FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: Croatia reach quarter-finals after beating Japan on penalties

Gulf News

Japan were knocked out of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar after Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic saved three spot kicks as the match was decided on penalties. After 120 minutes the teams were tied at 1-1 and then came the drama of the shootout. Croatia held their nerve to book their place in the quarter-finals. Gulf News football experts discuss the match and look ahead to tomorrow’s fixtures.  Read the full story here:   See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km

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00:00You're watching Golf News Kicking Back, where Croatia have booked their places in the quarterfinals

00:15of the FIFA World Cup after a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Japan. The match had

00:21ended 1-1 after 120 minutes of action. Japan, in fact, had taken the lead. They had played

00:26so well in that match. But Croatia came back with a second-half equaliser. No other goals

00:32were scored in extra time. The match went to penalties. And Sham, I have to say, those

00:37Japan's pop kicks were probably the worst I think I've ever seen. What did you make

00:41of those?

00:42I think you're right. I totally agree there, simply because more than the keeper, none

00:50of the kicks lacked any punch power or direction. Like you said, they had some of the worst

00:55penalties I myself have seen. They've seen a lot of penalty shootouts, but this is probably

01:00one of the worst, really. Because more than the keeper, it was the quality of the kicks.

01:06They didn't attack the kicks. You need to be aggressive even in penalties. The body

01:12language was bad enough and none of the penalties packed any punch. I think in the penalties,

01:21Croatia were head and shoulders above and they deserved to win the penalties.

01:25Satish, Croatia's history in penalties is far better. In the last World Cup 2018, two

01:32of the games went to penalties and they won both of those. The only time Japan had penalties

01:36was in 2010 and they lost. And like Sham says, you could see the players when they were walking

01:42up, they didn't look confident at all. When you're feeling that nervous, isn't it just

01:46better just to blast the ball as hard as you can, rather than try to place it like so many

01:50of their players did? And they never got the balls into the corners. It was a really

01:53poor penalty shootout from Japan.

01:56Yes, Imran. Again, they can say a lot, but what happens is the nerves, because they are

02:02not in this position in the past. So obviously, that must be playing on their mind and they

02:07must be saying, somehow I'll put the ball in. No, but they didn't have the confidence

02:12to do that. Maybe that's the reason why the shots lacked the punch. But as Croatia's experience

02:17showed, because they have won two penalties so far and they know exactly what to do. And

02:24because I've been there and done that, it makes a lot of difference than somebody who's

02:28doing it for the first time. Maybe when next time Japan comes to the penalties in the near

02:33future, then they will be able to do better. Because this is an unknown territory for them.

02:38So you can't blame them because they don't have the experience. But all in all, it was

02:42a pretty good keeping as well from Croatian Ljivakovic, isn't it? He did well as well.

02:50Brilliant effort from Croatia.

02:52Yes, Ljivakovic made three stops. But to be honest, Sam, those three that he had to save,

02:58they were really poor. He didn't really have to dive much either. Minamino's first one

03:02just set the tone. He put the ball down and he strode up and he didn't catch it at all.

03:08It was almost down the middle. It was a poor attempt. And unfortunately, all the good work

03:12that Japan have done in this tournament, beating Germany, beating Spain, taking Croatia

03:17all the way and outplaying them, it's all undone from three really poor penalties.

03:24It's a tragedy, really, because for all this, what you call it, a very energetic display

03:31and the end was rather limp. I would say they went out with a whimper, really. I mean, penalties,

03:39I would think that when you come to the knockout, every team would have prepared for penalties.

03:43And you know it in the back of your mind that at some point, you have to take penalties.

03:48But it looks absolutely… I am absolutely sure that Japan didn't seem to have enough

03:53adequate preparation for the penalties. Because the way they took it was so poor. It's almost

03:59like… I don't think even club level you see better penalties than this. Of course,

04:04I mean, I know that it's not to take away any credit from Liverpool, which of course,

04:09finally you need to anticipate the direction, which it did. But then,

04:14they were so weak that I don't think you'd have to do much. It's just his condom.

04:21He didn't, he didn't at all. But Satish, this team have done their country proud.

04:26The Japanese people will be super proud of this team for what they've achieved to get out of the

04:30group. And like I said, to beat Germany and to beat Spain. Just sum up how impressed you've

04:35been with them in this tournament. I was extremely impressed so far in this tournament. But today,

04:41I think some of the lack of confidence showed. Because I think that's where they couldn't

04:48score the goals which normally they would have scored. They're going all the way up the goal

04:53mouth. And once inside the box, they are not able to break through and don't know where to go.

04:58So again, it's a lack of experience. But I would say they have done quite well to what, because

05:04as Sean said, they were not prepared. Because they might not be prepared even to play

05:08quarterfinals against Germany and Spain. So it was an absolute shocker for them, maybe even.

05:15So that way, I think they did quite well in reaching the last 16. But yes,

05:23they could have done better than what they did in this game.

05:26Sean, Croatia have reached the quarterfinals. During this match, they substituted Luka Modric,

05:3337-year-old. I mean, he gave everything in the match. There wasn't anything else that he could

05:38do. And he was obviously clearly very worried when he went to penalties, thinking that that was

05:43probably his last World Cup match. But no, he survives. He's going to be around for at least

05:47one more. How good do you think he's been? And do you think Croatia, I mean, do you think Croatia

05:53have to do a lot more than what they've done so far in this tournament? They've been very,

05:57you know, they drew against Morocco 0-0. OK, they scored four against Canada,

06:01but I think most teams could have put two or three goals past them. And they got a draw

06:06against Belgium in their group game. So they really weren't that adventurous going forwards.

06:10And today, for long periods of the game, they were being pinned back by Japan, by some lovely,

06:15intricate football, by the Japanese, in fact. So do you think now that we have to surely see

06:19a bit more creativity from Croatia now that they're in the quarterfinals?

06:25I don't see Croatia progressing beyond the quarterfinals. This is also rather fortuitous,

06:30I would say, simply because Japan could not drive home the advantage. Actually,

06:36Japan were very good in the first half. I mean, they were all over them. And I expected Japan to

06:42come out a lot more, for a lot more, with a lot more energy, which we have seen in other matches.

06:48If you look at the upset against Germany and Spain, the second half, they were really,

06:55really going at the opposition, which we didn't see so much in this match. But instead,

07:00they had a completely different strategy. They came out firing all cylinders in the first half,

07:05really. But they kind of lost out steam towards the end, I thought. But as for Modric, I was

07:12surprised that he was substituted because Modric was still calling the shots. I know he's not been

07:18the fast enough, but at 37, you would expect that. But he was still doing the stuff only he can do.

07:25He's been finding the slots. He's been finding the gaps. He's been sending those passes.

07:32I would even have expected him to take the penalty kick because he means so much to the

07:36Croatians that I would have loved to see him taking one of those spot kicks, really.

07:41So, but coming back to, again, Croatia's performance, they've been quietly competent,

07:46but they've been pretty organized. Part of the reason they've progressed so far is their

07:52experience. And they have an experienced bunch, I think. A lot of that we did in Croatia and

07:58Modric. And most of the guys have been to World Cup before, so they know how to play,

08:05do the turnover and play. So even when they fell behind on some of the earlier matches,

08:10they quietly got back into the game. And they're very good at that. But I thought they were a

08:17little poor today. And I think they don't have the stuff to really progress beyond quarter-finals.

08:24I think coach Zlatko Dalic would have been very worried when he substituted Modric and then the

08:30game went into extra time. Because you're right, Sharm. Modric would have definitely been probably

08:34the first one to put the ball down, take the penalties and definitely score as well. In the

08:38end, Croatia didn't need him. They go through commiserations to Japan. They've been entertaining

08:42and brilliant this whole tournament. But it can only be one winner and Croatia has done it. Right

08:46now, yesterday was a huge game for England against Senegal. Now, this one had a potential upset

08:52written all over it. But I think Gareth Southgate got his tactics and his team selection, more

08:58importantly, spot on. And in the end, England strolled to a 3-0 win. Sharm, what did you make

09:02of England yesterday? Oh, England was a huge surprise for me because I expected the match to

09:07be much closer than what it turned out to be. Because England actually killed the game with

09:13those goals. And with those goals, it completely blew Senegal out of the game. Because if you look

09:21at before the first goal arrived, Senegal was all over England. And there was almost like a goal

09:29coming any minute. And when the first goal came, and I think when the Henderson goal came, I think

09:35that really took the air out of the Senegalese. And the second goal even further. And by then,

09:42the fight has gone over Senegal. And England were all over them. And going forward into the

09:48quarter-finals, I think this win will do a world of good for, not just England, in the sense like

09:54it will do a world of good for their confidence, really. And like you said, I think finally,

09:58Gareth Southgate is getting to close to where he wants or what the team he wants.

10:05I was quite happy with the way the team he put out there, the tactics he employed.

10:10But I hope he doesn't go back to his five-man defence in the next match. Because

10:17against France, I think he will be very worried about Kylian Mbappe, especially after the show

10:23he put on. So, he might go into his five-man defence mode, which I don't think will suit

10:28England. But let's wait and see. I think it will be a risky move now,

10:35Shyam, to change a winning team. He didn't change his team against the Wales match. He kept the same

10:40team. And they went on and proved to be too good for the Senegalese yesterday. But Satish, like

10:46Shyam says, England are now playing France on Saturday in the quarter-final. And with Mbappe

10:51in the kind of form that he's currently in, how do you see this game going? It should be a very

10:57entertaining watch. Because now England have scored 12 goals in their four games at this

11:02World Cup. They've had three clean sheets as well. So, they're looking very strong at the back and

11:06they're looking very good going forwards against a France team who are also doing the same thing,

11:10looking very good going forwards and strong at the back. So, something has to give, right?

11:15What's going to happen on Saturday? No, it's a cracker of a game. We are all

11:20waiting. That's what quarter-finals are going to be, isn't it? Because maybe it could be Brazil

11:25who will be playing Croatia also. So, the quarter-finals are heating up and we are also

11:31looking at some more exciting contests. But in this contest, I think England will face a good

11:37match in France because it's not about one person, Mbappe alone. Yes, he's the central figure. But

11:43I think there are about three or four other contenders who could threaten your goal. So,

11:48the difference will be tested probably for the first time. So, it's going to be a brilliant game,

11:55England versus France. But let's see. I think the way France is playing, I would be tempted to

12:04give them a little edge over England at this point in time. Sorry, Mbappe. Sorry, sorry, sorry.

12:11No, but you're right, Satish. You've summed it up right. The way France are playing,

12:15they're defending champions as well. They're going to be up for that one. But then so are

12:18England. It's going to be a very interesting game. Right. Tomorrow, we've got two more games,

12:22starting with Morocco against Spain. Shaan, Morocco have looked really good. I've been

12:26really impressed with them. They've got some good results in that group stage.

12:30Can they surprise Spain tomorrow? I think they can, simply because Spain is still not a very

12:37solid side. They are a very enterprising, very creative side, but they're a very young side.

12:43But if you look at, they have lost in the previous games also, in the group stages,

12:50which points to the fact that there's a fragility in their defence.

12:56OK, going forward, they were good. They were intricate passing and

13:02they built the moves very well. Fine. That's all great. But the thing is,

13:06they tend to be caught off guard on the counters. So here is where Morocco is very dangerous. They

13:13can be fast. They can be very nippy. They can be all over you on the counters. That is where the

13:21Achilles spot for Spain. So I think Morocco has got a very good chance. Satish, we could be in

13:31for a really good game of football. Like Shams said, Spain's young team, the guys like Gavi,

13:35Pedri, Ferran Torres, up against Morocco's quality players like Ziyech and Hakimi. I personally think

13:42we're going to be seeing a very high scoring game here and it could be going all the way to penalties.

13:45Do you think this could be another decider on spot kicks?

13:50It could be a spot kick, but somehow my gut feeling says that Spain could still sneak

13:56through. Because what happens is again, like what we talked about yesterday, the experience,

14:01the past performances, these all play a part in the knockout stages. Group stages are entirely

14:09different from the knockout stages. Group stages, you have a second chance, you have a third chance.

14:14So you kind of know you can plan your move. But here, knockout, on that day, the moment.

14:21So that's where I think the experience might count. Of course, Spain could be an end team,

14:26but they are a very quality side as well. So I would give Spain the chance tomorrow,

14:31though it's going to be an extremely close contest, Imran.

14:35Yeah, I think so. It's going to be a very exciting contest as well. And the other one

14:39is Portugal against Switzerland. Sham, give me a prediction there.

14:43I think Portugal has enough quality to put over or get past Switzerland. I mean, when you think

14:50of Portugal, only Ronaldo comes to mind. But I think this Portugal team is much more than Ronaldo.

14:57I mean, to me, more than Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes has been the man for me in this World Cup.

15:03He has been literally carrying this Portuguese side. So, not just Bruno Fernandes. Then you have

15:12Bernardo Silva. Then you have Joao, I forget his name, the guy on the right. And a lot more

15:20quality players. There's Cancelo there. So many quality players. I think this is easily the best

15:26Portuguese side I have seen in recent times. Because earlier, when you look at the Portugal

15:32side, the only guys you can make out is Ronaldo and Pepe. Beyond that, it's just the other guys

15:39are just filling their roles. But this is not the case. This is a side which for every position,

15:44they have quality players, which is why I would say Portugal should win in regulation time tomorrow.

15:51Satish, Portugal will be looking to reach the quarterfinals of the World Cup for just the third

15:55time. They previously done that in 1966 and 2006. I personally think that they're going to blow

16:01Switzerland away. They've been, Switzerland have been very negative and very cagey and

16:05they just sit back. Teams that do that, more often than not, end up losing.

16:08Like Shyam says, Portugal's got a lot of quality there. Do you also think Portugal

16:12should breeze through this one, get to the quarterfinals? Absolutely. I think the way

16:16they have been playing, they should go through against Switzerland and Ronaldo. Even I think

16:23that way, because they have the quality. And of course, you have the magic man in front,

16:28who could create at least one penalty or the other, some or the other, he can create a penalty.

16:37He's there up front. So I think I'll go with Portugal.

16:42Yeah, with him up front, anything can happen. Right, guys, that's it for us for tonight.

16:46Head to gulfnews.com for all the latest news, reviews and videos. And of course,

16:51check us out on social media. We'll be back tomorrow to see how the games go. In the meantime,

16:55take care and good night.

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