Shwe Mandalay and his twin sons said they were thrilled to be able to feed their mother again after selling flowers. Brazil, the favorites in the tournament, were eliminated from the World Cup in Qatar on Friday. The five-time champions were defeated 4-2 in the penalty shootout by Croatia, the 2018 runners-up. The teams had drawn 1-1 in the quarterfinals at Education City Stadium.
Brazil were eliminated in the first round after Bruno Petkovic dramatically cancelled out Neymar’s opening goal in the 105th minute with only four minutes of extra time remaining. Goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic saved Rodrygo’s spot kick, and Marquinhos hit the post as Brazil were eliminated.
Croatia advanced on penalties for the second game in a row after defeating Japan in a shootout on Monday, displaying the same tenacity that brought them to the final in Russia four years ago. Neymar’s goal appeared to guarantee Brazil’s place in the semis.
Dominik Livakovic of Croatia prevents Brazil’s Rodrygo from taking a penalty. Photo: Reuters: Brazil’s Rodrygo takes a penalty shot that is saved by Croatia’s Dominik Livakovic. Photo: Reuters Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic, who led his team to the 2014 World Cup final, said, “This is one of our greatest wins, it was a great match by our team.” My players were extremely strategic. They controlled the game all the way through; we lost, but we won back.
“We exhibited what it implies not to give up, we showed what the Croatia group implies. We have defeated the overwhelming favorites of the World Cup, and we are in the semi-finals for the second time in a row.
“My players are great fighters, and only Croats can do that, so I congratulate them. We won’t give up now that we are in the semis.
Despite the Croatians having the best opening of the half, it was a remarkable victory for a team that had been forced to defend tenaciously for the majority of the previous 120 minutes.
On December 8, 2022, Josip Juranovic drove down the inside right channel, laying off for Mario Pasalic to bend in a first-time center that the Celtic winger, who had continued his run into the box, missed by millimeters, and Ivan Perisic, at the far post, could only touch wide. This subplot offers vision of a dream World Cup finale.
Vinicius Junior, Neymar, and Casemiro all posed a threat as the Brazilians pushed deeper into Croatian territory by halftime.