Japan was eliminated by Croatia after the penalty shootout
Japan took the lead after the first half and had a great chance to reach the quarterfinals of the World Cup for the first time. But Croatia's experience in the knockout rounds of the World Cup helps them prevent the opponent from creating a historic feat. Dalic's teachers and students equalized from a rare clear opportunity, then maintained a winning record in penalty shootouts in the World Cup. The Japanese cried, after goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic blocked three shots from Minamino, Mitoma and Yoshida in the brainstorming series.
While the Japanese players all clearly showed psychological problems when going to the penalty spot and kicking too gently, their opponents were cold and stubborn. There is no longer Modric, Perisic, Kovacic or Kramaric on the field, but Croatia is still very confident, successfully kicking 3 out of 4 penalties to win 3-1 in this series. The 2018 runner-up won all the rounds of the 1/8 round in the World Cup. They will be waiting for Brazil or Korea in the quarterfinals.
True to the statement of coach Hajime Moriyasu before the match, Japan did not play defensively when entering the match against Croatia. Their high spirits helped them create many dangerous opportunities in the first half. The result came late in the half, when Daizen Maeda arrived just in time after a mess from Ritsu Doan's cross, bouncing the ball with his left foot into the net as the goal was wide open. After VAR confirmed that no Japanese player was offside, Moriyasu's men celebrated and entered the second half with great confidence.
Germany and Spain could not score after being led by Japan, but Croatia was different, although the number of opportunities for teachers and students Dalic was not many. The usual composure helped the Balkan side equalize in their first notable situation of the second half. From central defender Dejan Lovren's cross, Ivan Perisic headed in from the edge of the penalty area, driving the ball into the far corner to eliminate goalkeeper Gonda. Perisic's 10th goal at major tournaments and his sixth at the World Cup, equalizing Davor Suker's record, who is president of the Croatian Football Federation.
After the equalizer, Croatia played with much more energy, in contrast to their slow and sluggish image in the first half. Japan somewhat flinched, but regained focus to not lose a second goal from Croatia's continuous dribbling.
From the 70th minute, the match took place with the lurking game of both sides. Prudence prevailed for the remainder of the second half as well as two extra periods, as neither team advanced too high to settle the game early. Croatia holds more of the ball, while Japan relies more on the speed and dexterity of substitutes like Kaoru Mitoma or Takuma Asano. However, neither team created clear opportunities.
Six of Croatia's last seven matches in the knockout round of major tournaments required extra time. They are so used to having to play overtime in the World Cup and Euro. Coach Dalic did not hesitate to withdraw all the old pillars from the field, replacing them with young names and more ready for the next developments.
And when the game required a penalty shootout, Croatia's confidence was even higher. Dalic's teachers and students defeated Denmark and Russia in the 2018 World Cup with this series of shots. They maintain a record of winning in penalty shootouts at the World Cup thanks to the brilliance of the hero Livakovic. The 27-year-old goalkeeper has never participated in a penalty shootout in his career, and has not saved any of the last 24 penalties he has faced. But he pushed three shots from Japan, helping Croatia eliminate the Asian representative. The Japanese dream of entering the quarterfinals of the World Cup for the first time had to be put on hold, when they failed for the fourth time in the first knockout round.
