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Croatia eliminates Japan in penalty kicks to reach the quarterfinals
Maya Yoshida is stopped, and Mario Pasalic wins…
GOAL: Japan’s Takuma Asano buries a right-footed shot…
Kaoru Mitoma is stopped for Japan, and then…
Japan won the coin toss and elected to…
Japan and Croatia are headed to penalty kicks…
Borna Barisic is given a yellow card for…
Japan goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda punched a corner kick…
A reminder that the winner of the Croatia-Japan…
Croatia made two substitutions at the start of…
The first 15 minutes of extra time ends…
Japan’s Kaoru Mitoma had the best chance in…
Croatia’s great Luka Modric, 37, comes out in…
Five minutes into extra time, the early edge…
Japan lost its only previous World Cup match…
Croatia eliminates Japan in penalty kicks to reach the quarterfinals
Maya Yoshida is stopped, and Mario Pasalic wins…
GOAL: Japan’s Takuma Asano buries a right-footed shot…
Kaoru Mitoma is stopped for Japan, and then…
Japan won the coin toss and elected to…
Japan and Croatia are headed to penalty kicks…
Borna Barisic is given a yellow card for…
Japan goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda punched a corner kick…
A reminder that the winner of the Croatia-Japan…
Croatia made two substitutions at the start of…
The first 15 minutes of extra time ends…
Japan’s Kaoru Mitoma had the best chance in…
Croatia’s great Luka Modric, 37, comes out in…
Five minutes into extra time, the early edge…
Japan lost its only previous World Cup match…
Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic put on a dominant performance in the penalty kick shootout, stopping three of the four shots he faced, and Croatia moved on to the World Cup quarterfinals and Japan was left with round-of-16 heartbreak again. The two sides headed to penalty kicks after they remained knotted, 1-1, after 120 minutes in Wakrah, Qatar. Japan, which was attempting to become the first Asian team in the quarterfinals in 20 years, had a 1-0 lead at halftime before Croatia equalized early in the second half. There was no scoring in extra time. Croatia made three of its four penalty kicks, while Japan made just one of four. Continue reading for highlights from the game.
What you need to know
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Goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic made three saves in the penalty-kick shootout to help Croatia advance to the quarterfinals and eliminate Japan after the two sides played to a 1-1 draw through 120 minutes.
Nikola Vlasic, Marcelo Brozovic and Mario Pasalic converted penalties against Japan goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda, as Croatia prevailed, 3-1. Croatia won two matches via penalty kicks en route to its runner-up finish in the 2018 World Cup.
Japan, which came from behind to defeat Germany and Spain during the group stage, took a lead into halftime for the first time at this year’s tournament. The Samurai Blue scored off a corner kick in the 43rd minute, when Maya Yoshida’s soft touch in the box landed at the feet of Daizen Maeda, who buried a shot into the back of the net.
Maya Yoshida is stopped, and Mario Pasalic wins it for Croatia. The 2018 finalists, who trailed in all four of their knockout round matches four years ago, have done it again, rallying from down a goal to beat Japan and head to the quarterfinals.
CROATIA WINS IT IN PENALTIES 🇭🇷 pic.twitter.com/xV6UmuHHuR
GOAL: Japan’s Takuma Asano buries a right-footed shot past Dominik Livakovic, who guessed wrong.
SAVE: Croatia’s Marko Livaja puts a shot off the left post. It deflects wide. Japan is still alive.
Through three rounds of penalties, Croatia leads, 2-1.
Croatia misses it's third
Japan: ❌❌✅
Croatia: ✅✅❌ pic.twitter.com/BAFnt1MZZZ
Kaoru Mitoma is stopped for Japan, and then Marcelo Brozovic scores down the middle for Croatia.
Through two round, Croatia leads, 2-0.
BLOCKED AGAIN!
Japan: ❌❌
Croatia: ✅ pic.twitter.com/Gc2cqL2Mrq
Japan won the coin toss and elected to kick first.
SAVE! Dominik Livakovic made a diving stop on Takumi Minamino’s low shot.
GOAL: Nikola Vlasic puts one in the left corner of the net past the diving Shuichi Gonda.
Through one round, Croatia leads, 1-0.
BLOCKED! The first penalty from Japan is saved!
Japan: ❌
Croatia: pic.twitter.com/NBvPsYulJo
Japan and Croatia are headed to penalty kicks to decide a winner after neither side scored in extra time. Coratia had a decent chance in the final minute, but blistered a shot wide of the net. It remains 1-1. A spot in the quarterfinals is at stake.
Borna Barisic is given a yellow card for tripping in the 116th minute. He also grabs the back of his leg, possibly cramping.
Japan goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda punched a corner kick by Croatia in the 112th minute out of harm’s way, as the chances in extra time continue to be few and far between. It certainly feels like this match is headed to penalty kicks.
A reminder that the winner of the Croatia-Japan match plays the winner of Monday’s other match, between Brazil and South Korea, on Friday at 10 a.m. That’s the first of the four quarterfinals, and the winner of this match will have played a draining 120 minutes.
Croatia made two substitutions at the start of the second period of extra time, replacing Ivan Perisic and Ante Budimir with Marko Livaja and Mislav Orsic. Perisic scored Croatia’s second-half equalizer. For Japan, Ao Tanaka replaced Hidemasa Morita.
The first 15 minutes of extra time ends with the score still tied, 1-1. Another 15 minutes begins and, if it’s still tied, the teams will go to penalty kicks.
Japan’s Kaoru Mitoma had the best chance in extra time in the 105th minute when he capped a long run with a right-footed blast on goal. It was a powerful shot, but it was directly at Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, who deflected the ball over the crossbar for a corner.
Croatia’s great Luka Modric, 37, comes out in the 99th minute, sparking wonder if this might be his last appearance in a World Cup match if Croatia does not advance.
Lovro Majer and Nikola Vlasic come in for Croatia, with Mateo Kovacic also leaving.
Modrić receives an ovation from the crowd as he comes off in extra time 🇭🇷 pic.twitter.com/dWVv3DKkwU
Five minutes into extra time, the early edge goes to Japan, which earned corner kicks in the 92nd and 95th minutes. The second set piece produced a brief stoppage after a head-to-head collision in the box between Mario Pasalic and Takehiro Tomiyasu. We remain tied, 1-1.
The latest: The World Cup continues with Group G winner Brazil taking on Group H runner-up South Korea in a round-of-16 game in Doha, Qatar. The winner of this game will play Croatia in a quarterfinal on Friday after the Croatians beat Japan in penalty kicks earlier Monday. Follow our live coverage for the latest news, analysis and highlights.
USMNT: The U.S. men’s national team fell to the Netherlands, 3-1, on Saturday in the opening match of the round of 16. The United States has not won a World Cup knockout match since 2002, when it beat regional rival Mexico in the round of 16 in South Korea.
Knock out round schedule: A World Cup group stage filled with shocking upsets and dramatic turnarounds will now give way to a knockout round that promises more surprises.
Perspective: “The incremental progress was clear, but more than that, the players performed in a matter that indicates they are on a path to immense growth. There is a cohesion and energy about the United States that should inspire belief.” Read Jerry Brewer on the U.S. men’s national team’s future.
