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Croatia vs Japan (Image Source: Twitter)
On 5 December 2022, Japan locked horns with Croatia in the ongoing FIFA World Cup. It was the fifth clash in the Round of 16 that took place in Al Janoub Stadium. Japan impressed everyone by topping Group E. They defeated both Spain and Germany in the group stage and gathered six points in three matches.
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On the other hand, Croatia managed the second spot in Group F with five points in three matches. So, the stage was set for a great battle between these sides. Japan fans were hoping for another good show from their players on the biggest stage.
Croatia defeated Japan 3-1 in the penalty shootout in the FIFA World Cup 2022
Japan had an early chance in the game in the third minute to score the opener. Shogo Taniguchi managed a header but failed to keep it on target. In the ninth minute, Ivan Perisic had a shot at the goal. But, Japan goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda was aware as he saved it comfortably. Then, in the 13th minute, Daizen Maeda had a chance to score for Japan but failed to convert.
However, Japan broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute. Daizen Maeda scored the goal while Maya Yoshida assisted him. Yoshida managed a header earlier and then, Maeda reacted instantly to score the goal. Thus, the first half ended 1-0. In the second half, Croatia looked more controlled as they came up with more attacking threats since the start of that half. In the 55th minute, Ivan Perisic scored an unbelievable header to score that goal.
Dejan Lovren assisted him with a beautiful ball into the box. Despite having Japan’s defenders, Perisic headed that ball with power to the goal. Then, in the 63rd minute, Luka Modric had a shot but Gonda made a comfortable save. After that, in the 66th minute, Ante Budimir managed a header but his effort was out of target by a small margin. Then, despite of several chances, both teams failed to take a lead and the game ended 1-1 after 90 minutes. In the next extra 30 minutes, no goals were scored again as the game headed into penalty shootouts. There, Dominik Livakovic showed class as he saved three penalties and Croatia defeated Japan 3-1 in the penalty shootout.