of us four years ago. We're among the best teams in the world."

The triumph was also a crowning feat for Modric, the only footballer to break the duopoly of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the Ballon d'Or from 2008 to 2022. Despite his advancing age, the Real Madrid playmaker finished his club season by lifting the Champions League title and then led Croatia to another top-three finish on his final World Cup appearance.

Modric's last dance was nothing short of extraordinary. The old maestro started all seven of Croatia's matches in Qatar, playing for 656 minutes out of a possible 690. He might be in the autumn of his career, but his impact on the pitch has hardly decline. According to stats provider Opta, Modric had the joint-highest ball recoveries (39) in the tournament until in his side's loss to Argentina, and won nine out of 16 duels in their sensational quarterfinal upset against Brazil.

"He is the most complete player in the world," said former Croatia boss Slaven Bilic. "For me Luka is the best midfielder in the world for the past five to six years."

Turning 38 next September, the ageless Modric is set to keep on going. When asked if he intends to extend his international career into 2023, the charismatic skipper told a press briefing, "I need to go step by step... I still feel I can perform on a high level."

Modric suggested he would stay on to help Croatia win the Nations League title next June. "It would be a nonsense not to play in the Nations League, and then we'll see how to proceed," he said.

The sentiment was later echoed by Dalic in a press conference. "This is the last World Cup for some of my players due to their age," observed the Croatian tactician. "But we have young players in our team and there is a great hope for Croatia. We have many young players on the bench. The older players instil confidence in them.

"Croatia has nothing to fear for the future. Is this the end of an era? I believe not, we have the Nations League and European Championship in 2024. I believe Croatia has a fascinating future."

Perhaps for Croatia and Modric, the best is yet to come.