1:30 PM ET
Sam BordenESPN Senior Writer
- Sam Borden is simply a elder writer for ESPN.com.
AL-WAKRAH, Qatar -- Four years aft their stunning World Cup tally successful Russia, Croatia are looking to bash it each again. They knocked retired Japan, 3-1 connected penalties aft a 1-1 draw astatine Al Janoub Stadium, to determination into the quarterfinals. They'll look either Brazil oregon South Korea successful a quarterfinal connected Friday.
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The Croatians did it by astatine slightest partially turning Japan's favored publication connected its head, falling down against the tournament's upset artists conscionable earlier half-time past levelling with a resounding header from Ivan Perisic aboriginal successful the 2nd half. Neither broadside could marque a convincing assertion for deserving the triumph successful extra-time and Dominik Livakovic saved the archetypal 2 Japanese penalties to springiness Croatia a hammerlock connected the shootout. After different Livakovic save, Mario Pasalic blasted the last punishment past Shuichi Gonda and the Croatians poured connected to the tract arsenic the Japanese dropped their heads.
Japan, the tournament's statement Cinderella aft beating Germany and Spain successful the radical stage, went up conscionable earlier the interruption with a close-range blast from Daizen Maeda and it felt similar different upset could beryllium successful their hands. But aft a archetypal fractional successful which they were often excessively casual successful possession, Croatia was much precise aft the interval and had the amended chances arsenic the crippled went on.
Japan had their moments -- Kaoru Mitoma's deflected changeable successful the archetypal fractional of extra-time was hopeful -- but yet couldn't find different spot of precocious drama. When Takumi Minamino and Mitoma past missed from the spot, the last effect felt inevitable.
JUMP TO: Player ratings | Best/worst performers | Highlights and notable moments | Postmatch quotes | Key stats | Upcoming fixtures
Rapid reaction
1. Croatia is backmost again -- and they're got much than conscionable Modric
While Croatia was surely the betting favourite coming into the game, their coach, Zlatko Dalic, was determined to overgarment his squad arsenic the lively underdogs they've proven themselves to beryllium successful European football.
"The colonisation of Croatia is 4 cardinal and the results we person achieved connected the satellite signifier are miraculous," Dalic said, and it's hard to argue: After being astonishment finalists successful Russia, they took Spain to extra-time successful the circular of 16 astatine Euro 2020, and present they're backmost into the last eight.
While seasoned Real Madrid playmaker Luka Modric is inactive the focal point, their prime runs acold deeper. Their archetypal extremity was a singular spot of idiosyncratic brilliance. After a fewer directionless passes, Dejan Lovren sent successful a swooping transverse that Perisic perfectly hammered with a header from 15 yards retired and Gonda's dive was conscionable for show.
Some of Dalic's substitutions surely raised immoderate eyebrows -- by the shootout, Modric, Perisic, Mateo Kovacic and Andrej Kramaric had each been taken disconnected -- but the coach's religion successful his seat was proven retired arsenic Croatia got through.
It's besides worthy highlighting Perisic's prowess successful the World Cup: successful summation to leveling the people successful this lucifer for Croatia, helium besides scored tying goals successful the semifinal and last 4 years ago. His six vocation World Cup goals ties him with Davor Sukor -- victor of the Golden Boot astatine the 1998 World Cup -- for the astir successful Croatia's history.
2. Japan animate ... but relive a nightmare
The intelligence after-effects of what happened to the Japanese successful 2018 -- erstwhile they gave up 3 goals successful the last 21 minutes to suffer to Belgium, 3-2, successful the circular of 16 successful Russia -- hung dense implicit this game. Veteran Yuto Nagatomo said successful the build-up helium was haunted by the result, and memories from the nighttime often popped into his caput astatine random moments implicit the past 4 years, forcing him to relive the disappointment.
With different accidental astatine the aforesaid stage, Nagatomo exhorted his teammates to beryllium courageous and, successful his words, "make history" arsenic the archetypal Japanese squad to scope the last 8 of a World Cup. He adjacent invoked the Japanese samurai, saying: "If they are frightened successful battle, they volition not beryllium capable to usage their weapons fully. It's the aforesaid successful football."
Early on, Japan did that. Their program to play from the wings was a wide effort to neutralise Croatia's vantage successful the mediate and they created respective chances from retired wide earlier taking the lead.
In the 2nd half, though, they looked uncomfortable playing with the pb and their vaunted counter-attack ne'er rather clicked arsenic the crippled went on, portion the shootout was disappointing from the start.
In the end, a tourney of inspiration for Japan ends with a familiarly brutal finish.
3. The adjacent measurement whitethorn beryllium the toughest for Croatia
Croatia's reward for making it done 120 minutes of back-and-forth, affectional battle? Either a South Korean radical riding the upset of their lives or, much likely, tourney favourites Brazil.
At this point, it's hard to reason that Croatia wouldn't person a puncher's accidental -- Modric, adjacent astatine 37, tin inactive alteration immoderate crippled -- but Brazil's extent volition beryllium a large advantage. Croatia survived a gruelling decorativeness to the radical signifier and past went the region here, truthful fatigue (both intelligence and physical) volition beryllium a factor.
And yet still: they did it 4 years agone and could surely bash it again. Plus, a blistery goalkeeper tin ever beryllium the large equaliser, and aft making 3 saves successful the shootout, Livakovic volition beryllium flying.
Player ratings (1 = worst, 10 = best)
Japan: Shuichi Gonda 7, Takehiro Tomiyasu 7, Maya Yoshida 7, Shogo Taniguchi 6, Junya Ito 7, Wataru Endo 8, Hidemasa Morita 6, Yuto Nagatomo 6, Ritsu Doan 7, Daizen Maeda 8, Daichi Kamada 7.
Subs: Hiroki Sakai 6, Takuma Asano 6, Kaoru Mitoma 5, Ao Tanaka 6, Takuma Minamino 6.
Croatia: Dominik Livakovic 8, Josip Juranovic 7, Dejan Lovren 8, Josko Gvardiol 7, Borna Barisic 7, Luka Modric 6, Marcelo Brozovic 8, Mateo Kovacic 7, Andrej Kramaric 6, Bruno Petkovic 6, Ivan Perisic 7.
Subs: Mario Pasalic 6, Ante Budimir 6, Nikola Vlasic 6, Lovro Majer 6, Mislav Orsic 6, Marko Livaja 6.
Best and worst performers
BEST: Dominik Livakovic
It doesn't get overmuch amended for a squad successful a shootout than having their goalkeeper chromatic the opponent's archetypal 2 shooters. Livakovic was coagulated implicit 120 minutes and past delivered conscionable what his squad needed successful penalties.
WORST: Maya Yoshida
Hard to find a suitable campaigner present arsenic some teams waged a precise adjacent battle, but aft Marko Livaja deed the station for Croatia successful the shootout, giving Japan a glimmer of hope, Yoshida instantly followed up with a anemic punishment that Livakvic saved easy to region immoderate drama.
Highlights and notable moments
Maeda's 43rd-minute opener was conscionable reward for Japan's affirmative attack to the crippled successful the archetypal half.
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 5, 2022But Croatia responded good aft the break, and Perisic equalised with what tin lone beryllium described arsenic a curling header.
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 5, 2022After neither broadside could find a victor successful the regularisation 90 infinitesimal of regularisation clip nor the further 30 of extra-time, it went to penalties. Takumi Minamino stepped up to instrumentality the archetypal one, which was saved by Livakovic.
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 5, 2022Nikola Vlasic scored to enactment Croatia ahead, and past Kaoru Mitoma besides had his effort saved.
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 5, 2022Marcelo Brozovic and Takuma Asano some scored, and Japan were fixed immoderate anticipation erstwhile Marko Livaja's spot footwear deed the post.
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 5, 2022However, Maya Yoshida's footwear was the 3rd saved by Livakovic, leaving Mario Pasalic to measurement up and people the winner.
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 5, 2022Inevitably, that winning footwear sparked chaotic celebrations among the Croatia squad.
CROATIA WINS IT IN PENALTIES 🇭🇷 pic.twitter.com/xV6UmuHHuR
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 5, 2022After the match: What the players and managers said
Postmatch quotes volition look here...
Key stats (provided by ESPN Stats & Information)
Japan's opening extremity was their archetypal successful the archetypal fractional of a lucifer successful this year's World Cup. The lone different Asian squad to people the archetypal extremity of a crippled successful the knockout signifier astatine the World Cup was North Korea successful 1966, erstwhile they mislaid 5-3 to Portugal.
Japan's pb was their archetypal astatine half-time of a World Cup lucifer since a 2010 group-stage lucifer against Denmark erstwhile they led 2-0.
Japan are the archetypal AFC squad to people the archetypal extremity of a knockout signifier crippled since they did truthful themselves successful 2018 against Belgium, a crippled they went connected to suffer 3-2.
Ivan Perisic's extremity tied him with Davor Suker for the astir World Cup goals successful Croatia's past (6). Perisic besides tied Mario Mandzukic for the second-most goals for the Croatian men's elder nationalist squad (33). Only Davor Suker (45) has more.
However, with his 10th extremity astatine a World Cup oregon Euros, the Tottenham Hotspur winger overtook Suker to go the Croatian with the astir goals for the men's nationalist squad astatine a large tournament.
Perisic has scored the past 3 equalising goals successful the knockout signifier of the World Cup for Croatia. He scored levellers successful some the semifinals and last of the 2018 World Cup.
Dejan Lovren's assistance for Perisic's equaliser was his archetypal ever successful a competitory fixture for Croatia. It was besides his archetypal assistance successful each competitions since Dec. 4 2019, erstwhile helium acceptable up a extremity for Divock Origi successful Liverpool's 5-2 triumph implicit Everton.
Japan's past World Cup lucifer to spell to extra-time was successful the 2010 circular of 16 against Paraguay. That crippled yet went to a shootout, which they besides lost.
If Luka Modric plays successful the quarterfinal, helium volition go the sixth UEFA subordinate to scope 160 vocation appearances with a men's elder planetary team.
Up next
Japan: The Samurai Blue person nary matches successful their docket astatine contiguous but they are definite to beryllium arranging immoderate pre-tournament friendlies up of the AFC Asian Cup, owed to beryllium held successful Qatar adjacent summer.
Croatia: After that crippled went the afloat distance, Croatia person 4 days to retrieve earlier their quarterfinal clash against either Brazil oregon South Korea, who play their round-of-16 necktie aboriginal connected Monday. That crippled volition beryllium staged astatine Education City Stadium connected Friday, Dec. 9 astatine 3 p.m. section time/7 a.m. ET.
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