Doha: The Blue Samurais, the underdogs of the FIFA World Cup 2022 finally find their end. The Japanese defeated the 2010 champions and 2014 champs en route to the R16. Finally, Croatia defeated the Blue Samurai in the penalties thanks to Dominik Livakovic .
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The game started at a very stalemate but the tense atmosphere caved audiences in. The rise of Asian nations in the FIFA World Cup 2022 is a very enticing factor for Qatar. The Croatians came to the match as group runners-up behind Morocco and the Japanese are one of the most interesting threats. The rock-ribbed Japanese portended into the penalty area multiple times.
The short corner at 43′ saw Maya Yoshida’s head into Maeda’s legs. The 25-year-old Daizen Maeda shot the goal past Livakovic. The Japanese held control of possession, not letting the Croatians in for the first half. The second half saw the Croatians gaining some authority over the Japanese. The Croatians showed some light with Perisic heading a power shot into the net.
Dejan Lovren crossed an under-hit cross into the danger zone. Perisic, who was right there tapped into the net past the Japanese goalkeeper. The match remained stale at 1-1 for the remaining half. Both sides attempted goal chances. The match moved into the after extra time, yet another stalemate. The Croatians marched fiercely into the goal area in a very intense mode. The final minutes tensed up the whole mood of the stadium. Eventually, the match went into the penalties.
Livakovic – The Birth of a Hero. The 27-year-old goalkeeper from Dinamo Zagreb saved three of the Asian’s strikes. The Croatian saved the attempts of Takumi, Mitomi, and Yoshida. On the other hand, Pasalic, Vlasic, and Brozovic found the net.
The Asians failed to win yet another R16 Match. Meanwhile, The Croatians maintain their perfect penalty shootout record at the majors. They will now face the winners of Brazil vs South Korea in the quarterfinals.
Can the 2018 runners-up win the cup this time?
