Jakarta, CNNI Indonesia —
Croatia managed to get rid of Brazil in a penalty shootout with a score of 4-2 (1-1) in the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup at Education City Stadium, Doha on Friday (9/12) evening WIB.
Brazil got back to back chances through Vinicius Junior and Neymar in the 20th minute. Vinicius’ shot was still blocked by the Croatian defender while Neymar’s chances were still safe in the arms of Dominik Livakovic.
In the 30th minute it was Croatia’s turn to try to widen the danger. Ivan Perisic had a shot from outside the box but it didn’t score.
The game then got back to racing hard towards the end of the first half. Both Croatia and Brazil continued to look cautious so as not to create many chances until the end of the first half.
In the second half Perisic became a figure who once again tried to spread threats against Brazil. The header released by the Tottenham Hotspur player took advantage of Luka Modric’s cross which was still wide to the left of goal.
Subsequently, Brazil continued to threaten. A golden opportunity for Lucas Paqueta, who just had to face Livakovic.
But in the 66th minute Paquetà’s shot on goal was again thwarted by Livakovic.
Ten minutes later it was Neymar’s turn to seize a golden opportunity. Neymar also faced one-on-one with Livakovic but his shot was still blocked by the Dinamo Zagreb goalkeeper.
The pressure was stepped up by Brazil in the remaining 15 minutes of regulation time. The entry of players like Antony, Rodrygo and Pedro made Brazil even more aggressive in attacking.
Brazil were never able to score one more goal until the end of the second half due to Livakovic’s brilliant performance. Eight opportunities were thwarted by Livakovic who took the game to extra time.
Brazil’s long-awaited goal finally arrived in extra time. The one-two between Neymar and Paqueta ended with the influence of the PSG star, who outwitted Livakovic and then tricked the ball into an empty net.
After that, it looks like Brazil will win the match as they manage to keep the lead until the 116th minute. But a minute later, thanks to a counter-attack scheme, substitute Bruno Petkovic burst through Alisson Becker’s goal to make the score 1-1 and the winner’s determination must end on penalties.
Croatia managed to emerge victorious in the penalty shootout against Brazil with a score of 3-1. Nikola Vlasic, Lovro Majer, Luka Modric and Mislav Orsic successfully fulfilled their tasks.
Meanwhile, two of the four penalty takers, namely Rodrygo and Marquinhos, failed to fulfill their duties. Rodrygo’s run was countered by Livakovic and Marquinhos’ shot hit the post. Croatia advanced to the semi-finals of the World Cup with a 4-2 win over Brazil in a penalty shootout.
(jal/nva)
