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Croatia staged a stunning comeback to oust Brazil, tournamnent favorites and the No.1 side in the world, 4-2 in the tiebreak after the two sides finished 1-1 at the end of extra time in the first quarterfinal of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Friday (9 December).
In what was a gargantuan tussle at the Education City Stadium, the Brazilian attackers were left frustrated by the solidity of the Croatian backline and the brilliance of their 'keeper Dominik Livakovic.
Livakovic made a total of 11 saves on the night as Neymar, Vinicius Jr., Richarlison and others came close to scoring, only to be denied by his sharp reflexes and quick thinking.
Brazil finally broke open the deadlock at the end of the first half of extra time (106') as Neymar played a couple of one-twos with Pedro and Lucas Paqueta to get into a scoring position and then smash it home from close for a sublime goal.
But Croatia clawed their way back in the 117th minute when Mislav Orsic ran down the left flank on a break to square it to Bruno Petkovic, whose shot was deflected in by Marquinos. There was no time for any more goals and the teams ended 120 minutes of open play at 1-1.
Off we went into the dreaded penalty shootout, and Livakovic was back to his best as he saved Rodrygo's effort, while Marquinhos hit the post when he needed to score. Meanwhile, Croatia converted all their spotkicks, with Nikola Vlasic, Luka Modric, Majer and Orsic confidently dispatching their kicks. For Brazil, Pedro and Casemiro found the net but it proved too little.
It's another quarterfinal exit for the five-time winners, while the 2018 finalists have dragged themselves into another semi-final. Here are the talking points from the game.
#5 Neymar scores record-equaling 77th
The maestro stepped up with his side desperately needing something special. And he delivered it in fine fashion by linking up with teammates and then producing a fine finish. In doing so, he equaled Pele's record of 77 goals for the Selecao.
But it all went downhill a little while later for him and his team showing what a great leveler this sport is. His tears at the end probably sealed his status as one of the greatest tragic heroes of the World Cup. Will he be back in four years' time? We will have to wait to find out.
#4 Croatia frustrate Brazil with stellar defensive work
The Croatian central-defensive pairing of Dejan Lovren and Josko Gvardiol are having the World Cup of their lives. While their team has not been at their fluent best up top, they have provided a stunning rearguard action to drag their team to the semis of the biggest football competition in the World.
Brazil managed only three attempts on goal in the first half, and the likes of Neymar, Richarlison, Antony, Rodrygo and Co, were blunted out for large stretches of the game. Fullbacks Josip Juranovic ans Borna Sosa also put in humongous shifts to take the edge out of Brazil's wings.
#3 Brazil fall to European opposition again
Since winning the Cup in 2002, the Selecao have played in five World Cup quarter-finals and been knocked out by European opposition on four of those occasions.
France got the better of Brazil in 2006, the Netherlands shocked them in 2010, Belgium rode a crest to finish them off in 2018, and now Croatia have shocked them into submission.
#2 Croatia maintain 100 per cent record in penalty shootouts in World Cups
Croatia have not won a single World Cup knockout game in 90 minutes since 1998. But they have been lethal in penalty shootouts. They won two in two in 2018 and have repeated the feat here, having beaten Japan in the same manner in their last-16 game.
From the outset, Zlatko Dalic's tactic was to set up a wall in front of Brazil and take the edge out of the game by keeping a hold of the ball through their stellar midfield of Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo Brozovic.
And their confidence in coming out on top in penalty shootouts suggests that this tactic works perfectly for this resilient side.
#1 Livakovic keeps red-hot streak going
The Dinamo Zagreb custodian has grown into his own during this World Cup. He used his height, reach and agility to great effect while effecting three saves in the tiebreaker against Japan. And he took his game up a few notches in this crucial quarterfinal against the might of Brazil.
He made 11 saves in open play to keep Brazil at bay till late in the first half of extra time, the most by a 'keeper during this tournament. And then he began the penalty shootout in perfect fashion by saving Rodrygo's effort. Croatia never looked back from that point on their way to registering a historic win and take them to their third World Cup semifinal.
