The finalist from four years ago, knocked Brazil out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in a penalty shootout after tying the game 1-1 late in extra time
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.
DOHA, Qatar — Croatia is proving to be a tough out at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
On Friday, the finalist from four years ago, knocked Brazil out the tournament in a penalty shootout after tying the game 1-1 late into extra time at the Education Stadium.
As the Canadian national soccer teams head to their respective FIFA World Cups, Derek Van Diest is on the scene to cover all the action. Expect expert insights and analysis in your inbox daily throughout the tournaments, and weekly on Thursdays for the rest of the season.
Thanks for signing up!
A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.
The next issue of Corner Kicks with Derek Van Diest will soon be in your inbox.
Substitute Bruno Petkovic scored in the 117th minute when his shot hit the thigh of Brazil defender Marquinhos and deflected in past goalkeeper Alisson.
Marquinhos also missed the decisive penalty, hitting the post with his effort, which gave Croatia the win. Croatia will now play with the winner of the Argentina and Netherlands quarterfinal taking place at the Lusail Stadium later in the evening.
“We always share our joy, but we also have to share our sadness,” said Brazil head coach Tite after the game. “I think there is a new generation of players who will find strength in adversity. I understand I’m the most responsible for this, but we all have to share responsibility for the loss.
“That’s football, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. Even though we had a great performance, we had a lot of shots on net and the ball wouldn’t go in for us. That happens in football, it’s normal.”
Neymar had scored at the end of the first half of extra time to give Brazil the lead. Brazil had 19 efforts on goal and 11 that hit the target, but they did not show urgency until the second half.
Croatia did a good job of keeping the ball and had a handful of chances to win the game late, which had Brazil nervous.
Neymar scored a minute into the first half of extra time, combining with Paqueta for a give-and-go at the top of the penalty area, then walking around goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic and firing the gall into the roof of the net.
The goal was Neymar’s 77th for Brazil and eighth World Cup marker, equaling Pele for the Brazilian record.
The goal looked as if it would be enough to get Brazil through to the next round, but Croatia, who grinded out a shootout win against Japan in the previous round, would not go away. Croatia has won four consecutive World Cup shootouts.
“It’s difficult to determine the mental state of your team when you score a goal at the end of the first half of extra time and then they score the tying goal with only a couple of minutes left in the second half,” Tite said. “I think they only had one shot on target and it went in. They passed the ball around in their own half and sometimes would venture into our half.
“I thought we started to take control over the match and their goalkeeper made some very good saves. Their goalkeeper was very good, so that was difficult for us. Then they take one shot and it ends up hitting one of our players and goes into the net.”
Croatia tied the game when Petkovic got the ball at the top of the penalty area and fired a left-footed shot, which Alisson would have handled had it not hit Marquinhos on the way through. It was Croatia’s only shot on net.
Nikola Vlasic scored on the first shot of the penalty shootout to give Croatia the lead. Rodrygo was then stopped by Livakovic, diving to his left.
Lovro Majer, Luka Modric and Mislav Orsic went on to score on their penalties, while Casemiro and Danilo countered for Brazil, putting all the pressure on Marquinhos, who hit the right goalpost.
Neymar did not get an opportunity to shoot as Brazil’s fifth taker.
“This is one of the greatest wins in our history,” Dalic said. “This was a great match. Tactically, I thought they were very smart. They had control of the ball throughout the match and we conceded a goal, but were able to come back.
“Once again, we demonstrated what it means not to give up. We demonstrated the strength of the Croatian team and that’s what brought us great success four years ago. This is the second World Cup in a row we are in the semifinals and I congratulate every one of my players.”
Croatia has won one game in regulation at this tournament, which came in a 4-1 victory against Canada in the group stage. Four years ago, they lost to France in the final.
“We’ll take a couple of days to relax and recover, but I do think we have the strength to keep going further,” Dalic said. “We have a lot of character on our team and we never give up. We were prepared for anything in this game, we knew as the game went on scoreless, our chances to win increased. It was very important for us not to concede a goal at the beginning and we did a good job keeping the ball.”
Email: dvandiest@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @DerekVanDiest