The Croatian national team defeated the Japanese team in the 1/8 final match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and advanced to the next stage of the tournament.
The main time of the meeting ended with a score of 1:1. The Japanese scored Daizen Maeda (43rd minute), as part of the Croatian team, and the ball was scored by Ivan Perisic (55). In extra time the score has not changed.
Croats turned out to be more accurate in the penalty shootout – 3:1. The Japanese Takumi Minamino, Kaoru Mitoma, and Maya Yoshida could not realize the 11-meter shots, and Dominik Livakovich parried three blows. Nikola Vlašić, Marcelo Brozović, and Mario Pasalic scored penalties for Croatia, while Marco Livaja hit the post.
The Croatian national team has won all three shootouts in which they participated in the World Cup. In the 1/8 finals of the 2018 tournament in Russia, the Croats beat the Danish national team in the 11-meter series (3:2), and in the quarterfinals, they were stronger than the Russians (4:3). In addition, the last seven penalty shoot-outs at the World Cup have been won by the team that took second.
In the quarter-finals of the World Cup, the Croatian team will meet the winner of the match Brazil – Korea, which will take place later on Monday.
