FIFA World Cup Quarterfinals : Brazil vs Croatia

 In a heart burn for millions of supporters across the world, a resilient & disciplined Croatia stunned title contenders Brazil in penalty shoot outs to reach the semi finals of the World Cup. Penalty shoot outs have almost always suited the Croatians & this was their 4th successive such win, while for Brazil, it was their first loss in penalties since 1986, when they had lost to France. In both the cases, Brazil led by a goal first, only to allow their opponents to equalise & then somehow lost their nerves to face exit. 

The game's standout player was Croatian Goal Keeper Dominik Livakovic, who is having a dream tournament & may well go on to win the Golden Glove of this edition. He was tested by the Brazilians on multiple occasions, but somehow managed to keep the ball from entering the net. Coming in a substitute for Raphinha, Antony offered a lot of spark down the right flank, but somehow Brazil failed to make good of their chances, allowing Croatia to grow into their belief & into the game. However, for once, Neymar got the better of him in extra time, when in a stunning one two one move with Paqueta, he shuffled between two defenders, went past a diving Livakovic & fired the ball into the top net, as Brazil supporters went delirious with 1-0 lead. With this goal, Neymar stands level with Pele as the most goals scored for Brazil at 77. With the stadium celebrating the moment of magic, Brazil now had to defend another 10 minutes to reach the semis. However, not giving up, the Croatians found a way back, as substitute Petkovic received a pass from Orsis inside the box & his angling left footer beat the flailing Alisson under the bar via a deflection into the net, as the score levelled 1-1, with just 3 minutes remaining. Both sides tried hard, & Casemiro had a huge opportunity when the ball was at his feet from a set piece, but his effort was not strong enough, as Livakovic managed to parry the ball out, & it was the end of extra time. Now it was Croatia who went into the penalties on high morale & the momentum had shifted. Croatia scored from all their four shots, as Alisson failed to stop even one, while on the other side, Livakovic saved the first shot from a nervy looking Rodrygo & then Marquinhos hit the post, as Croatia celebrated 4-2 win to swarm the field in joy. Livakovic has now made four saves in penalties to become the joint holder of most saves in the tournament history. On the other side, a normally reliable Brazilian keeper Alisson had a rather poor game. Faced with just one real shot on target, he could not save it, which would've safely carried Brazil to the semis, & then on penalties, he could not save a single of the four Croatian spot kicks. 

Brazilians had played a good game, but did not read the Croatian strategy of frustrating their moves & disrupting their fluid game. They still created multiple opportunities, but could not finish with just the keeper to beat from close range. This arguably has been the biggest upset in the tournament so far, with pre tournament favourite & the World no 1 ranking team going out. Brazil has now failed to cross the quarterfinals four time in last five editions of this tournament. Croatia now await the winners from the next match between Netherlands & Argentina.