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Scoreline: Croatia (Mandzukic 4') 1-1 Denmark (Jorgensen 2') AET; Croatia win 3-2 on penalties.
Croatia edged out Denmark to secure qualification to the Quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup after an exciting penalty shootout at Nizhny Novgorod. The two sides were inseparable after the full 90 minutes and just like Russia and Spain a few hours prior to this game, the teams would have to play an additional 30 minutes of Extra Time to try and win the game.
However, the teams struggled to maintain the upper hand yet again and the shootout looked destined to happen after Luka Modric had squandered a golden opportunity to put his team ahead from the penalty spot, just 4 minutes before the final whistle that marked the end of added time.
And so it went on to penalties, where Croatia just about managed to prevail over Denmark in what was a nervy round of 16 encounter that could have easily gone the other way on another day. The result now means that Croatia will face Russia at the Fisht Stadium in Sochi on Saturday, while it's the end of the road for Denmark.
Without further delay, let's take a closer look at the major talking points from the game:
#1 Electric start failed to live up to the expectations
The game got off to a flying start when Mathias Jorgensen scored the opening goal for Denmark in the 1st minute after Jonas Knudsen's long throw had caused complete disarray among the Croatian defenders inside their own penalty area. Thomas Delaney, who got on the end of the loose ball, took a touch and guided it into Jorgensen's path and the defender's shot on goal deflected off a couple of Croatian players, including their keeper Daniel Subasic, before crossing the line.
Croatia responded quickly and equalized just 1 minute and 52 seconds after going behind in yet another unusual way after Henrik Daalsgard's clearance from Sime Vrsaljko's cross cannoned off his teammate Andreas Christensen and fell straight into the path of Mario Mandzukic, who made no mistake from close-range to restore parity between the two sides.
Despite the game boasting of 2 goals in the first five minutes, it failed to live up to the expectations that came with the electric start after both teams struggled for quality inside the final third. Denmark settled for rigidity at the back and Croatia continued to dominate possession as the game petered out eventually and the scores remained intact over 120 minutes.
#2 Denmark's Christensen experiment goes horribly wrong
Age Hareide took a gamble by deploying Chelsea star Andreas Christensen in midfield while he resorted to the more experienced center-back duo of Simon Kjaer and Mathias Jorgensen at the heart of Denmark's defence. However, the manager's attempt to utilize the highly-talented youngster in midfield backfired immensely as Christensen barely had a kick of the ball against the likes of Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic in the middle of the park.
The 22-year-old never looked like recovering from his unlucky deflection that helped Croatia equalize and lacked the mobility to close down his counterparts in midfield, who were far more superior on the night.
Christensen was replaced by Lasse Schone at the end of the first half and it quickly paid off as the energetic midfielder allowed Denmark to have a firm grip on the game in the second half, helping them to orchestrate things and step forward easily.
#3 Kasper Schmeichel lives up to the legacy
Kasper Schmeichel produced one of his best performances in his national team colours against Croatia and was undoubtedly the best performer on the pitch. Peter Schmeichel, former Manchester United and Denmark legend, who was in attendance at Nizhny Novgorod on the night would have been proud of his son's performance that almost guided Denmark to the last eight of the competition.
The 31-year-old more than held his own against Croatia on the night to keep Denmark's hopes alive right until their last spot-kick of the penalty shootout. However, the fact that he made three penalty saves, including the one from Luka Modric in extra time, speaks volumes about his temperament and maturity as a goal-keeper, just like his father in his prime.
#4 Denmark can bow out with their heads held high
Denmark shocked everyone after they took the lead early on and it almost felt like the World Cup was going to give us yet another underdog story, well just for about 1 minute and 52 seconds at least. The Danes were unlucky to concede a goal in that fashion and from there on it was always going to be an uphill task for Age Hareide's men.
Their approach worked out pretty well considering the fact that the game went down to the fifth penalty kick in the shootout to decide the winner of the contest and they certainly had their moments during this particular game and throughout the tournament in general.
From Christian Eriksen's moments of magic en route to qualification to frustrating two European powerhouses in the form of France and Croatia in the tournament, it is safe to say that Denmark weren't here to merely make up the numbers.
#5 Luka Modric will be a relieved man
Luka Modric has been the driving force behind Croatia's fortunes in the World Cup this year and he was influential yet again as he continued to dominate things in midfield against Denmark on the night. The Real Madrid star just about edged Christian Eriksen in the battle for supremacy in midfield and it was his intricate pass that allowed Ante Rebic to go through on goal and win the penalty, that could have decided the outcome of the game, just before 4 minutes from the end of second-half extra time.
Modric rightfully stepped up to shoulder the responsibility but his effort was weak and Schmeichel conjured a huge save, holding on to the ball to prevent a rebound.
It almost felt like Modric would join the list of high-profile casualties who were already knocked out of the competition but he managed to convert his penalty in the shoot-out and redeemed himself with a little help from his teammates, Daniel Subasic and Ivan Rakitic, in particular, to keep his World Cup hopes alive.
