Japan and South Korea losses end the World Cup dream for Asian teams.
On Monday, December 5, while Japan seems to be the better team during the match, Croatia took the win as they remained calm and relaxed during the penalty shootout.
The next day, tournament favorites Brazil clashed, and emerged victorious, against South Korea to punch their ticket to the quarterfinals.
Croatia beats Japan on penalties to reach World Cup quarterfinals
Goalkeeper Dominik Livaković made himself the national hero as Croatia beat Japan on penalties 1-1 (3-1) in order to reach the World Cup quarterfinals.
Croatia's goalkeeper blocked three of Japan's four penalties, while his team scored three out of its four attempts. It was Mario Pasalic who struck the decisive spot-kick, sending his side onto the next round.
Croatia's players quickly ran to Livaković with overjoyed faces as Japan's outstanding run at Qatar 2022 ended in heartbreak.
Brazil dance their way into World Cup quarterfinals vs South Korea
Tournament favorites Brazil practically danced its way past South Korea and into the World Cup quarterfinals, defeating their opponent 4-1 in a stunning performance in Qatar.
The five-time world champions made a solid stance, by putting their total score beyond the reach of their South Korean counterparts - a whopping four goals in the first half.
The four goals in the first half from Vinicius Jr., Neymar Jr., Richarlison and Lucas Paqueta literally wrapped up this match soon after it had just begun.
Knockout Stage / Round of 16 - The Results so far:
- Date: December 3 (Sat)
- Netherlands 3 - United States 1
Date: December 4 (Sun)
- Argentina 2 - Australia 1
- France 3 - Poland 1
Date: December 5 (Mon)
- England 3 - Senegal 0
- Croatia 1 (3) - Japan 1 (1)
Date: December 6 (Tue)
*Dates according to UTC/GMT +8 timezone
The 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia will be facing Brazil in the quarterfinals scheduled on Friday, December 9.
Who's your favorite team to win at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022?
Source:
https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/qatar2022
Images: The New York Times, CNN