Qatar 2022: Croatia Goalkeeper Livakovic Was The Hero On Penalties To Eliminate Japan And Advance To The Quarterfinals

df7a910f23808553c10bf8f46e5d29a0df79f5efw

Croatia defeated Japan on penalties after equalizing after 90 minutes and then in extra time. This was the first match of the knockout stage to be decided on penalties. Croatia qualified for the second time in a row to the quarterfinals, after being runner-up in Russia 2018.

Croatia advanced to the round of 16 after qualifying second in Group F behind Morocco and is the fourth team from Europe to secure a place in the quarterfinals. The other three are the Netherlands, England and France.

The match, which was played at the Al Janoub Stadium, was one of the closest matches in the round of 16. LThe Japanese team took the lead with a goal by Daizen Maeda (minute 43), making it the first time that Japan began by winning a game after two 2-1 comebacks against Germany and Spain.

The first half began with the advantage of the Japanese, but the experienced Ivan Perisic equalized the actions with a header (minute 55). From there both teams had opportunities, but could not extend the score until extra time.

In extra time, the physical exhaustion of both teams was noted, which, despite having six available changes, ended up exhausted after a strong group stage with matches every three days. This was the first penalty shootout decision at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The Japanese won the toss and started shooting first, but Minamino missed his penalty against goalkeeper Livakovic. The Croats for their part did not miss their first opportunity to take the lead.

Livakovic stopped the second and the fourth penalty that left the Japanese team that said goodbye to Qatar 2022 without opportunities. Croatia scored the remaining two and thanks to the goalkeeper they advanced to the eight best teams in the world.

His rival will be the winner of the match between Brazil and South Korea that will meet on Monday, December 5.