Such a shame, Josip! On Tuesday evening, the Croatian national team featuring Bayern player Josip Stanišić missed out on a place in the final of the World Cup in Qatar. In the 3-0 (2-0) semi-final loss to Argentina, the 22-year-old full-back once again watched the game from the bench. The South Americans dominated the first half and deservedly took the lead through Lionel Messi (34'/pen) and Julián Álvarez (39'). After the break, the Croatians tried everything they could to turn the game around, but ultimately had no luck. Instead, Álvarez (69') bagged his second goal of the evening with around 20 minutes to go.
Regroup and focus on the third place play-off
Stanišić and Co. now need to prepare for the third place play-off on Saturday (16:00 CET), where Zlatko Dalić's side will meet the losers of the second semi-final between Morocco and France (Wednesday, 20:00 CET). After finishing in third place at the 1998 World Cup and reaching the final in 2018, the Croats now have a third chance to end a World Cup tournament with a medal.
Stanišić may be out of the final, but the dream is still alive for four other FC Bayern players:
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