Penalty shootout luck goes Croatia's way

Croatia has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Qatar World Cup after beating Japan in a penalty shootout in a match that ended 1-1. Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livaković was the hero of the match, saving three of the four penalties taken by the Japanese team.

Japan was on the defensive for most of the match, though it never stopped looking for ways to create chances through effort and courage. Despite its elimination, the Japanese team established itself as one of the great surprises of this World Cup in Qatar.

The Japanese team created some danger in the first half. Daichi Kamada had the chance to put his country ahead after a sensational play with his teammates.

The first goal of the game came two minutes before the end of the first half. Striker Daizen Maeda (1-0) gave Japan the lead with an impeccable header from a corner kick.

After the break, Croatia maintained its game plan and continued to take advantage of the its size to create danger through the air. In the 55th minute, Ivan Perišić (1-1) levelled the score with a powerful header off a great cross from Dejan Lovren. Japanese goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda had no chance to make the save.

Croatia wins penalty shootout

Both teams felt the fatigue accumulated during the first extra time match of this World Cup. The 30-minute extra time was relatively placid, with both goalkeepers needing to stop just one chance from either team.

The referee blew the final whistle of extra time with the score still knotted at a goal apiece. The quarterfinal spot was to be decided from the penalty spot. That's when Livaković showed up.

The Croatian goalkeeper was a hero, saving three of the four Japanese kicks, and Mario Pašalić sealed Croatia’s quarterfinal berth by scoring the last penalty.

Croatia is still awaiting its quarterfinal opponent, which will be the winner of today’s match between Brazil and South Korea.