Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic became a national hero by saving three of Japan’s penalties in the shootout to send the 2018 finalists through.
AL-WAKRAH, Qatar — Four years after their stunning World Cup run in Russia, Croatia are looking to do it all again. They knocked out Japan, 3-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Al Janoub Stadium, to move into the quarterfinals. They’ll face either Brazil or South Korea in a quarterfinal on Friday.
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The Croatians did it by at least partially turning Japan’s favored script on its head, falling behind against the tournament’s upset artists just before half-time then levelling with a resounding header from Ivan Perisic early in the second half. Neither side could make a convincing claim for deserving the win in extra-time and Dominik Livakovic saved the first two Japanese penalties to give Croatia a hammerlock on the shootout. After another Livakovic save, Mario Pasalic blasted the final penalty past Shuichi Gonda and the Croatians poured on to the field as the Japanese dropped their heads.
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Japan, the tournament’s consensus Cinderella after beating Germany and Spain in the group stage, went ahead just before the break with a close-range blast from Daizen Maeda and it felt like another upset could be in their hands. But after a first half in which they were often too casual in possession, Croatia was more precise after the interval and had the better chances as the game went on.
Japan had their moments — Kaoru Mitoma’s deflected shot in the first half of extra-time was hopeful — but ultimately couldn’t find another bit of late drama. When Takumi Minamino and Mitoma then missed from the spot, the final result felt inevitable.
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While Croatia was certainly the betting favourite coming into the game, their coach, Zlatko Dalic, was determined to paint his team as the lively underdogs they’ve proven themselves to be in European football.
“The population of Croatia is four million and the results we have achieved on the world stage are miraculous,” Dalic said, and it’s hard to argue: After being surprise finalists in Russia, they took Spain to extra-time in the round of 16 at Euro 2020, and now they’re back into the final eight.
While veteran Real Madrid playmaker Luka Modric is still the focal point, their quality runs far deeper. Their first goal was a remarkable bit of individual brilliance. After a few directionless passes, Dejan Lovren sent in a swooping cross that Perisic absolutely hammered with a header from 15 yards out and Gonda’s dive was just for show.
Some of Dalic’s substitutions surely raised some eyebrows — by the shootout, Modric, Perisic, Mateo Kovacic and Andrej Kramaric had all been taken off — but the coach’s faith in his bench was proven out as Croatia got through.
It’s also worth highlighting Perisic’s prowess in the World Cup: in addition to leveling the score in this match for Croatia, he also scored tying goals in the semifinal and final four years ago.
