of 2022 FIFA World Cup Croatia defeated Japan in a hard-fought knockout stage game at Al-Janoub Stadium in Al-Wakrah, Qatar, which was decided by penalty kicks after a hard-fought battle.
The win advanced Croatia, led by world-class midfielder Luka Modric, to the next round.
Brazil next faces South Korea, so there’s another quarterfinal spot on Monday (11am FOX). The winner will face Croatia in the quarter-finals, which begin on Friday, December 9th.
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Croatia 1(3), Japan 1
8′: early chance
Japan’s Shogo Taniguchi set the tone with a shot just left of the gate, but his header went just wide.
A few minutes later, Japan goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda kept Ivan Perisic scoreless.
41′: what happened
Daichi Kamata is near here Despite taking the lead against Japan, they remained scoreless in the first half.
43′: Goal!
Then, just before the end of the first half, Japan took the lead with Daizen MAEDA’s smooth shot.
Japan’s Daizen Maeda scores in the 43rd minute against Croatia
55′: tied
After his try early in the match was saved, Perisic was assisted by Dejan Lovren’s cross and this header connected into the net in the second half to tie the game near the one-hour mark.
Croatia’s Ivan Perisic scores in the 55th minute against Japan
57 minutes: anyone’s game
Croatia keeper Dominik Rybaković came up with a big save midway through the second half to keep things tied.
62′: Give back
Minutes later, Japan’s Gonda responded with a decisive save to prevent Croatia from taking the lead.
Even after the end of the regulation, the game remained a draw and the game went to overtime.
120’+1′” don’t stop
Croatia almost scored the winning shot in the final minute of extra time, but it was wide and headed for a penalty kick to decide the winner.
Penalty Kick:
Croatia started by scoring the first two penalty kicks, but Japan struggled to connect.
In the end, Croatia defeated Japan, winning 3-1 on penalties to advance to the next round.
Check out all the kicks below.
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