Croatia face off against Morocco in the FIFA World Cup 2022, and the two teams played out an intense 0-0 draw with both sides cancelling each other out. There was also a rare sight during the game as Croatian centre-back Josko Gvardiol was seen playing while wearing a face mask.
Quickly it became a butt of jokes on social media, with fans wondering why the centre-back, who has attracted interest from many top European clubs of late, including Chelsea, and Manchester United, played while looking like a vigilante.
Gvardiol currently plies his trade for RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga in Germany and despite his age, has attracted interest from all over Europe.
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The 20-year-old become a talking point on social media after he took the field against Morocco while wearing a face mask.
Actually, the Croatian had suffered a horrific injury on his face recently as his club defeated Freiburg 3-1 in the Bundesliga on November 10.
Gvardiol collided with his teammate Willi Orban and had to be taken to the hospital. Coincidentally, he was not supposed to play the match but his teammate Abdou Diallo injured himself during the warmup and thus the Croatian centre-back played the match, injuring his face.
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He was left with a bloodied nose, and a sore black eye, it was later revealed that he had broken his nose and thus was forced to wear a mask with the injury coming less than two weeks before the start of the World Cup.
RB Leipzig coach Marco Rose gave an update on the injury. "I heard he has a broken nose. The eye is swollen. He looks like a boxer after 12 rounds against a tough opponent," said Rose.
